NAL Saras, Regional Transport Aircraft (RTA) & Hansa Project

Rahul Singh

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Govt will be foolish if they don’t offer massive subsidies for Saras, every other aircraft manufacturer has govt subsidies from their respective govts.


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Have no real preference although 737 seems like it would be more “fun” to fly. Where will you be doing your type rating?
Yeah! Let's see what GOI is planning.

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So far the plan is to go to Bahrain. However i might say what the heck lets go to Germany for 737.
 

abingdonboy

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Yeah! Let's see what GOI is planning.

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So far the plan is to go to Bahrain. However i might say what the heck lets go to Germany for 737.
Bahrain? Interesting, do they have good facilities out there? What’s the situation in India wrt type rating? I’ve heard that there’s quite a backlog for training facilities there.

I’ve heard of quite a few cadets going to Germany, good quality and pretty affordable too!
 

Rahul Singh

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Bahrain? Interesting, do they have good facilities out there? What’s the situation in India wrt type rating? I’ve heard that there’s quite a backlog for training facilities there.

I’ve heard of quite a few cadets going to Germany, good quality and pretty affordable too!
GAA is what my flight school recommends. It has a Type Rating in compliance with DGCA's guidelines besides having good flying conditions around the year. But I am keeping CTE Hyderabad as an option as well. All for A320 family type rating of course. For 737 its Germany all the way.
 

Prashant12

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#SARAS-MK2 will be the first indigenous light transport aircraft. It will be a 19-seater and production model design is expected to be frozen by July this year after evaluation of system performance in about 20 flights


















#SARAS-Mk2 will be ideal for commuter connectivity under UDAAN Scheme for variety of applications like air taxi, aerial search/survey, executive tpt, disaster management, border patrol, coast guard, ambulance and other community services

#SARAS-Mk2 has considerable drag/weight reduction-features like high cruise speed, lower fuel consumption, short landing/takeoff distance, low cabin noise, operable from high/hot airfield/semi prepared airfield & low acquisition & maint. cost.

#SARAS-Mk2 will be ideal for commuter connectivity under UDAAN Scheme for variety of applications like air taxi, aerial search/survey, executive tpt, disaster management, border patrol, coast guard, ambulance and other community services.

#SARAS-MK2 will cost 30-35% less than imported versions and has far more advantages too. India needs 120-160 aircraft in this genre–both civil and military versions–in the next 10 years. Hope to start commercial production in 3-4 years.

https://twitter.com/drharshvardhan/
 

Adioz

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Sancho

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SARAS completes the second test-flight successfully; Indian Air Force commits to induct 15 aircrafts initially
21-February-2018


...The unit cost of the aircraft, with more than 70 per cent indigenous content, will be around 40-45 crores as against 60-70 crores for imported ones and has far more benefits than what the imported aircraft offer,” said Dr Harsh Vardhan...

...Director General of CSIR Dr Girish Sahni said, the cost of development and certification of SARAS Mk2 will be around Rs. 600 crores with a time period of about 2 to 3 years...
http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=176701


Recap:
Third prototype of NAL's Saras to fly out next year news

26 June 2008


...Dr AR Upadhya, director of the National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL), said the Indian Air Force has conveyed its intention to procure 15 Saras aircraft for operational use, initially, followed by another order for 30...
http://www.domain-b.com/aero/aero_mfg/20080626_saras.html

In the meantime:
HAL Bags Rs. 1090 Crore Contract for Supplying 14 Do-228 Aircraft to IAF
February 5, 2015


...HAL has bagged a major Defence contract for supplying 14 Do-228 aircraft produced by HAL to the Indian Air Force. “Apart from these aircraft, the contract valued at around Rs. 1090 crores includes six reserve engines, one flight simulator and associated equipment”, says Mr. T. Suvarna Raju, Chairman, HAL....
http://www.hal-india.com/HAL Bags R...r Supplying 14 Do-228 Aircraft to IAF/ND__100

Indigenous content of Do 228 at 74% by August 2017:
http://pib.nic.in/newsite/mbErel.aspx?relid=169891

Other potential Indian Saras customers:
HAL to supply 12 Do-228 MSAs to Indian Navy
28 OCTOBER, 2014

...“HAL will respond to a formal Request for Proposal (RFP) expected to be issued early next year”, says a company spokesperson. Deliveries are to begin from 2016 and the new aircraft will be produced at HAL’s Transport Aircraft Division (TAD) in Kanpur, where 124 of the type have been produced since 1984...

