Aviation info and website links: 2009

Thursday, December 31, 2009

Sikkim Helicopter service

Schedule: Sikkim Helicopter Service operates a daily five-seater helicopter service between Ganktok and Bagdogra, connecting all civil flights to and from Bagdogra airport.

Time: Depart Gangtok - 12:30 hrs · Depart Bagdogra - 14:30 hrs except on Mondays/Fridays when departure time is moved to 15:30 hrs to accommodate the arrival of the Indian Airlines flight from Calcutta.

Duration: 30 minutes
Fare: (Indian Rupees) Rs. 1500.00 per person
Contact: RNC Enterprise, M.G.Marg, Gangtok · Phone [91] (0-3592) 23556 · Fax 23556 or Department of Tourism, Govt. of Sikkim · Ph:[91] (3592) 22064 / 22634

uncomplete

Year End Review – 2009: Ministry of Tourism

Year End Review– 2009: Ministry of Civil aviation for the Year 2009

City development plan report dehradun, 2007

Rotary Wing

Himachal Heli Sking

http://civilaviation.nic.in/budgets/budget2k/chapter2.pdf

Heli tourism news - dare news

job - http://www.avianation.com/aviation_jobs/showjobs.cfm

study - http://www.airlinesindia.org/

A-119 Vs EC130 - http://www.pprune.org/archive/index.php/t-347818.html -

Helicopter flying in india - http://www.pprune.org/archive/index.php/t-277341.html

http://whois.domaintools.com/bazee.com

http://www.brahmand.com

http://www.blogcatalog.com/blog/all-you-need-to-know-about-general-aviation/a82d3eaddea79cd44d85e8f6289fa7a2

Tenders - helicopter service

Uttarakhand: Service from Shashtradara road Helipad. Oct 09

Amarnath - helicopter operation, 2007

Sikkim Govt: Invited tender in oct 2009 for 1 SE helicopter (5 pax) and 1 TE helicopter (10 pax)
Route - Bagdogra – Sikkim
Duration – 1year
Utilization - 50 hour per month
Mav hrs flown – 6000 hrs from mfc
Only NSOP operator can apply
http://imghost1.indiamart.com/tenders/images/2009-10-16/61_2009-10-16_36.jpg

Himachal Govt – wet lease of MI172 or similar Helicopter for dec 09 –may 10
Utilization – 40 hour per month

Karnataka Govt :
Wet lease of 1 twin engine medium (8-10 seat) for 2 years
Utilization – 45 hr/month
http://imghost1.indiamart.com/tenders/doc/2009-12-18/380_2009-12-18_28.jpg

Arunachal Pradesh / 12.2009 - http://arun-aviation.nic.in/tender/201109/nit.pdf

Wet Lease one twin engine medium (11-13 seat) helicopter for 2 year. Utilization is 1300 hours i.e. approximate / 109 hours per month.

helicopter survey in uttranchal

Helicopter Service

Pawan Hans provide regular helicopter services to Kedarnath from Phata and Agustmuni in season (May to October) time. The Phata – Kedarnath – Phata trip cost Rs 7000 however, Phata - Kedarnath trip costs Rs 4200 and Kedarnath - Phata trip costs Rs 2800.

Agustmuni – Kedarnath - Agustmuni trip cost of return trip is Rs 14000. However, Agustmuni - Kedarnath costs Rs 8000 and Kedarnath - Agustmuni costs Rs 6000.

Dehradun – Kedarnath (via Phata) – Dehradun trip costs Rs 25000 per passenger. The up trip costs Rs 15000 and the down trip costs Rs 10000.

One can also charter the four seater helicopter for Dehradun - Kedarnath - Badrinath – Dehradun route for Rs 3,60,000. However, Dehradun - Badrinath - Dehradun charter trip costs Rs 2,10,000.

