CFI Feature: Wing Commander (retd) Neel Kamal (Chimes)

25 Monday Nov 2013

Posted by theflyingengineer in General Aviation Interest

Tags

Chief, Chimes, Flying, Instructor, Pilot, Training

The “CFI Feature” will feature the Chief Flying Instructors of four flight schools in India: IGRUA (click), NFTI, Chimes Aviation Academy, and GMR-APFT (in no particular order). The first two institutes are managed by CAE, to a larger extent at NFTI due to CAE’s 49% ownership. The last two are academies that are more flexible, offering an exclusive PPL as well. All schools, save Chimes, have some foreign component in them, and all are dominantly Diamond Aircraft (DA-40 and DA-42) operators, except Chimes which operates Cessna 172s and a Piper Seneca IV: the only flying Seneca in the country, as of today. GMR-APFT has diesel engine Diamond DA-40s, and IGRUA will soon be a full-fledged, first of its kind aviation university. NFTI is known for its IndiGo Cadet Pilot Program.

This week, we focus on Chimes Aviation Academy’s CFI, who retired from the Indian Air Force (IAF) as a Wing Commander. He served the Air Force for over 22 years.

His childhood fascination for airplanes made him join the National Defence Academy after class XI as an Air Force cadet, and joined the IAF upon graduation. He has the distinction of being experienced on both fixed and rotary wing aircraft. A helicopter Instructor at the IAF, he also flew and picked up 1000 hours of experience on fixed wing airplanes (HJT-16 “Kiran”, HPT-32 “Depak”), at the forces. This unique combination makes today’s interview special: understanding a pilot, and instructor whose experience has a rare mix of both types of aircraft. With more than 5600 flying hours to his credit, Neel Kamal is now the Chief Flying Instructor at Chimes Aviation Academy, Dhana, Madhya Pradesh.

As the head of flying training at Chimes Aviation Academy, and a rotary and fixed wing pilot, we get to better understand the CFI.

1. You were an instructor at the Air Force. What, according to you, are the traits that must be exhibited by a flight instructor?

Neel Kamal: A flight instructor has to have highest standards of discipline (both in air and on ground), mature behaviour and skill level. A flight instructor also has to have a lot of patience and some knowledge of human psychology. A student pilot sees his instructor as a mentor and his hero. He follows the example set by his instructor, so an Instructor has to lead by the right example. Most of the people see Aviation as a glamorous thing and get attracted to it. In fact aviation requires lot of hard work and strict discipline. This has to be inculcated in the student pilot by the instructor. Taking short cuts does not work in aviation.

2. Are there “natural”, born instructors (those who have a natural flair for teaching), or is it something that can be picked up by anybody?

Neel Kamal: Like any other field, there are some “natural” born flight instructors. You have to have a flair for instructing to be a good flight instructor. A good pilot does not necessarily make a good instructor. However, being a good instructor is not something which cannot be acquired by not so gifted “born” instructors. They just have to put in some extra effort to be a good instructor.

3. The transition to fixed wing: how and why?

Neel Kamal: In Air Force I mainly flew helicopters and I loved it. It gave me an opportunity to be able to see places which I would have never seen in my life otherwise. It also gave me an opportunity to develop my natural flying skills as helicopters normally operate in remote areas with no or minimal of Radio and Navigation aids. I did not want to spoil this wonderful experience once I came out of the Air Force. I also wanted to do something different. Being an Instructor in the Air Force, I also flew fixed wing and had close to 1000 hours. So I decided to fly fixed wing so as to operate from more organised places.

4. Does a rotary wing experience have any implications on fixed wing flying?

Neel Kamal: There are some differences in rotary and fixed wing flying but the basic set of skills required is the same. These set of skills and knowledge gained while flying helicopters surely helps you when you shift to fixed wing flying. To give an example, the knowledge of weather and ability to predict it that you develop while flying helicopters surely helps in assessing the weather even when you fly fixed wing aircraft.

5. Which is easier, and which is more fun?

Neel Kamal: Helicopters are inherently unstable whereas fixed wing aircraft are stable by design. So it is more difficult to learn to fly a helicopter than a fixed wing aircraft. Once you get over the initial learning part both are the same. As regards the fun part, both are fun to fly if you enjoy flying. I had my fun flying helicopters in the Air Force, now I am having fun flying fixed wing.

6. What are the challenges associated with each type of flying?

Neel Kamal: Helicopters normally operate in remote areas due to their ability to land in small spaces where helipads can be made. These remote areas have poor communication and navigation facilities and normally have adverse weather conditions. Operating in these areas is the major challenge in rotary flying. As regards fixed wing aircraft, due to their higher speeds and the limitation of landing on the runway, landing in bad weather or poor visibility conditions posses the biggest challenge.

