Latest news with #VisualFlightRules
Time of India
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Did you know Gul Panag is a pilot? Says she misses flying airplanes in the monsoon
Gul Panag The one thing Gul Panag misses the most during the monsoon is flying. A certified pilot for nearly a decade, the actress has long nurtured her passion for aviation. However, seasonal limitations — especially heavy rains — often ground her, putting a pause on her time in the skies. 'I miss flying during the monsoon,' Gul shares, adding, 'My license is under Visual Flight Rules (VFR), which means I have to rely on sight to fly. Unlike commercial planes, I can't navigate using instruments. Visibility must be at least five nautical miles.' The actress, who loves taking off from Mumbai's Juhu airport, started taking flying lessons at the age of 32. 'In 2016, I finished the required flight hours, cleared the exams and got my license. I've been a licensed pilot for eight years now,' says the Bypass Road actress. Clarifying that she only flies recreationally, Gul adds, 'Flying is a passion of mine, something I pursue as a hobby. I will fly out of Juhu and when I am overseas, I go to a club. The most beautiful moments in the sky come during the months before monsoon. My favourite flights are the last departures from Juhu before sunset. The skies are beautiful, and the sunsets are pleasant.' by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Honda SP160: Now with More Power and Style Honda Learn More Undo Ask her about the route she takes, and she shares, 'We have a designated route — take off from Juhu, go into sea and take a right turn towards Essel World… there is a circuit, so we don't come into the Santacruz airspace. The flight offers an unforgettable view, flying over Juhu beach against the backdrop of a glowing sunset.' While her passion for flying dates to her college days, she always knew it wouldn't be a career path. 'I wanted to learn, but I was clear that I didn't want to pursue it professionally. I'm not someone who can do the same thing every single day,' she says.
Indian Express
2 days ago
- Climate
- Indian Express
Delhi gets DGCA nod for first cloud seeding trials to tackle air pollution; ‘historic achievement', says Minister Manjinder Sirsa
Delhi has become the first state in India to receive final clearance from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for conducting cloud seeding trials aimed at reducing pollution, according to officials in the Environment Department. Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa announced the development on Tuesday, calling it a 'historic achievement' and a major step forward in Delhi's fight against air pollution. Cloud seeding has been spoken about for years but never implemented, Sirsa said. The method involves dispersing hygroscopic particles like sodium chloride below the cloud layer to encourage rainfall and help wash out pollutants from the atmosphere. The trials, originally planned for early July, will now be held between August 30 and September 10, over areas including Alipur, Bawana, Rohini, Burari, Pavi Sadakpur and the Kundli border. 'For ten years, it remained only on paper. We took it up, secured all approvals including from the DGCA, and now Delhi will finally witness cloud seeding,' he said. The aircraft to be used for the operation is a Cessna 206-H (VT-IIT), operated by the Department of Aerospace Engineering at IIT Kanpur. It is fully fitted with cloud seeding equipment and will be manned by a trained crew with prior experience in similar missions. Sirsa added that while the original window approved by the DGCA was July 4 to 11, experts from the India Meteorological Department and the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune, advised postponing the exercise. The experts cited that weather conditions during that time were not ideal for cloud seeding. Based on their recommendation, IIT Kanpur and the Delhi government requested a revised schedule, now approved for the end of August to early September, the minister explained. The DGCA's permission comes with strict conditions. The flights must be conducted under Visual Flight Rules (VFR), with full visibility of terrain at all times. Use of aerial photography or videography is banned during operations, and the aircraft must stay within approved airspace. Operators must also coordinate closely with Air Traffic Control, report any abnormal incidents, and ensure that all activities are properly documented. Sirsa said the effort is part of the larger Environment Action Plan 2025, which aims to prepare Delhi for the winter season when air quality typically worsens. 'These trials will give us critical data to fine-tune and scale up cloud seeding efforts later in the year. Our aim is to create a cleaner winter for Delhiites,' he said. He also pointed out that Delhi is the only city where both the Supreme Court and the National Green Tribunal had to intervene due to the poor air quality. 'That pressure was a result of inaction in the past. Today, under the leadership of Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of a Viksit Delhi, we're changing that. We're not waiting for court orders — we're taking action,' he said. Taking a jibe at previous governments, Sirsa said, 'They spent a decade writing letters. We secured approvals within four months after several rounds of meetings. The aircraft is ready, the equipment is in place, and the pilots are trained.' To help assess the success of the initiative and explore the possibility of wider implementation in the future, the data from the trials would be shared with central pollution control authorities, scientific agencies, and the courts, Sirsa said.