Pawan Hans also planned to start Dehradun - Gauchar trip at Rs 15000 per person and Gauchar - Dehradun at Rs. 10000 per person but have not started yet.

Prabhatam Aviation – Provide regular helicopter service for Phata – Kedarnath - Phata trip at Rs.7990/- per person (Rs. 4,490 per person for one way).

Rishikesh – Phata – Rishikesh trip costs Rs 10200/- per person (Rs. 5,100/- per person one way).

Rishikesh - Kedarnath - Badrinath - Rishikesh charter trip costs Rs. 3 lacs (for 4 persons).

Himalaya Darshan (Rishikesh to Rishikesh) trip costs Rs 5,100 per person per trip for a group of 4. The helicopter flies over Mussoorie Hills, Doon Valley, Haathi Parvat, Ganga river and the holy peaks of Shri Kedarnath Ji and Badrinath Ji.

For Hemkund Saheb the trip is of Govindghat - Ghanghariya – Govindghat which costs Rs 7,990 per person (Rs 4,490 per person for one way).

Amarnath -

Himalayan Heli – They operate regular services in season for Amarnath. Services in 2010 will depend on the tender allotment. Planning to operate on Baltal - Amarnath – Baltal cave route at Rs 6400. For next year, they are planning to operate on Baltal – Panchtarni – Baltal route at Rs 6200.

Deccan Air – Operate regular services to Amarnath (Baltal – Panchtarni) during season. It costs Rs 6400 They also provide charter services as per the requirement.

STIC (Air Charters India) –

Delhi-Dehradun--Kedarnath-Badrinath-Dehradun-Delhi, a 2 days package trip costs Rs 634000.

Delhi-Dehradun--Kedarnath-Badrinath-Harsil-Overfly Yamnotri-Delhi, a 3-4 days package trip costs Rs 875000.

Delhi-Ananda-Badrinath-Kedarnath-Ananda-Delhi, a 2 days package trip costs Rs 666000.

Contact no. PHHL - 011-24651248, 24690924,

Himalayan Heli - 011-41649358 /59 /60

Prabhatam - 011-43603300, 9868108497, 9312233234

Deccan Air 1800 103 1034

STIC - 0124-4595300, 4595349 || Capt. R. Puri - 0091 - 9811120318

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Survey - Helicopter service at Vaishno Devi & Amarnath Ji

Vaishno Devi

Air route : Katra – Sanjhi chatt
Time : 8 minutes, 8 am – 5 pm
Operator : Pawan Hans, Deccan Aviation
5 – 6 pax per flight
Turn around time : 22 -24 minutes
Charge – Rs 1225 per person

Amarnath

Baltal – Panchtarni
Pahalgam – Panchtarni : potential route

Height – 14000 ft
Time – July, August
Route – Sonmarg – Cave / Srinagar – Cave
Distance : Baltal – Cave : 14km
Jammu – Baltal – 400 km
Panchtarni – Amarnath – 6km

Operator
Himalayan Heli
Deccan Charters

Jagson : Baltal – Cave - Baltal
Fare : Rs. 10500 (Rs 6000 for Baltal – Cave or return) with priority darshan. (Rs.25000 for Srinagar – Cave - Srinagar)
Time: 10 minute flight from 7 am to 1 pm

Hemkund – July to September

GVHL - Gauchar to Ghangharia (Govind Dham) In AS 350 B3 helicopter.

Prabhatam - Govindghat helipad to Ghanghariya (Rs 7,990 return, Rs 4490 one way))

Distance - Rishikesh – Govind Ghat: 275 km

Rishikesh – Joshimath: 253 km

Joshimath – Govindghat: 22 km

Govind Ghat – Ghangharia (Govind Dham): 13 km

Ghangharia (Govind Dham) – Hemkund: 6 km

Govind Ghat – Hemkund: 19 km

Govind Ghat – Valley of Flowers: 16 km

Ghangharia (Govind Dham) – Valley of Flowers: 3 km

http://www.anandway.com/articles.aspx?View=Himalayan_Trek_-_Govind_Ghat_to_Ghangharia&link=252

http://www.panoramio.com/photo/14144637

Amarnath : Shrine board – 0191-2564348

Last tender – 2007, minimum 4 helicopter.

