Civil Aviation Tableau to focus on RCS-UDAN to robust infrastructure

The Ministry of Civil Aviation will showcase their tableau during the Republic Day parade and it will provide a sneak-peek into India's remarkable growth in the aviation industry. The key focus will be Regional Connectivity Scheme i.e. UDAN or Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik

A total of 21 tableaux, 12 of various states and Union Territories, nine ministries will be showcased at the Republic Day parade 2022 at Rajpath in New Delhi. Showcasing the Buddhist circuit under Regional Connectivity Scheme UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik) and the rich dividends it has been yielding, the tableau of the Ministry of Civil Aviation will be participating for the first time in the Republic Day Celebration Parade, 2022.

Team to represent Civil Aviation in Republic Day Parade

Civil Aviation Tableau

In the aircraft-shaped tableau, the front part showcases women pilots depicting women's power in the Indian aviation industry, as India tops in women commercial pilots, globally. The rear portion of the tableau shows the symbol of Buddhism and the motto of UDAN — Sab Uden, Sab Juden.

The middle portion showcases the Buddha circuit, featuring, Buddha Statue at Gaya where He attained enlightenment Dhamekh Stupa, Sarnath, where He delivered his first sermon (Dharmachakra Parivartan), and the Mahaparinirvana Stupa, Kushinagar where He attained Mahaparinirvana.

Both sides of the middle portion of the tableau depict heritage sites — Humayun tomb from North, Konark sun temple in East, Hampi temple chariot in South, and Ajanta caves in West, connected with air services.

Humayun tomb is accessible through Indira Gandhi International airport, Delhi, Konark sun temple through Biju Patnaik International Airport, Bhubaneshwar, Hampi temple through Vidyanagar airport and Ajanta caves can be reached via Aurangabad airport.

The tableau also depicts the Palm Yoga Mudra of Buddha in the centre and world heritage sites of India situated in different regions of the country, two each on either side of the Palm Yoga Mudra.

"For the first time, Civil Aviation Ministry will have its tableau at Republic Day parade. I'm sure that our tableau will display country's spiritual & tourism strength alongside a focus on women pilots to mark women empowerment."Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia

"We are focusing on Buddhist circuit and Dekho Apna Desh, where we are displaying Heritage and world heritage monuments in the country, which are connected through airports where people can go and see, wonderful monuments. Everything is around the people. What is the inspiration for the people? People have to be connected. Our interest is to ensure that people are connected and their aspirations are fulfilled."Usha Padhee, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation

UDAN Scheme

The UDAN scheme was launched in 2016 with its aim to enhance aviation infrastructure and air connectivity in Tier-II and Tier-III cities at affordable airfare fulfilling the aspirations of the common man.

The first UDAN flight was flagged off in 2017 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. As of date, 403 UDAN routes connecting 65 underserved/unserved airports including heliports and water aerodromes have been operationalized under UDAN Scheme and more than 85 lakh people have benefited from this scheme.

UDAN has transformed the way people travel in remote areas. Whether it is Rupsi, Pithoragarh, Pasighat, Jorhat, Jharsuguda, Kishangarh, Kurnool, Hubballi, Belgavi, Darbhanga, Adampur, etc., people have adopted air transportation due to the benefits it has provided. UDAN has helped Dekho Apna Desh's campaign of the Ministry of Tourism and many hitherto not served sectors are connected.

Bharat Dekho, Incredible India, and Buddhist Circuit have got tremendous support from increased connectivity under UDAN.

Ex Aviation Minister Harshdeep Singh Puri along with CM of UP Yogiadityanath at the launch of RCS Udaan

Indian Navy’s tableau

The Navy’s tableau on Republic Day 2022 will depict the 1946 uprising by Indian sailors who went on a slow-down strike protesting against their living conditions and food and a model of the indigenously built INS Vikrant aircraft carrier.

The rear section of the tableau will illustrate the "Make in India" initiatives of the Indian Navy, particularly for the period 1983 to 2021. The model of the indigenous aircraft carrier, Vikrant, with light combat aircraft in the air takes centre stage.

These will be flanked by models of the indigenous missile corvette Kora, destroyer Visakhapatnam, frigate Shivalik on left and P-75 submarine Kalvari, frigate Godavari and destroyer Delhi on the right.

