Bengaluru: It was a thumbs-up for local design and make of military aircraft as Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar watched HTT-40, the basic trainer aircraft for Air Force pilots, ceremonially touch the skies here on Friday.
The small plane, painted bright yellow and piloted by Gp. Captain C. Subramaniam (retd) and Gp Capt. K. Venugopal, was in the skies for about 15 minutes, over the old HAL airport around 9:15 a.m. It first flew unofficially on May 31.
It has to be certified over the next two years.
It was victory for the design team of Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd., as its baby soared and turned. Mr. Parikkar congratulated the young team of “an average age of 30 years” on flying the Hindustan Turbo-prop Trainer in the promised time. He had a special word of praise for Project Manager Prashant Singh Bhadoria for seeing it through its hurdles.
Barely two years ago, during Aero India 2015, its makers were publicly put down by the then IAF dispensation; the aircraft was outright rejected as one that would catapult the IAF’s novice pilots into flying and fighting. The Air Force later imported 75 Swiss-made Pilatus PC-7 MkII.
17/06/16 The Hindu
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The small plane, painted bright yellow and piloted by Gp. Captain C. Subramaniam (retd) and Gp Capt. K. Venugopal, was in the skies for about 15 minutes, over the old HAL airport around 9:15 a.m. It first flew unofficially on May 31.
It has to be certified over the next two years.
It was victory for the design team of Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd., as its baby soared and turned. Mr. Parikkar congratulated the young team of “an average age of 30 years” on flying the Hindustan Turbo-prop Trainer in the promised time. He had a special word of praise for Project Manager Prashant Singh Bhadoria for seeing it through its hurdles.
Barely two years ago, during Aero India 2015, its makers were publicly put down by the then IAF dispensation; the aircraft was outright rejected as one that would catapult the IAF’s novice pilots into flying and fighting. The Air Force later imported 75 Swiss-made Pilatus PC-7 MkII.
17/06/16 The Hindu
