Flying – Kaypius

Tejas of Hope or Rafale from Grace?

October 8, 2019 kaypius 8 Comments Air Experience, Beauty of Flight, LCA Tejas, MMRCA, Rafale, Rajnath Singh, Raksha Mantri first flight on Tejas, RM flies Rafale

The honourable Raksha Mantri of India Shri Rajnath Singh recently undertook a flight on the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft ‘Tejas’

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Wirestrike: A Clear & Present Danger

August 27, 2019 kaypius 5 Comments Air Crash Investigation, flight safety, HTAWS, VT-AVV Crash at Aligarh, VT-CMM Crash at Latur, wirestrike, WSPS

In the late 80s, a naval Chetak (Alouette III) operating on a patrol mission over Gulf of Mannar (Operation Tasha)

Flying Indian Air Force Piloting Stories of Flying

Love & Jet Fuel!

June 29, 2019June 29, 2019 kaypius 12 Comments 153 Pilots Course, Air Force Academy, Air Force Station, Bidar, Indian Air Force, Joy of Flying, Kancha & Kanchi, Learning to fly, Love & jet fuel, Wings of Gold

In the summer of 1993, a group of young Sub Lieutenants from the Indian Navy arrived at IAF’s cradle of

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Helicopter Rescue – The Golden Hour is Ticking Away

May 7, 2019 kaypius 4 Comments Helicopter Rescue, Night Flying, Night Medevac, Night VFR, Search and Rescue, SHOL

Consider this true-life scenario that played out at sea few years ago. The Situation A naval ship is proceeding to

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Flying Leonardo’s AW139 – The Offshore Industry’s Workhorse

April 21, 2019April 21, 2019 kaypius 8 Comments Automation, AW139, helicopters, Leonardo, Offshore Flying, Pilot Report on AW139

As a pilot flying for the offshore oil & gas industry in India, I am fortunate to actively fly two

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The Alouette & Lama Must Go

April 16, 2019September 27, 2019 kaypius 5 Comments Accident Investigation, Chetak Cheetah Crashes, Chetak Replacement, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, LUH, Naval Utility Helicopter

[This story was originally written in 2016 after a fatal Cheetah crash that killed three officers. A press release of

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Grounding of Boeing 737 MAX: How Long Before DGCA Sets Standards Others Follow?

March 16, 2019 kaypius 4 Comments DGCA, EASA, Ethiopian B737MAX crash, FAA, Lion Air Flight 610, Regulations

In a remarkable show of alacrity, Indian Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) grounded the Boeing 737 MAX fleet after two

Aerospace & Defence aviation Flight Testing Flying Indian Air Force Indian Navy Pioneers Remembrance Stories of Flying

When a Naval Aviator Flew the Mi-26 ‘Halo’

February 13, 2019February 13, 2019 kaypius 21 Comments CH47F Chinook, Heavy Lift Helicopter, IAF, Mi-26, Thinking big

First four of the 15 CH47F Chinook heavy lift helicopters ordered by Indian Air Force arrived at Mundra port on

Aerospace & Defence aviation Best Advice Flying Make in India Ocean's Best Piloting Pioneers Safety

Be Prepared

February 6, 2019February 7, 2019 kaypius 11 Comments e-VTOL, Lifestyle, Offshore, Pilots, safety

The story I am about to narrate harks back to the lessons we learnt as boys & girls scouts in

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Ziplip Shiplip

January 31, 2019 kaypius 3 Comments aviation, Communication, flight safety, Telecommunications, ziplip

Background I suspect that in the armed forces, as everywhere else, the old adage ‘knowledge is power’ is fast being

Aerospace & Defence aviation flight safety Flying Indian Air Force Indian Army Indian Navy News Report Piloting Shephard Media

HATSOFF – The One-Stop-Shop for Rotary Training in India

January 28, 2019 kaypius 0 Comments ADECS 2019, Flying Training, Shephard Media, Simulation, Simulator training

In a quiet, leafy lane running through India’s aerospace R&D hub at Bengaluru sits a state-of-art training facility called HATSOFF.