7. What is your take on General Aviation in India?

Neel Kamal: There is a lot of scope of expanding the general aviation in India. I have met people who want to learn flying and have their own aircraft but are deterred by various factors. The two major deterrents are lack of infrastructure and present rules and regulations. Lack of infrastructure makes it a very expensive and difficult proposition to even park an aircraft at any airport, let alone fly it. Our present rules and regulations are not very user friendly and I believe there are too many of them, which makes it difficult to comprehend them.

8. Your opinion on Fixed wing flying training in the country?

Neel Kamal: The aviation boom in India attracted all kind of people to fixed wing flying training. Like in any other field, some were serious players with good intentions and some came in to cash in on the sudden requirement of additional pilots. With the down turn in aviation sector there has been a shake up. Present policies and dwindling number of students has made it hard for the flying training schools to survive. Today some of the flying training schools in India are imparting better training than those being imparted by a lot of schools abroad. I can say this as I have flown with lot of young people who have done their flying training abroad.

9. If there is something you’d like to change in Indian aviation, what would it be?

Neel Kamal: In India, aviation is treated as something for the elite and rich. This perception is visible in our policies and in the mind set of people joining aviation. This has to change for aviation to grow and flourish in India.

Note: All views of the CFI are personal, and do not necessarily reflect those of the flight school / institute / academy.

CFI Feature: Air Commodore (retd) TK Chatterjee (IGRUA)

18 Monday Nov 2013

Posted by theflyingengineer in General Aviation Interest

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

CFI, Chief, Flying, IGRUA, Instructor, Pilot, Training

The “CFI Feature” will feature the Chief Flying Instructors of four flight schools in India: IGRUA, NFTI, Chimes Aviation Academy, and GMR-APFT (in no particular order). The first two institutes are managed by CAE, to a larger extent at NFTI due to CAE’s 49% ownership. The last two are academies that are more flexible, offering an exclusive PPL as well. All schools, save Chimes, have some foreign component in them, and all are dominantly Diamond Aircraft (DA-40 and DA-42) operators, except Chimes which operates Cessna 172s and a Piper Seneca IV: the only flying Seneca in the country, as of today. GMR-APFT has diesel engine Diamond DA-40s, and IGRUA will soon be a full-fledged, first of its kind aviation university. NFTI is known for its IndiGo Cadet Pilot Program.

This week, we focus on IGRUA’s CFI, who retired from the Indian Air Force (IAF) as an Air Commodore. He served the Air Force for 34 years, leaving the service on the 31^st of March, 2010.

He has the distinction of undergoing the Flying Instructors Course as well as the Experimental Test Pilots Course, after which he instructed at the IAF Test Pilots School on all types of fixed wing aircraft from trainers to fighters to medium tactical transport aircraft. With more than 5000 flying hours to his credit, TK Chatterjee is now the Chief Flying Instructor at IGRUA.

As the head of flying training at IGRUA, we get to better understand the CFI.

1. What, according to you, are the traits that must be exhibited by a flight instructor?

TK Chatterjee: All round knowledge about aviation, very good basic flying skills, command over language, eye for detail and the ability to analyse the student’s mistakes and suggest effective corrective measures.

2. Are there “natural”, born instructors (those who have a natural flair for teaching), or is it something that can be picked up by anybody?

TK Chatterjee: Being “natural” always helps. However, it is not difficult to learn to teach provided such learning is done in an organised manner from specialists.

In the IAF a pilot is nominated for the QFI course based on his flying abilities, when he has around 700-800 hours on fast jets. The course itself is tough and performance in the course has effects on the future career of the pilots. Further, performance as instructor is also assessed periodically and such assessments have implications on the officer’s career. So the whole game is lot more serious.

In civil aviation, a person with 300 hours on simplest of aeroplanes can qualify to become an Asst Flying Instructor.

3. What is your take on General Aviation in India?

TK Chatterjee: Industry prediction is that this sector is supposed to grow at 10% rate annually. Hence the potential is enormous provided the economy continues to grow. The scope is not just for aircrew but for all associated segments too like airport staff, maintenance staff, MRO services etc.

The metros are already well connected, so the more we connect the hinterland of the country with the mainstream; more will be the growth in GA. Hence satellite airports in metros and airports in second and third tier cities need to be developed first for this segment to grow.

Secondly, the regulatory framework is primarily aimed at scheduled operations which are not always applicable to GA. The two should be looked at differently.

Thirdly, regulatory apparatus has to evolve an effective monitoring methodology for about 150 and growing number of GA operators.

4. Your opinion on fixed wing flying training in the country?

TK Chatterjee: Fixed wing flying training is imparted by about 40 institutions in the country. Since aviation is cash intensive business, most of them have very limited assets. Hence, quite naturally, there is a clash between commercial interests and quality of training. Small enterprises are not very clear whether to treat trainees as “students” or “clients”. Failures are not heard of in this industry! Bigger enterprises are in a better position to deliver quality due to volume of business. A centralised testing authority for issue of license will also help in standardisation of training.

