Tag: aviation safety

HELICOPTER OFFSHORE OPERATIONS: AN OVERVIEW

Anil Goyal

The term “offshore operations” is used to describe situations where not only a part of the flight takes place over large bodies of water but when most of the flight, including the main objectives, are to be completed away from dry land. Because of their VTOL and hover capabilities, the use of helicopters in offshore operations has increased greatly. In this post, my guest author, Wg Cdr Vikram Mahajan (Retd) will tell us about helicopter offshore operations, their complexities and safety risks. Crude oil and natural gas are invaluable natural…

LONG DURATION MISSION: FIGHTER AIRCRAFT

Anil Goyal

The flight endurance record though no longer recognized used to be the longest amount of time an aircraft of a particular category spent in flight without landing. It can be a solo event, or multiple people can take turns piloting the aircraft, as long as all pilots remained in the aircraft. The limit initially was the amount of fuel that could be stored for the flight, but aerial refuelling extended that parameter. Flying modern fighter aircraft requires a high degree of physical and mental fitness to withstand the stresses that are placed on the…

Clear Air Turbulence

Anil Goyal

The pollution debate, the winter SMOG and the spike in COVID-19 cases keep us engrossed in our daily lives. Living on Earth, the air we breathe and the birds and clouds we see, limit our world to a few hundred or maybe a few thousand feet above the surface. We rarely imagine about the events that take place above the world so high in the upper atmosphere. Not until one embarks on air travel and the aeroplane shakes a little because of “turbulence”. Mostly, this turbulence is associated with the…

My First Flight as a Trainee Pilot (Flight Cadet)

Anil Goyal

 “Sometimes, flying feels too God-like to be attained by man. Sometimes, the world from above seems too beautiful, too wonderful, too distant for human eyes to see.” Charles A. Lindbergh Growing up in India in the 1980s that too in tier II city, I would have been lucky if I got a chance to travel on a plane. Almost every child I had met, dreamt about becoming a pilot. Maybe this was just because we wanted to fly and reach the clouds above, or because we saw in cartoons and…

Light Transport Aircraft: Saras

Anil Goyal

Named Saras, after the Indian crane known for its grace and beauty in flight, the Light Transport Aircraft (LTA) has the design objective of being able to carry between eight and 14 passengers and extendable to an 18-passenger variant, in multiple modes of operation.  The flight-testing expertise and resources in India have matured adequately to undertake prototype flight-testing. The Light Transport Aircraft (LTA) program, SARAS a turboprop aircraft being developed indigenously by National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL) of Government of India, is the first civil aircraft program aimed at certification standard,…

Flight Test Engineer

Anil Goyal

A flight test engineer (FTE) is an engineer involved in the flight testing of prototype aircraft or aircraft systems. He/She has overall responsibility for the planning of a specific flight test phase, which includes preparing the test plans in conjunction with other analytical and/or systems engineers, overseeing the buildup of the aircraft to the proper configuration, working with the flight test instrumentation engineer to ensure the sensors and recording systems are installed for required data parameters, and preparing the manoeuvre-by-manoeuvre plan for each test flight (enshrined typically in a higher-level document called a “test plan” and then an operational document…

Formation Aerobatics Display Team: SKAT

Anil Goyal

Even the winds stop to stare at their daring acts. The formation aerobatic team and their gravity-defying feats at zipping speeds. Loop, barrel rolls, rolls, clovers, roll of top and hard turns every manoeuvre that is hard to fathom is done in perfect precision and position. In this article, we will meet one of the members of this team. I freely admit that learning this stuff is tenuous and demanding – even harder than being married. Two aircraft close formation – which is much easier and simpler would give me…

The Saga of a Fighter Pilot: Training and Missions

Anil Goyal

After graduating from Air Force Academy Dundigal, it is training at a squadron which transforms young aviator into a military pilot. The pilots commissioned in fighter stream undergo specialized training in aerial warfare (air to air combat and air to ground combat). Fighter pilots are one of the most highly regarded and desirable positions of any air force. They possesses an exceptional academic record, physical fitness, healthy well-being, and a strong mental drive. As a combat pilot, successfully completing their missions is paramount, equal emphasis is given on their role…

Mi-26 Halo: Largest Helicopter Flying Experience

Anil Goyal

The quality of person’s life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavour. Vince Lombardi The Mil Mi-26 is a twin-engine heavy transport helicopter designed and manufactured by Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant, Russia, for both military and civilian roles. It is the largest and powerful helicopter in the world and entered into service in 1985. The Mi-26 can perform a number of tasks, including the transferring of military equipment, namely personnel carriers, and mobile ballistic missiles, to distant locations. Composite material and…

Women Voices in Military Aviation

Anil Goyal

“There’s something so special about a woman who dominates in a man’s world. It takes a certain grace, strength, intelligence, fearlessness, and the nerve to never take no for an answer.  Rihanna  It’s not very often one hears about India trailblazing on issues of gender equality. On the contrary, the country regularly makes headlines for all the wrong reasons when it comes to women: high rape statistics, dowry deaths, and pervasive discrimination. The data collated by the International Society of Women Airline Pilots showed that India had the highest proportion of female…