...Flightglobal’s Ascend Fleets database shows that the Indian navy has 26 Do-228 aircraft in service, 15 -200s and 11 -100s. Of these, 25 were built locally by HAL, while a single -200 was produced by Fairchild/Dornier...
https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/hal-to-supply-12-do-228-msas-to-indian-navy-405312/

HAL makes Dornier (DO-228) “Nabhratna” for DRDO
May 2014


A contract for supply of one aircraft along with spares, tools and publications was signed by HAL with LRDE on May 30, 2013
http://www.indiastrategic.in/topstories3361_HAL_makes_Dornier_Nabhratna_DRDO.htm

Dornier Do 228 in Indian Coast Guard Service
Last updated: 2 January 2014 by admin


History

Three Dornier-built Do 228-101s were initially obtained, the first two being handed over in Germany on 7 July 1986 and arriving in India on 18 July. An order for eighteen more licence-built Do 228-101s was placed with HAL, for delivery mid 1988-1999. (By March 1997 The ICG had received 14 Do 228-101 from HAL). In 1999 an order was placed for an additional 7 aircraft, to be delivered 2001-203. An planned eventual total of 36 aircraft has been officially approved...
http://www.aeroflight.co.uk/tag/indian-coast-guard/page/2

HAL hawks Dornier 228s for connecting non-metro routes
Aug 30 2016

State-run defence aircraft maker Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) may start selling planes for civilian use in India.

HAL has so far been producing 19-seater Dornier 228 planes for the Indian Air Force and the Coast Guard and exporting it to other countries.

It has sought the permission of the civil aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to sell these planes to domestic airlines...
http://www.livemint.com/Companies/x...mp&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=googleamp


Potential replacement with Saras:

Initial Saras requirement for IAF 45 - 14 new Do 228 => 31
IN has 26 x Do 228, with 12 new once => 14
ICG has up to 36 x Do 228, with 8 new once => 28

Total of 73
 

Prashant12

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Its good that they are so confident. But how do they plan on freezing the design for a production variant without going through prototype stage?
The 19-seater production version SARAS MK-2 will however be 500 kg lighter (w.r.t empty weight) and will have composite wings, besides greater use of composites in the fuselage as well.
 

captscooby81

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@abingdonboy Are you in the CAE oxford Indigo Cadet program ?? @Rahul Singh If you are looking at doing A320 TR then CTE is not a very bad option most of the students of CTE gets picked up in indigo and Go air apart from Air India ..Just that their training module is very long but i heard they have some really good instructors ...
 

COLDHEARTED AVIATOR

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@abingdonboy Are you in the CAE oxford Indigo Cadet program ?? @Rahul Singh If you are looking at doing A320 TR then CTE is not a very bad option most of the students of CTE gets picked up in indigo and Go air apart from Air India ..Just that their training module is very long but i heard they have some really good instructors ...
CTE is a good option and has good standards just that you have to pass the initial written followed by an interview and 27 lacs for TR and 37 with Base Check is a huge amount for most guys.

Back in my days we used to get it under 10 lacs incuding the tickets and little bit of fun trips in Europe.


TR is just a thappa on the CPL.Just get it done from anywhere with a decent reputation and a cheaper price.What matters for TRated guys is how much they know their FCOMs after that.

Airline like 6e doesnt even take a 320 sim check for rated pilots.. and in any case you will end up in a Sim training academy in dwarka for airline prep.So whats the point spending lacs.

Happy Landings..hope to see you guys in RVSM airspace soon.
 
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Prashant12

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Light transport plane Saras to be fast-tracked


The government will fast-track the revived light transport plane Saras towards production and begin the feasibility study for a 70-seater regional transport aircraft RTA-70, Science and Technology Minister Harsh Vardhan said here on Wednesday.