Route: Srinagar/Baltal – Cave

Time: June – August from 2007 for 3 years

Kedarnath - GMVN - 91-135-2740896, 2746817, 2749308, 2748478

PHHL (Agastyamuni to Kedarnath)

Prabhatam – Rishikesh to Phata (Rs 7990 return)

Suvey : Mumbai - Shirdi Helicopter service

Visitors - 6000 - 8000 per day
Distance - 260 km
Time Taken - 8 hours (bus), 6 hours (car)

Air Distance - 180km / 111 mile / 97 nm
Air time (5-6 seater helicopter) - 1 hour
Cost - 60000 - 80000 per hour
Cost per passenger - 15000 - 20000 per hour

Operator -
Jagson operated in 2007 for 1 month from Wednesday to Sunday.
Helicopter -MI172 (26 seater)
Fare - 3000 - 5000 per person per side with VIP pass.

Jagson - A 40-minute helicopter ride from Mumbai to Shirdi and back currently costs Rs8,000. (2008)

Jagson also started operating its one Mi-172 from Delhi to Kullu from May 2007 and shifted its operations to Mumbai in Sep 2007 to carry out Mumbai-Shirdi-Mumbai flights. This service has been suspended in 2008 starting.

Airnetz operate charter flights
Helicopter - Agusta 119 (6 seater)
Fare - 2,50,000 for for 250 minute return flight for helicopter charter with VIP pass.
contact person - Omkar (9930403019, omkar@airnetz.com)

Weakness - Good bus service all day.
Taxi cost 15000 - 20000 for 5 people for return journey.
Shirdi airport wil be operational by mid 2011.

Travel Agent - Infogrid, Mr. Sachin - 9226919759 :- Maximum person comes frorm Pune, Mumbai.

Sai Shirdi Sansthan - (02423-258500), Raju, PRO - Jagson was getting 15 passenger load and operated for 1 month only.

Sunday, December 27, 2009

IndiGo - Rahul Bhatia

Travel agent to airline operator

The reticent captain of IndiGo knows how to keep his business on course
Every travel agent dreams of starting an airline, says Rajji Rai, President of the Travel Agents Association of India, India’s leading travel agents body. “Only two who started in the travel agency business, Rahul Bhatia and Naresh Goyal, have actually succeeded,” he adds.

Even if Goyal’s star has lost some of its twinkle in recent years, Bhatia’s seems to be on the ascendant. His airline IndiGo is now the most profitable in the country.

Not much was known about its profitability, as the company is not obliged to make its numbers known. Civil aviation minister Praful Patel revealed some of the financials this November in a reply to a parliamentary question. Low cost carrier (LCC) IndiGo and the much smaller regional carrier Paramount were the only two airlines in India that had made a profit in 2008-2009. IndiGo made Rs. 82 crore, while Paramount notched up Rs. 7 crore.

Running an airline today is more excruciating than getting a root canal without anesthesia. Bhatia stands among the few who are not flinching. Rai, whose office at Connaught Place in New Delhi was right next to Bhatia’s in the early days, counts himself among Bhatia’s friends from that time. “He has done astronomically well,” says Rai.

In a business meant for the big boys Bhatia has surprised everyone. Though the last of the networked carriers to take off in 2006, IndiGo is now India’s largest LCC. Its offering focussed on a fresh-clean product, a decent on-time performance and fabulous sandwiches, has attracted a faithful following. Now nobody knows how this has happened and Bhatia isn’t helping. He says he doesn’t think that way. Probe harder and all you get is: “Honesty of purpose which comes from my parents, luck and destiny.” Bhatia is very reticent and this allows him to move unnoticed and surprise people.