NDTV
3 days ago
- Science
- NDTV
Delhi Cloud Seeding Trials Green Lit: When, Where They Will Be Conducted
New Delhi: Delhi is set to witness its first-ever cloud seeding flights starting this August after the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) granted final approval for airborne trials. The announcement was made by Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa, who confirmed that the trials will now take place between August 30 and September 10, revised from the earlier July window, following expert recommendations by IMD and IITM Pune. Mr Sirsa said, "Cloud seeding has remained on paper for nearly a decade. We have changed that. Delhi is now the first state to get DGCA clearance for pollution mitigation-based cloud seeding. This is not just an experiment, it's a declaration that Delhi refuses to live with toxic air." "The August-September sorties are timed to gather data ahead of the winter smog season. If the results are promising, we will scale up cloud seeding operations during October to December, when AQI levels are at their worst," he added. Operation Details And Flight Plan The cloud seeding flights will be carried out using aircraft VT-IIT (Cessna 206-H), operated by a trained crew from the Department of Aerospace Engineering, IIT Kanpur. The sortie routes will cover pollution-vulnerable areas including Alipur, Bawana, Rohini, Burari, Pavi Sadakpur, Kundli border zones and segments along the Eastern Peripheral Expressway. According to the Mr Sirsa, these regions were selected based on atmospheric studies pointing to high particulate matter retention and favorable cloud formation during the late monsoon transition. The aircraft is fitted with cloud seeding instrumentation designed to disperse hygroscopic particles - such as sodium chloride - into the atmosphere to induce rainfall and aid pollutant washout from the lower atmosphere. DGCA Conditions And Safety Protocols The DGCA's conditional clearance comes with a detailed list of operational guidelines to ensure safety and regulatory compliance: All sorties must be conducted under Visual Flight Rules (VFR) with clear terrain visibility. Aerial photography or videography during flights is strictly prohibited. Aircraft must avoid restricted or notified airspaces unless additional permissions are obtained. Mandatory ATC clearances must be secured for all operations. A detailed record of every sortie must be maintained, and any incident or abnormality must be reported to the DGCA immediately. The operation will follow all directives under CAR Section 3, Series N, Part I and Air Transport Circular 1/2019. Sirsa Attacks Previous Government Taking a dig at the previous Aam Aadmi Party government, Mr Sirsa said, "They wrote letters for ten years. We conducted multi-agency meetings, navigated regulatory approvals, and got a DGCA nod within a record time. This is not just governance, it's governance with urgency."