In February 1946, around 1,100 Indian sailors went on a strike in what came to be known as the Naval uprising, though it was called a mutiny then. The slow-down strike, in which the sailors slowed the pace of their work, began at HMIS Talwar, a shore establishment in Bombay, and the Royal Indian Navy Signal School, also in the same city. But the uprising quickly spread to the other parts of the country.

The Navy’s famous 72-men brass band will play nine tunes during the parade, including one named after the INS Vikrant. Vincent Johnson MCPO will lead the band for the 18th time as it marches down the Rajpath for a Republic Day parade. Johnson has led the Navy band at many events across the world, including in Sydney, Mauritius, St Petersburg, and Edinburgh.

Announcing the dates for elections in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa, Punjab, and Manipur on January 8, the poll panel had also announced a ban on physical rallies, roadshows and bike rallies, and similar campaign events till January 31. This is the second time the commission has extended the ban after the first one was announced on January 15 and the second on 22.

The Election Commission's ban on physical rallies in five poll-bound states since January 8 due to the ongoing COVID-19 wave has hit the business of charter flight operators. Just 10-15 % of the 350-400 flight hours per month are election-related travel.

"Election travel has not really picked up. It had started to pick up initially, around mid-December 2021, but then the EC announced the ban on rallies so that completely stopped most of the (election-related) travel. Election travel is very limited.There has been a regularity of travel in private jets. So, before COVID-19, if we would on average see around 150-200 flying hours per month, that has gone to up to 350-400 flight hours per month."Rajan Mehra, CEO, Club One Air

"As there is a ban on rallies due to COVID-19, the company has seen only 70% of inquiries for election-related travel this year as compared to last year. However, no inquiry has been actually converted in actual flights as of yet and their conversion is in process. Since the ban on physical rallies has been extended, we don't see many flights happening for elections this time for rallies.We have received a positive response from our customers towards our 'Fly Safe' commitment to maintaining the COVID-19 protocol standards and experiencing a sharp increase in leisure travel bookings which is continuing now also. Our business travel requests have started showing positive redemptions which are slowly getting back to usual."Kanika Tekriwal, CEO and Founder, JetSetGo Aviation

Right after the first COVID-19 wave, safety has become an issue of paramount importance beyond luxury or anything else. There has been a regularity of travel in private jets. Before COVID-19, if we have on average seen around 150-200 flying hours per month, that has gone to up to 350-400 flight hours per month.

JetSetGo Aviation and Club One Air have a fleet of 18 and 10 aircraft, respectively, to operate charter flights.

JetSetGo Aviation used to achieve its “major numbers” from business travel before the pandemic. However, leisure travel brings the major share of business amid COVID-19.

A stowaway was discovered in the wheel section under the front of a Cargolux freight plane that arrived at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport from Africa on Sunday, January 23, Dutch military police said.

It is very unusual for stowaways on long flights to survive, due to the cold and low oxygen at high altitudes.

"The man is doing well considering the circumstances and has been taken to a hospital," the police, who are in charge of Dutch border control, said in a statement.

Marechausse spokeswoman Joanna Helmonds said the man's age and nationality had not yet been determined.

"Our first concern of course was for his health," she said. "This is definitely very unusual that someone was able to survive the cold at such a height - very, very unusual."

A spokesperson for freight carrier Cargolux confirmed in an email that the stowaway had been on a flight operated by Cargolux Italia.

"We are not in a position to make any further comment until the authorities and the airline have completed their investigation," they said.

This image is for representative purposes only.

The only Cargolux freight flight arriving at Schiphol on Sunday, January 23 was a Boeing 747 freighter that travelled from Johannesburg and made a stop in Nairobi, Kenya, according to Schiphol's website and flight tracking data.

It is not known if the man boarded the plane in South Africa or Kenya. A spokesperson for the airport declined to answer questions about the incident.

Luxembourg City-based Cargolux is one of the world's leading cargo airlines. The airline operates scheduled and charter services to destinations in Europe, North America, Latin America, Africa, Asia and Australasia, as well as providing surface transport solutions. Cargolux operates a fleet of Boeing 747-400 and 747-8 freighter aircraft.

Stowaway

A stowaway or clandestine traveller is a person who secretly boards a vehicle, such as a ship, an aircraft, a train, cargo truck or bus.