At the Paris air show in the summer of 2005, all manner of aircraft from the mammoth A380 to the Su 27 were showing off in the air. A line-up of sheikhs, ministers and generals were signing millions of dollars worth of deals amidst champagne and handshakes. Showmanship was the leitmotif as airlines and vendors pulled out all PR stops to outdo each other. An unexpected development that created ripples that year, was a $6 billion order for 100 planes by an Indian travel technology firm called InterGlobe Enterprises. The order was for its airline venture called IndiGo that had not even been launched. Everyone scrambled to find who was taking such a big bet.

They needn’t have bothered. The InterGlobe promoter and managing director Rahul Bhatia, had given the event a miss.

Actually, Interglobe’s forerunner Delhi Express, a small airline representation firm is a good place to start with to understand Bhatia. Kapil Bhatia, Rahul’s father, started Delhi Express with a partner. It was a well-run airline representation firm, but remained small. After Rahul Bhatia returned from Canada with a degree in electrical engineering from the University of Ontario and a two-year stint with IBM, he decided to scale up operations and started InterGlobe Enterprises. He recognised the huge opportunities opening up beyond the traditional general sales agent (GSA) business of selling tickets.

Over the next 15 years, he displayed an astute sense in picking the best partnerships with companies from around the world and brought them into his Indian ventures. In most cases the partners have invested in the business with him. On the technology side, he first tied up with New York-based Cendant for a stake in InterGlobe Technologies. In the airline business, he roped in former US Airways CEO Rakesh Gangwal as a partner. The hotel business is a joint venture with French hospitality group Accor and for the business jet venture he picked American corporate jet maker Hawker-Beechcraft.

Bhatia scripted each move through the dint of hard work, turning into a road-warrior, putting in 18-hour days and hitting the road sometimes for more than 15 days a month. Rai remembers pinning down Bhatia for meetings at Brusells airport on one occasion and London Heathrow on another, as he flew in and out of the cities. He was rarely in office, but had acquired the reputation of a crack negotiator, jet-setting all over the world to sew up the best deals.

“He inherited the goodwill of his dad’s business and built on it successfully”, says Seema Luthra, who was president and chief executive officer of Galileo and worked with Bhatia for two decades. She quit InterGlobe two years ago to start her own entrepreneurial venture. Bhatia also showed that he could take the long view needed to build an organisation.

__PAGEBREAK__
In 2001, Luthra was heading sales and marketing for United Airlines on behalf of Interglobe Air Transport (IGAT), an off-shoring company that catered to large international airlines from India. After 9/11, United Airlines, one of the largest clients of InterGlobe announced it was stopping flights to India on security concerns. This dealt the Indian company a body blow. Massive investments had been made for the United Airlines operations in India and business was roaring. When overnight revenues started dropping, there was tremendous insecurity among employees, recalls Luthra.

“Rahul invited me home for dinner to thank the team for the efforts and to reassure everyone that they will be protected. Despite a very difficult period financially, he never let go of a single employee,” she says.

During leadership meetings, he often spoke of the number of families that depend on InterGlobe and how decisions need to be taken keeping them in mind. “In my 20 years,” she says, “I do not recall a single year, including the bad years, that the employees were not paid their annual bonus.”

He is also a very patient man. He always wanted to start an airline but waited for pioneers like Air Deccan and Jet Airways to develop the market. He also waited for Rakesh Gangwal, who after a successful career with United, US Airways, Air France and Worldspan, advises the private equity arm of a $100 billion Canadian pension fund. Much before IndiGo was launched, he had told friends, if he were ever to get into the business, it would be with Gangwal. The reason could be that Gangwal has an enviable global network and counts people like the Airbus CEO John Leahy among his closest friends.