Aerospace & Defence aviation flight safety Flight Testing Flying Indian Air Force Indian Army Indian Navy Piloting Safety

Tail Rotor Troubles

December 31, 2018December 31, 2018 kaypius 11 Comments AW139, AW139 UAE Zipline Crash, Bell 412, Emergencies, First AW169 Crash, Flying, G-VSKP, helicopters, piloting, Tail Rotor

I write this in the wake of two recent tragedies involving conventional rotorcraft where amateur footage of the helicopter spinning

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Fly the Plane – Which Plane?

November 14, 2018November 14, 2018 kaypius 4 Comments Air Crash Investigation, Boeing 737 Max, Category A Shortfield Takeoff, Certification, First AW 169 Crash, flight testing, Indonesian Aircrash, Lion Air Flight 610, Miracle on the Hudson, Performance Class 1, Technology

Two air accidents in recent times have shaken the conscience of people around the world. First was the 27th Oct

Aerospace & Defence aviation Fatigue flight safety Flying Piloting Safety

Aircrew Fatigue – An Indian Helicopter Pilot’s Perspective

November 4, 2018November 4, 2018 kaypius 4 Comments Accident Investigation, Civil Aviation Requirements, DGCA, EASA, FAA, fatigue, FDTL, flight safety, helicopters, NTSB, safety

Indian Case Study Case 1: On 19th Apr 2011, a Mi-172 operated by an Indian carrier crashed short of a

Aerospace & Defence aviation Flight Testing Flying Goa Indian Air Force Indian Army Indian Navy Make in India Pioneers Safety

Flight Testing in Indian Navy – Synergies for the Future

September 21, 2018September 21, 2018 kaypius 8 Comments Air Force Test Pilots School, ASTE, flight testing, Flight Testing Roadmap for Indian Navy, INAS 552, NFTS, NFTS Seminar Goa Sep 2018

Introduction Ten years ago, I was flying a desk in Naval Headquarters called ‘Aviation Plans’. We had ambitious plans to

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Making Sense of the VT-AVH Incident

September 2, 2018September 3, 2018 kaypius 3 Comments Accident Investigation, flight safety, Handling Emergencies, Media, Rahul Gandhi Hubli Flight, VT-AVH

What happened? While cruising at FL410 (41000 feet or approx 12.5 kms above mean sea level), an autopilot mode tripped,

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Who Will Save The Saviours?

August 21, 2018August 21, 2018 kaypius 7 Comments Disaster Relief, helicopters, Indian Navy, Kerala Flood Relief, MRH, Multirole Helicopters, NMRH, NUH

Kerala, ‘God’s Own Country’, and the land of my ancestors saw the worst floods in a century recently. Even as

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Welcome to Hare India!

August 2, 2018August 2, 2018 kaypius 7 Comments humour, incredible india, Make in India, Mehul Choksey, Nirav Modi, Vijay Mallya

“Welcome to Hare India. Please fasten your seatbelts. We’ll be taking off shortly for our rightful place in the world.

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King Air C90 Crash in Mumbai – A Grim Reminder

June 29, 2018June 30, 2018 kaypius 7 Comments Air Crash Investigation, flight safety, Juhu Airport, King Air C90 Crash, Mumbai International Airport

A small, 26-year old King Air C90 charter aircraft (VT-UPZ) undertaking a test flight crashed on 28 Jun 18 near

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Checklist Bloopers

June 22, 2018June 23, 2018 kaypius 9 Comments Best Practices, Checklists, Civil Aviation, CRM, flight safety, Military Flying

On 30 Oct 1935, Boeing’s Model 299 prototype took off for an evaluation flight by the US Army Air Corps

Best Advice Flying Indian Air Force Indian Army Indian Navy Leadership Make in India Technology

Rise & Triumph – Lessons for Make in India

June 8, 2018 kaypius 12 Comments Advanced Light Helicopter, helicopters, Light Combat Aircraft, Make in India, Multirole Helicopters

Recently, I went bike-accessory shopping with my friend and fellow aviator Kinny. He is busy pouring money on an imported

Flying Planning Technology Uncategorized

The Untapped Potential of Helicopters in India

May 10, 2018July 2, 2018 kaypius 8 Comments ALE, aviation, HAA, Heli-tourism, helicopters, Helicopters in India, HEMS, NCAP2016, RCS, Rotary Wing, RWSI, UDAN