The improved 19-seater would be first produced for the Indian Air Force by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. The IAF has offered to buy 15 of them.

A civil variant would be later manufactured by a private partner at 75% cost of similar imported small planes.

Saras would be a good fit for regional travel under the subsidised UDAN scheme, the Minister said. “Its successful development will be one of the game changers in the history of civil aviation in India,” he told a news conference.

Dr. Vardhan said the National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL) had also begun a feasibility study for the ambitious 70-seater regional transport aircraft RTA-70.

In the morning, the modified PT1N version flew for 20 minutes at the HAL airport and was witnessed by the Minister, CSIR Director-General Girish Sahni and NAL Director Jitendra Jadhav and the developer team.

Saras had been grounded in 2009 after an earlier prototype crashed and killed three crew members near Bengaluru. The project was revived last year.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/nation...-saras-to-be-fast-tracked/article22817938.ece
 

captscooby81

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CTE is damn expensive when you compared with any TR in Europe where you can get it done even cheaper ..PAN Am offers even at lesser price but not sure it approved by DGCA right now ..The only advantage with CTE is the 6 landings and take offs you get on the actual aircraft along with the TR ..Their study materials were also pretty good especially for someone trying to clear ATPL...

I am no more into Flying :tsk:.Made peace with my dreams and moved on.l was in KF cadet program and there was no lift and only drag in my flying career same like the airline ..Last few years have really been good for indian avaition as few of my Kf cadet batch mates after waiting for 7-8 years jobless sitting at home finally landed with flying jobs with small airlines and then jumped to 6E now on the ATR..Hope the momentum continues and we don t see anymore days of Deccan and KF type screw ups especially when it crash and burn someones dream ..Fly high and Happy landings @COLDHEARTED AVIATOR @abingdonboy @Rahul Singh .

CTE is a good option and has good standards just that you have to pass the initial written followed by an interview and 27 lacs for TR and 37 with Base Check is a huge amount for most guys.

Back in my days we used to get it under 10 lacs incuding the tickets and little bit of fun trips in Europe.


TR is just a thappa on the CPL.Just get it done from anywhere with a decent reputation and a cheaper price.What matters for TRated guys is how much they know their FCOMs after that.

Airline like 6e doesnt even take a 320 sim check for rated pilots.. and in any case you will end up in a Sim training academy in dwarka for airline prep.So whats the point spending lacs.

Happy Landing..hope to see you guys in RVSM airspace soon.
 
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abingdonboy

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@abingdonboy Are you in the CAE oxford Indigo Cadet program ?? @Rahul Singh If you are looking at doing A320 TR then CTE is not a very bad option most of the students of CTE gets picked up in indigo and Go air apart from Air India ..Just that their training module is very long but i heard they have some really good instructors ...
I wish bro! Sadly the IndiGo recruitment process is done in India, I had passed the CAE Oxford aptitude tests in Oxford but to go for the Indigo Cadet scheme I would have had to travel to India specifically.

We will see how my career goes, if the Indian aviation market grows as I expect it shall and if BREXIT really screws up the aviation market as some predict or if the EU becomes less attractive to work in I'll definetly consider India (and Asia as a whole) as a place to relocate to. Nowhere else in the world even comes close to offering the demand as India (and Asia).

A real shame to hear about your experience with KF, what a nightmare! Didn't even know KF had a cadet scheme, that's beyond tragic- fk Mallya! Wish you well with all you are doing.

+ @COLDHEARTED AVIATOR CTE?
 

Rahul Singh

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@abingdonboy Are you in the CAE oxford Indigo Cadet program ?? @Rahul Singh If you are looking at doing A320 TR then CTE is not a very bad option most of the students of CTE gets picked up in indigo and Go air apart from Air India ..Just that their training module is very long but i heard they have some really good instructors ...
Going to Germany for 737. It was hard to choose between 320 and 737 but i let my heart win..........Spicejet is really hot anyway.

Happy Landings..hope to see you guys in RVSM airspace soon.
You too sir. Happy Landings.
 

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