Sometimes, the purpose is to get from one place to another without paying for transportation. In other cases, the goal is to enter another country without first obtaining a travel visa or other permission. Stowaways differ from people smuggling in that the stowaway needs to avoid detection by the truck driver, ship crew, and others responsible for the safe and secure operation of the transportation service.

Thousands of stowaways have travelled by sea or land over the last several centuries. A much smaller number of people have attempted to stowaway on aircraft. Many stowaways have died during the attempt, especially in cases of train surfing and wheel-well stowaway flights.

A missing World War II aircraft, C-46 transport aircraft has been identified in India's remote Himalayas nearly 80 years after it crashed with no survivors, following a treacherous search that led to the deaths of three guides.

The C-46 transport aircraft was carrying 13 people from Kunming in southern China when it disappeared in stormy weather over a mountainous stretch of Arunachal Pradesh state in the first week of 1945.

Remains of C-46

The expedition took months and saw Kuhles and a team of guides from the local Lisu ethnic group ford chest-deep rivers and camp in freezing temperatures at high altitudes. Three guides died of hypothermia at an initial stage of the project while camped out during a September snowstorm.

But the team finally stumbled upon the plane on a snow-clad mountain top in December 2021, where they were able to identify the wreckage by the tail number. There were no human remains in what was left of the craft. Kuhles was tasked with conducting the search by Bill Scherer, whose officer father was aboard the plane when it crashed.

Parts of 'C-46' found (Picture Credit: Aljazeera)

"All I can say is that I am overjoyed, just knowing where he is. It is sad but joyous. I grew up without a father. All I can think of is my poor Mother, getting a telegram and finding out her husband is missing and she is left with me, a 13 month old baby boy."Bill Scherer

Over 400 American soldiers are believed to have gone missing in aircraft crashes while crossing ‘The Hump’ from India to China, according to reports. The Hump, over the Himalayas, was the main supply route between India and China during World War II, after Myanmar was captured by Japanese troops. The route is believed to have been dangerous due to the mountain peaks and bad weather.

'The Hump'

The Indian Army has recovered the wreckage of a World War II vintage US Air Force aircraft 'The Hump' in Arunachal Pradesh’s Roing district, in 2019. A 12 member strong army patrol with a police representative on March 30 located the aircraft debris, which was covered by thick undergrowth and buried under five feet of snow.

The Hump

The army had received information about the wreckage from local trekkers of Lower Dibang district through the police. A special patrol of the army was sent to locate the wreckage in a remote location, about 30 km from Roing. The US government’s Defence Prisoners of Wars/Missing in Action Accounting Agency has been conducting searches in India to look for remains of American soldiers, who have been missing since the war.

In April 2016, India had handed over the remains of a US Air Force B-24 ‘Hot as Hell’ bomber. The aircraft was flying from Kunming, China to Chabua, Assam in January 1944, when it had crashed in Arunachal Pradesh. In 2006, the crash site was identified. There are believed to be several more such crash sites in the North-East, especially Arunachal Pradesh.

India’s Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has announced that the Intermediate Jet Trainer (IJT) also known as the HJT-36 Sitara carried out six turn spins to the right as well as left.

FlightGlobal

The HAL HJT-36 Sitara is a subsonic intermediate jet trainer aircraft designed and developed by Aircraft Research and Design Centre (ARDC) and built by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for the Indian Air Force and the Indian Navy.

Touted to replace the HAL HJT-16 KIRAN as the Stage-2 trainer for the two forces, The Sitara is a conventional jet trainer with a low swept wings, a tandem cockpit and small air intakes for the engine on either side of its fuselage.

Brief history

HJT-16 KIRAN | Wikimedia Commons

The HJT-36 Sitara was developed as a successor to HAL's earlier trainer, the HJT-16 Kiran, introduced in 1968. Following reviews by the Indian Air Force, the Government of India awarded HAL a contract for the development, testing, and certification of two prototype IJT aircraft.

The first and second prototypes of the HJT-36, labelled PT-1 and PT-2, flew on 7 March 2003 and in March 2004, respectively. Since then, the program had experienced a series of delays.

