Chandigarh: The Punjab government has postponed, for the time being, its plans to buy a fixed wing aircraft for VIP use. The plane was to cost the cash-strapped state government Rs 75 crore. The move comes in wake of a change in the Director General Civil Aviation (DGCA)'s safety guidelines with regard to aircrafts. Now, fixed wing aircraft shortlisted by the government to choose from will have to be reviewed afresh for their compliance of the new guidelines.
The fixed wing craft, when compared to a helicopter, is considered both faster and safer. However, while a helicopter costs less than Rs 40 crore, the starting range of a small fixed wing craft is Rs 50 crore. The civil aviation department had mooted a proposal to buy an eight-seater aircraft for use of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and his deputy, Sukhbir Singh Badal.
According to sources, the DGCA has made it mandatory for all fixed wing aircrafts to have a Class IA black box installed. A Class IA black box contains a high end flight data recorder (FDR) and cockpit voice recorder (CVR).
20/07/13 Chitleen K Sethi/Indian Express
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The fixed wing craft, when compared to a helicopter, is considered both faster and safer. However, while a helicopter costs less than Rs 40 crore, the starting range of a small fixed wing craft is Rs 50 crore. The civil aviation department had mooted a proposal to buy an eight-seater aircraft for use of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and his deputy, Sukhbir Singh Badal.
According to sources, the DGCA has made it mandatory for all fixed wing aircrafts to have a Class IA black box installed. A Class IA black box contains a high end flight data recorder (FDR) and cockpit voice recorder (CVR).
20/07/13 Chitleen K Sethi/Indian Express