When I started my helicopter career in India, we were often put on hold to accommodate fixed wing traffic. “Orbit

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Cast in Steel

April 4, 2018April 4, 2018 kaypius 4 Comments Dynamic Interface, Fly Navy, Helideck, naval aviation, safety, Ship-Helicopter Integration, SHOL

I am your good old flight deck – the naval aviator’s home away from home. Out there where the ship

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Seconds to Live…or Die

March 13, 2018September 28, 2019 kaypius 6 Comments Accident Investigation, Air Accidents, FAA, flight safety, FlyNYON, Liberty Helicopters, safety, Safety Culture, Stories of Flying

What Happened? Five people were killed when a private charter helicopter (Airbus AS350, Regn N35OLH) crashed into New York’s East

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The Slapgate Controversy

February 3, 2018February 3, 2018 kaypius 5 Comments Air India, flight safety, Fly-by-Ire, Indigo, Jet Airways, Metoo, Spicejet, Workplace Violence

On 01 Jan 18, passengers flying on a long haul Jet Airways flight 9W119 from London to Mumbai were witness

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It Could Happen to You

January 26, 2018January 26, 2018 kaypius 12 Comments Alouette, flight safety, piloting, Stories of Flying, Understanding Helicopters

It’s always sad to read about air accidents involving loss of life or injuries; even more so when it is

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MiG 29K Crash at Goa – A Wake-up Call

January 6, 2018January 6, 2018 kaypius 10 Comments Indian Air Force, Indian Navy, MiG29K, NAS Dabolim, naval aviation

“For want of a nail, the Kingdom was lost” Benjamin Franklin On 3rd Jan 2018, while the world was still

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A Naval Aviator Remembers the Mi-8

December 13, 2017December 14, 2017 kaypius 6 Comments 112 HU, Air Warriors, IAF, Indian Air Force, Mi-8, Mi-8 decommissioning, Mi-8 Last Flight

On 17th December 2017, an old faithful workhorse of the Indian Air Force, the Mi-8 ‘Pratap’ helicopter (NATO code Hip)

aviation flight safety Flying Indian Navy Piloting

Lessons From A Daring Night Rescue

December 5, 2017December 5, 2017 kaypius 8 Comments Cyclone Ockhi, helicopters, Indian Navy, Multirole Helicopters, Night Medevac, Night Rescue, piloting, Search and Rescue

What Happened? On 1st Dec 2017, just three days shy of ‘Navy Day’ celebrated to commemorate Indian Navy’s audacious attack

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Mi-17 V5 Crash – Looking Beyond the Obvious

November 1, 2017November 1, 2017 kaypius 9 Comments flight safety, Simulators, training

Friday, 6th October 2017 was another black day for people like me who fly helicopters. An Indian Air Force Mi-17

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An Airport Down Under

October 22, 2017October 22, 2017 kaypius 7 Comments AAI, flight safety, Juhu Aerodrome, Mumbai Metro

A small, almost obscure road leads off SV Road near Nanavati Hospital, Vile Parle (West) to an aerodrome in Mumbai.

Flying Humour Piloting

Confessions of an Offshore Pilot

October 15, 2017July 18, 2019 kaypius 8 Comments Offshore Flying, Oil & Gas, Stories about flying

One of the things you learn to cope with in the navy is the absence of husbands or spouses for

Best Advice Flying Piloting

Pushing the Rotor’s Envelope

October 5, 2017October 5, 2017 kaypius 9 Comments Flying at the Limits, helicopters, Understanding Helicopters

A helicopter does not want to fly. It is maintained in the air by a variety of forces and controls

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An Instructor’s Message to his Pupil (by Brian Thomas)

September 5, 2017September 5, 2017 kaypius 4 Comments Brian Thomas, Flying Training, Harpoons, Instructor-Pupil Relationship, Joy of Flying

Welcome to the wonderful world of aviation. For the next few months, you and I are going to share a

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Don’t Wait Until Dark

August 30, 2017November 19, 2018 kaypius 4 Comments flight safety, helicopters, Night Flying, Night Medevac, Offshore Flying

