November

A Little More than Fun on Sunday!

Pragathi Central School organized a field-trip to Flying Aviation Academy, led by Chief flight instructor Captain Mamatha. Captain Mamatha is the first lady Chief Instructor of India. Students were brought here to practically understand aviation concepts as our school believes that students understand only by the hands on principle.

Students were first led into a classroom by Captain Neel Patel, flying instructor, to make them interested about aviation. He patiently explained that an ‘aircraft’ is anything that can sustain in the air with the help of air. Whereas an airplane has wings, an engine and can fly in the air. Another model is the rotary wings aircraft which is commonly known as the helicopter.

Shivkar Bapuji Talpade was the first person to invent a successful aircraft, not Wright brothers, and named the aircraft Marthusakha. The aircraft flew at the altitude of 1500m for 15 minutes at Juhu beach, Bombay in 1895. But the Britishers had forced Shivkar Bapuji Talpade to give them the documents related to the aircraft while he himself got imprisoned for ‘lunatic tactics’. His formula was passed on to the Wright Brothers and consequently, the world knows Wright Brothers as the inventors of aircraft.

 

    

Amelia Earhart was the first solo woman pilot to cross the Atlantic Ocean. Jehangir Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata was the first Indian Commercial pilot. He flew the Malabar Princess from Bombay to London on 8^th June 1948. The Tata Airlines owned the Boeing 747 B, which was then the largest. It could travel at the speed of 1000km/h. The Tata Airlines later joined the Indian government to form the Air India. Neerja Bahnot is the youngest and the first lady recipient of the Ashoka Chakra. She was awarded for her bravery at the age of 23 years for saving the lives of many people in an international airline.

Students got to know the various sectors in aviation field and the career opportunities related to those. The major careers in this blooming sector are - pilot, air hostess, flight dispatcher, aircraft engineer, airport ground crew and air traffic controller. The exciting life of a pilot and a view from the cockpit were shown. The landing of the airplane is the most delicate and the pilot has to be really precautious. A pilot needs to complete 10th grade and plus 2 with at least 50%. Medical fitness is very important for pilots.

We learnt that there are three types of aircraft fuels: - ATF, 100 ll av gas and Jet A1. The ATF or Aviation Tubular Fuel is used in commercial airplanes. 100 ll av gas is blue in color and is used for training. The Jet A1 fuel is white in color and is used for helicopters.

Then we were taken to the Air Frame Lab where the structural details were shown. The working models of the elevator, radar and ailerons were displayed. The trainees explained about the various parts. The elevators help the airplane to move either up or down. The radar helps in moving left or right. The landing gear was also displayed. The two types of gear are the hydraulic and the pneumatic landing gear. The other exhibits were about the sector valve, air conditioning system components, suction relief valves, etc.

The timeworn helicopters were exhibited. The Bell 206 Jet ranger was powered by a turbo shaft engine, having a maximum speed of 121 knots/h (1 knot = 1.84km). Its fuel capacity is 344 litres and can rotate at most of 33500 rpm. The other copters were Aloutte III and Lama with the speed of 113 knots.

In the engine lab, they illuminated the differences between jet and piston engines. The piston engines are used for lower altitude flights and are inefficient in fuel usage. On the other hand, the jet engines are used in higher altitudes with higher fuel efficiency.

The students were later shown the take-off and landing of the aircraft. The drive way was about 998m long and was enough to support small aircrafts. Captain Neel Patel also informed us that in an aircraft a reserve of 25 litres was a must, in case of an emergency.

There is a unique naming code for the aircrafts. The first two letters are given by an international body and for India it is “VT”. To report about an aircraft there is a special code used. For example, if the name is VT-ACF then it is called Victor Tango Alpha Charlie Foxtrot. The first two letters, V and T, are common for every aircraft in India.

It goes without saying that it was a truly memorable experience for students who aspire to be in aviation someday.