Jet sequel after first flop

New Delhi: A government aerospace laboratory has proposed a programme to build a 70-seater jet as India’s second civilian aircraft, although its first project launched 12 years ago has yet to yield a plane certified airworthy.
The National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL), Bangalore, told the Planning Commission on Friday that it hoped to get the new aircraft certified within six years after project sanction in a new model of development and a changed geopolitical environment.
A prototype of NAL’s Saras, a 14-seater turbo-prop aircraft, touted since 1998 as India’s first multi-purpose civilian passenger plane, crashed near Bangalore in March 2009 during its 49th flight, killing two test pilots and an engineer on board.
An inquiry by India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) found that the probable cause of the crash was incorrect procedure for re-lighting an engine devised by aircraft designers and adopted by the crew. The DGCA has not certified Saras yet.
“Saras was a learning experience,” said Samir Brahmachari, the director-general of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), of which the NAL is a part. “It started at a time when India was facing technology denials — now things have changed.”
A number of key technologies such as aviation-grade materials and avionics components had to be developed from scratch, he said. This led to delays — and miscalculations. The first Saras prototype aircraft was a few hundred kilograms overweight. Although the NAL initiated the project with an industrial partner in Russia, the company pulled out midway, and NAL continued the programme.
In its presentation to the Planning Commission on Friday, the NAL said it would insist on industrial collaboration from start to finish in the new aircraft project. “If we don’t have industry partners, we won’t pursue it,” Brahmachari said.
22/01/11 The Telegraph

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Categories: Indian Aviation- In General Jan 2011, New Jan 2011