During 2003-2010, the United States oil and gas (O&G) exploration industry had a collective fatality rate that was seven times

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Rotor Transition Program – Cross-pollinating the Talent Pool

July 24, 2017 kaypius 4 Comments Airline Pilot, Aviation Career, Captaincy, Rotor Transition Program

It takes a couple of years to make a pilot and close to a decade to make him a Captain

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Managing the Magenta

June 28, 2017November 9, 2018 kaypius 3 Comments Automation, Autopilot, Children of the Magenta, flight safety, Fly-by-Wire

“Heading and ALT Acquire please” This callout from the pilot signals the transition to an autonomous flight director mode within

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India’s MRH Saga – A Blue Water Navy without Multirole Helicopters

June 17, 2017June 17, 2017 kaypius 7 Comments Aircraft Acquisition, Indian Navy, Multirole Helicopters, Seaking Replacement

Introduction The Indian Navy has been looking for a replacement for its ageing Seaking helicopters for many years now. Seaking

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Engine Failure on Helicopters

June 4, 2017June 5, 2017 kaypius 12 Comments Engine failure, helicopters

Recently, I launched a paper aeroplane from the edge of a cliff to the delight of my son. As we

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I Don’t Know!

April 24, 2017September 21, 2019 kaypius 9 Comments Don't guess. Ask, intellectual arrogance, professionalism, Saying "i don't know"

“The first step towards knowledge is to know that we are ignorant” – Richard Cecil Alia Bhatt, an Indian

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HEMS in India – Are we killing the golden goose?

April 7, 2017February 9, 2019 kaypius 7 Comments Aero Medical Transportation, Air Methods, Air Rescue, AMGH, Aviators Air Rescue, HAA, HEMS, Untapped Potential of Helicopters in India

“A product is not a product unless it sells. Otherwise it is merely a museum piece” Theodore Levitt Aviators Air

Aerospace & Defence aviation flight safety Flight Testing Flying Indian Navy Piloting

Helicopter Launch and Recovery Methodologies – Offshore versus Navy

March 18, 2017April 25, 2019 kaypius 10 Comments Category A Operations, Critical power unit failure, flight safety, Helicopter Performance, helicopters, naval aviation, Offshore Flying

Ignorance is Bliss? As a young helicopter pilot in the navy many years ago, terms like Performance Class 1, Category

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Aero India – a different perspective

February 17, 2017February 18, 2017 kaypius 4 Comments

The 11th edition of Asia’s biggest air show ‘Aero India’, will draw to a close tomorrow 18 Feb 17. As

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Wheel versus Skids – Who wins?

August 14, 2016April 19, 2019 kaypius 8 Comments aviation, helicopters, Wheel versus Skids

While hover taxying on the Bell 412 during a particularly rainy day, we suddenly got caught in a heavy monsoon downpour and

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Slop Chit Syndrome

January 27, 2016November 23, 2018 kaypius 7 Comments aerospace, aircraft, aviation, culture, flight safety, helicopter, maintenance, operations, safety

Slop chits are so handy. I for one can’t do without them. This serendipitous discovery by American company 3M, is

aviation flight safety Flight Testing Flying Indian Navy Piloting Safety

OMG! Not today!!

December 14, 2015November 19, 2018 kaypius 14 Comments accidents, aviation, crew resource, Crew Resource Management, flight safety, flight testing, helicopters, human resource management, naval aviation, navy, new equipment

As a helicopter pilot, one is used to juggling numerous variables while operating with ships. Apart from the usual weight,

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Sleepless in Washington!

December 10, 2015October 3, 2019 kaypius 1 Comment aeroplanes, aerospace, aviation, fatigue, flight safety, pilot fatigue, piloting, sleep deprivation

Procedures in airports and airlines have become so tiresome post 9/11 as to induce fatigue even before embarking on a

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Beatup Sheetup

December 9, 2015July 6, 2016 kaypius 8 Comments aerobatics, air show, aviation, discipline, display flying, flight safety, helicopters, procedures

Every pilot crosses those ‘log book milestones’ when you feel that extra ounce of confidence and panache in your flying skills. This

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