The prototype which was powered by a SNECMA Larzac 04-H-20 non-afterburning turbofan producing 4.12 kN of thrust, was assessed to be "underpowered" by the Air Force. Subsequently, the HAL sought to replace the SNECMA engines with the NPO-Saturn AL-55I engines.

SNECMA Larzac 04-H-20 | Wikiwand

After much delay, the first AL-55I engine was received from Russia on 28 December 2008, 2 years later than committed. The program took a backseat again due to two accidents in February 2007 and in February 2009 involving each of the prototypes, which grounded the aircraft for repairs and investigations.

AL-55I engine | Wikipedia

HJT-36 Tech and Specs

Crew2Wingspan10 m (32 ft 9.75 in)Maximum take-off weight5,400 kgPowerplant1 × SNECMA Larzac 04-H-20 non-afterburning turbofan, 14.12 kN (3,175 lbf) thrust (PrototypesPowerplant1 × SATURN/UMPO Al-55I non-afterburning turbofan, 17 kN (3,821 lbf) thrust (Production aircraft)Maximum speed 750 km/h Range1,000 km Service ceiling9,000 m (29,520 ft)g limits+7.0/–2.5Wikipedia

The cockpit features a  conventional tandem two-seat configuration with the trainee pilot forward and the instructor in the raised seat to the rear.

The prototype aircraft used Zvezda K-26LT lightweight zero-zero ejection seats with the possibility of being upgraded to Martin-Baker Mk.16 IN16S seats.

Spin testing of the aircraft

The spin testing of an aircraft is the most crucial phase of its flight testing. Spin is a manoeuvre an aircraft gets into on its own when its controls are mishandled. According to experts, Spin testing seeks to prove that the IJT can do a spin and recover safely from it.

The spin testing of an aircraft is the most crucial phase of its flight testing. The testing will be gradually progressed to assess the behaviour of the aircraft till six turn spins to either side to meet the targeted requirement.HAL said in a statement

After encountering issues during initial spin testing, the company had to redesign the aircraft by moving the vertical tail aft and extending the rudder surface with advice from U.S. aviation technology and Bihrle Applied Research Inc. testing firm. Changes were incorporated and subsequent clearances were obtained from competent authorities.

They have now been incorporated with necessary safety devices such as Anti-Spin Parachute Systems. During the first flight, initially, the aircraft was taken through one turn spin to the left and right, to test the spin characteristics.  HAL test pilots Group Captain HV Thakur (retd) and Wing Commander P Avasti (retd) conducted the tests on Monday.

Although in the final stages of flight certification tests, the IJT has been tested to its full envelope in terms of speed, altitude and load factor (‘g’ envelope).

SOURCE(s)

COVER: Wikipedia

The National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) on Thursday, January 20 directed the Kalrock-Jalan consortium, the winning bidder for bankrupt Jet Airways, to share portions of the resolution plan about claims of employees with the airline's workmen.

The Association of Aggrieved Workmen of Jet Airways (India) Ltd had sought a copy of the approved resolution plan and the latest direction has come on a plea filed by the association.

The development comes almost seven months after the Mumbai bench of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) approved the Jalan-Kalrock Consortium's resolution plan in June 2021.

A two-member NCLAT bench, headed by Chairman Justice Ashok Bhushan, said as the consortium's resolution plan for the airline has already been approved by the NCLT, the plan "is no more confidential" and a copy should be provided to the aggrieved person.

"We are not inclined to issue a direction to provide the entire resolution plan to the appellant for hearing. We, however, are fully satisfied that the appellant is entitled to the relevant part of the resolution plan to the claims of the workmen and employee," the NCLAT said.

Further, the appellate tribunal directed that the part of the resolution plan which deals with claims of workmen and employees should be given to the association within "three weeks from today". The NCLAT's detailed judgement on the matter is expected soon, while for now, it has made an oral pronouncement.

K S Ravichandran, who represents the association, said they had asked for a copy of the resolution plan.

"NCLAT has directed that there is no confidentiality for the resolution plan after its sanction by NCLT. In respect of workmen and employees, that portion of the resolution plan shall be furnished to the appellants and this order is directed against the successful resolution applicant," Ravichandran told PTI.

In October 2020, the airline's Committee of Creditors (CoC) approved the resolution plan submitted by the consortium of the UK's Kalrock Capital and the UAE-based entrepreneur Murari Lal Jalan.