Most students (not all though) who take on civil aviation as a career, see it as a quick way to big money. Academics are not their forte and aviation not their first love. Hence when faced with subjects leaning heavily on technology, they falter. Also, since the best and the worst are rewarded with the same license at the end of training, there is no great incentive to do better. Once the civil aviation sector revives itself and demand for aircrew grows, there will be more competition and this aspect will improve.

Staffing is another issue. Like the problem with teaching profession in every field, the best opt for avenues with better remuneration, which definitely is not teaching. Some use this industry to build up experience and move on. Ex IAF pilots who retire early and take this line as second career are the best bet, but most leave IAF without civil license or civil flying instructor rating and hence are not eligible.

Airline industry is aware of loopholes in the system; hence their selection process for aircrew is designed to plug them.

5. If there is something you’d like to change in Indian aviation, what would it be?

TK Chatterjee: The regulatory body wants to control every small thing in the aviation industry, but they have neither the human resources nor the technology to work at a pace that the industry demands nor are they willing to delegate authority. Hence everything slows down. A serious re-look is required in the working methodology of the regulatory apparatus of Indian civil aviation.

Note: All views of the CFI are personal, and do not necessarily reflect those of the flight school / institute / academy.

C-Series Program Update: One Month after the first flight

18 Friday Oct 2013

Posted by theflyingengineer in Manufacturer

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

aircraft, Bombardier, C, Certification, Chief, CS100, CS300, Engineering, Flight, ground, Pilot, Progress, Series, Shimmy, Simulator, Stability, test, Vehicle, Vibration

Robert “Rob” Dewar, Vice President and General Manager, C-Series, Bombardier Commercial Program, gave a brief insight into the certification program of the C-Series, one month after it’s first flight on the 16th of September, 2013.

The C-Series is poised to usher in a new era for Bombardier, while posing as a market threat for popular Airbus and Boeing single aisle aircraft.

There have been a total of 3 test flights till date.

The landing gear and certification tests have been completed for the shimmy. Shimmy is an unstable lateral (yaw) vibration, typically in the range of 10 to 30Hz, which can lead to structural damage and/or collapse of the landing gear. Landing gear as seen on aircraft such as the Airbus A320 family, Boeing 737NG family and the C-Series, among others, are twin wheeled cantilevered, and such landing gears may experience shimmy stability problems at low speeds, and must be tested to validate the design of the landing gear against shimmy.

The ground vibration test of the aircraft is in progress. This testing is part of the plane’s certification program. Selected parts of the aircraft are excited with an external oscillatory force. By observing the aircraft’s response to these vibrations, engineers can model the aircraft’s transfer functions and determine the airplane’s in-flight stability.

These tests results will be compiled and will determine when the airplane takes to the skies for the fourth time, when the test flight envelope will be further opened up. The last three flights have witnessed the C-Series reaching an altitude of 25,000ft, landing gear extension and retraction cycles, tests of both high lift devices: the slats and flaps, and other in-flight manoeuvres.

The aircraft’s performance an handling closely matches the predicted flight model in the simulator. Bombardier is using a Engineering Flight Simulator (ESIM),built by CAE, from the last one year to test actual flight systems and system controllers when integrated in the aircraft, such as the slat-flap computer, fly-by-wire computer, landing gear computer, APU-simulator, brake computers, the PW1500G Engine FADECs (Full Authority Digital Engine Computer), and so forth. Using this ESIM, the flight test program can rely a lot on the simulator to do a lot of the system and integration tests while also preparing flight test crew for various flight test exercises. This builds the confidence of the crew in the aircraft, while also helping complete real flight test exercises with higher success rates and lower risks. System testing has entered the certification testing phase.

Bombardier find the structural test results, in the certification phase, very pleasing. Testing on the cabin management system as well as the environmental control system are in progress.

The CS100 Flight Test Vehicles (FTV) 2, 3, 4, and 5, as well as the first production aircraft are in very advanced stages of final assembly at Mirabel. The larger CS-300’s first major fuselage section is being transported, expected to arrive at the presently non-optimised-for-the-C-Series Mirabel facility.

Which is why the construction of a new 667,000 sq-ft plant, located close to its current facilities in the vicinity of the airport in Mirabel, Quebec, entirely dedicated to the assembly of the CSeries family of aircraft, is progressing well.

According to Charles “Chuck” Ellis, Chief Flight Test Pilot C-Series, emphasising on the need for so many flight test vehicles, “We say it’s (certification program) a one year program but within that one year we’ll probably be doing 5 years of work. We can take one year and 5 airplanes, or 5 airplanes and one year”

Now that the ESIM’s flight and system model has been verified, it will making the certification easier and faster by offering a lot of flexibility and bandwidth in the C-Series certification program, as it is almost like having a 6th airplane in the fleet.