Saras’ glory nosedived with Friday’s fall

Bangalore: On February 11, the inaugural day of Aero India 2009 amid fighter jets displaying their might, a transport aircraft made a brief presence and performed a few aerobatic stunts which drew instant applause from everyone present at the Air Force Station in Yelahanka.
That aircraft was none other than the ill-fated prototype aircraft (PT2) which crashed on Friday on the outskirts of Bangalore.
Ironically, it was the same crew members, test pilots Wing Commander K Praveen, Wing Commander Deepesh Shah and test engineer Squadron Leader Ilayaraja who were on board then as well.
The 14-seater multi-role indigenous aircraft, designed and developed by Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) constituent NAL, is India’s first multi-purpose civilian aircraft in the Light Transport Aircraft category.
Saras undertook its first flight on May 29, 2004 and since then it has undertaken many sorties.
The initial certification plan includes two prototypes (to be flown by the Airborne Systems Testing Establishment (ASTE) for a total period of 500 hours before certification from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
Saras is expected to get the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) certification by 2010 and is likely to be inducted into the Indian Air Force after that.
07/03/09 ExpressBuzz

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Categories: Indian Aviation- In General Mar 2009, New Mar 2009, Safety Mar 2009