Bhatia did the hard yards to earn Gangwal’s trust. He first represented the United Airlines when Gangwal was a senior official there. Later, he catered to United’s needs by operating as a BPO. His efforts paid off when Gangwal invested in Bhatia’s IndiGo. “This is one excellent example of how Rahul is able to build on relationships,” says a former senior manager at InterGlobe.

And he went about building IndiGo methodically. Pramod Sahni, director CRM Global, who worked for Bhatia for close to 20 years, has many stories to tell about Bhatia’s search for the right talent. “While building Indigo, he would insist on interviewing candidates at every level. From check-in counter people, to crew, sales and marketing staff, they were all hired only after Rahul had met them.” Sahni remembers flying with him to three cities in a day to meet candidates. On one such day we flew from Delhi to Hyderabad to Chennai to Mumbai, interviewing people everywhere, he says. A sad fallout of all the travel for Bhatia is a back problem that troubles him now.

The positive from those days of endless travel is that he is a bit of an expert on food. “Name any city in the world and he will tell you the best places to eat and even offer to make you a reservation,” says Sahni, who has dined with Bhatia at restaurants around the world. Bhatia, with his gourmet friends, owns two award-winning restaurants — China Club in Gurgaon and Piccadeli in New Delhi. “The fact that IndiGo serves the best sandwiches in the sky does not come as a surprise to me,” says Luthra.
And now his love of food is being extended to the hospitality business. This is through a 60-40 hotel joint venture with the French hotel group Accor, to develop a chain of three star hotels under the Ibis brand. The second of 14 such hotels has just opened up in Pune. “The future is in this market and all the figures point to it,” says Bhatia.

But for the moment, the mountains of Whistler in British Columbia, Canada, his favourite holiday destination, beckon and he is heading there for a winter break.

By Cuckoo Paul/Forbes India

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

DGCA CPL Conversion

Conversion Form (Aeroplane) - CPL , IR , PILOT'S PROFICIENCY / IR CHECK

Saturday, December 19, 2009

Navigation

Indian Qtr Inch Maps (1:250,000) - for Helicopter Flying

Friday, December 4, 2009

Piloting Tips

Take Off -

1) At the half way point your nose wheel should be off the runway. You want it just off the strip to reduce drag and not to high that the wings are slowing you down.

2) You can feel the aircraft start to lift slightly as it's almost ready to lift off. You want this by the time you are 1/2 to 3/4 of the way down. This should give you enough time to get the aircraft off into ground effect and climb out to avoid the obstacles.

3) Winds are extremely important, take-off into wind whenever able as this will greatly reduce the ground roll.

4) Strip condition - again if there is a soft end, take-off from the hard surface first as there is less resistance and you will be able to gain more speed in less time.

5) If you know it's going to be tight, back track the entire runway and at the end when you turn around, ensure you have full power as you finish the turn. This will sling shot you down the runway as you are carrying momentum around the turn. Take note, if you are flying a single engine Cessna, make a left turn at the end. You will be using the asymmetric thrust to your advantage.

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Sunday, November 29, 2009

indianaviation

Want to be a Pilot

http://www.hindustantimes.com/HTHorizons/hthorizonssectionpage-greatcareers/Want-to-be-a-pilot/SP-Article1-479582.aspx

You can apply for a commercial pilot licence (CPL), given by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), after 200 hours of flying at a training school. You have to clear five theory papers in aviation studies, including navigation and meteorology. You also have to clear an exam in radiotelephony, in which you learn ‘on air’ communication. Medical fitness is crucial, too.
The institute you choose should be approved by the DGCA.

After you get the licence, you need to have multi-engine endorsement to apply for an airline job. Once in a job, you get further training on simulators to get the type endorsement (say, from Airbus or Boeing) to be able to work as a co-pilot. This training takes six months to one year after you get the CPL.
A commercial pilot licence (CPL) holder cannot become a co-pilot immediately. For that, one needs further training (multi-engine training and type endorsement for a specific make, e.g. Boeing or Airbus).