New Delhi: India’s first indigenous flying trainer, HANSA-NG, designed and developed by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research’s Bengaluru-based National Aerospace Laboratories (CSIR-NAL) has successfully completed sea level trials at Puducherry.
The aircraft was flown to Puducherry, covering 140 nautical miles in one and half hours at a cruising speed of 155 km/hr on February 19. The trials were conducted to evaluate handling qualities, climb/cruise performances, balked landing, structural performance including positive & negative G, power plant, and other systems performance. It was ferried back to Bangalore on 5th March after completing 18 hours flying. Wg. Cdr. K V Prakash and Wg. Cdr.Dilip Reddy of Indian Airforce’s Aircraft & Systems Testing Establishment (ASTE) piloted the aircraft.
The aircraft is powered by Rotax digital control engine with features like a just-in-time prepreg (jipreg) lightweight composite airframe, glass cockpit, bubble canopy with broad panoramic view, and electrically operated flaps. It is designed to meet the Indian flying club needs, and it is expected to be ideal aircraft for commercial pilot licensing (CPL) due to its low cost and low fuel consumption. NAL has already received more than 80 letters of intent from various flying clubs.
Noting that a total of 37 flights and 50 hours of flying has been completed so far, CSIR-NAL Director, Jitendra J Jadhav, said that a few more flights would be conducted before getting Type Certification from DGCA. The entire process is likely to be completed by next month. After that,the manufacturing would be initiated with Public / Private industry, enhancing the aerospace ecosystem under Atmanirbhar Bharat.
Dr.Shekhar C Mande, DG, CSIR, lauded the commendable efforts put in by an integrated team of CSIR-NAL, ASTE, DGCA, and HAL to achieve this important milestone. (India Science Wire)