USA Today
08-05-2025
- General
- USA Today
Investigators release report on cause of helicopter crash that killed 5 Marines
Investigators release report on cause of helicopter crash that killed 5 Marines Show Caption Hide Caption Pilot error cited as cause of military helicopter crash A report says weather and the use of night vision goggles were among the reasons for a deadly Marine helicopter crash. Fox - 10 Phoenix More than a year after five U.S. Marines were killed when a helicopter crashed into a Southern California mountain range, investigators say the cause of the mishap was "pilot error." The fatal crash occurred on Feb. 6, 2024, as the service members were returning to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego following a training mission at Nevada's Creech Air Force Base, northwest of Las Vegas. The CH-53E Super Stallion was reported missing before authorities discovered it had crashed into a mountain near Pine Valley, California. The crash killed five Marines including Lance Cpl. Donovan Davis, 21; Sgt. Alec Langen, 23; Capt. Benjamin Moulton, 27; Capt. Jack Casey, 26; and Capt. Miguel Nava, 28. The more than 1,100 page report released by the Marine Corps found the root cause of the mishap was the pilot's "failure to maintain both a safe obstacle clearance and Visual Flight Rules (VFR) visibility requirements, resulting in a fatal controlled flight into terrain." As the helicopter was returning to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, it had to make an emergency landing at Imperial County Airport, about 120 miles east of the chopper's final destination in San Diego. Before taking off again, the helicopter's pilot received permission from the squadron's commanding officer to make the "one shot" return flight. Investigators say the weather conditions on the route from the county airport to the air station, including moderate icy conditions and cloud layers, also presented a safety risk. "These deteriorating weather conditions should have been a signal to the mishap crew of Tiger 43 that a safe transit from Imperial County Airport to MCAS Miramar was not feasible," the report said. And while investigators say the commanding officer's approval of the return flight was not a "direct causal or contributing factor in this mishap," they determined the officer exceeded his authority as the approval of a nighttime flight after emergency maintenance lies with a higher authority. The squadron's commanding officer also should have taken more time to speak with pilot about the "aircraft issue and discuss a more thorough plan to return home, including weather conditions, planned route of flight, crew day, and fatigue level and human factors," investigators determined. In November, the squadron's commanding officer, who approved the return flight, was relieved of command "due to loss of trust and confidence in his ability to continue serving," the report said. A memo from the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing included in the report said "the Marine Corps aviation community will utilize the findings and recommendations of this investigation to make us better in both practice and execution."
NBC News
08-05-2025
- General
- NBC News
Deadly Marine helicopter crash in San Diego's East County deemed ‘pilot error'
More than one year later, the official investigation into the cause of the military helicopter crash that killed five Marines is complete. It happened on Feb. 6, 2024, during the CH-53E Super Stallion's return flight to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, where all of the Marines were based. The servicemen were identified as: Lance Cpl. Donovan Davis, 21, of Olathe, Kansas, a CH-53E helicopter crew chief Sgt. Alec Langen, 23, of Chandler, Arizona, a CH-53E helicopter crew chief Capt. Benjamin Moulton, 27, of Emmett, Idaho, a CH-53E helicopter pilot Capt. Jack Casey, 26, of Dover, New Hampshire, a CH-53E helicopter pilot Capt. Miguel Nava, 28, of Traverse City, Michigan, a CH-53E helicopter pilot The 1,140-page investigation was released more than one year later on Wednesday. According to the redacted version, released to the public, the crash was deemed 'pilot error, which included the mishap pilot's failure to maintain both a safe obstacle clearance and Visual Flight Rules (VFR) visibility requirements, resulting in a fatal controlled flight into terrain,' read the report. The report continued, 'the investigation identified several additional contributing factors, including the presence of moderate icing conditions and cloud layers along the mishap route that prevented a safe transit above factor terrain. The investigation further determined these deteriorating weather conditions should have been a signal to the mishap crew of TIGER 43 that a safe transit from Imperial County Airport was not feasible, despite the earlier forecasted and observed weather report that supported TIGER 43's initial departure from Creech Air Force Base to Imperial County.' As mentioned above, the investigation revealed that the TIGER 43 crew, part of 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (3rd MAW), had a training flight before leaving Creech Air Force Base to head back to their home base. They had a planned stop at the Imperial County Airport for fuel, but it turned into a nighttime precautionary emergency landing (PEL) after receiving warning signs about one of their engines. There was some discrepancy in the investigation on whether or not this was communicated adequately. However, the issue was resolved, then, according to the report, the pilot called the squadron's commanding officer to approve their flight back to Miramar. It was approved, but 'the squadron CO exceeded his authority by approving the mishap flight,' and the investigators determined that it should have been elevated. That commanding officer was later relieved on Nov. 18 'due to a loss of trust and confidence in his ability to continue to serve,' according to a media release sent to NBC 7 from 3rd MAW. The Super Stallion crew was eventually reported overdue at Miramar and last 'heard of at 2330' or 11:30 p.m., according to dispatch records. The next day multiple agencies, both federal and local, responded to their last known location in the Pine Valley area to try to find the helicopter and the Marines. Unfortunately, all five Marines were later found dead and were protected by fellow Marines until investigators arrived, including 23-year-old Sgt. Alec Langen. 'Probably the most difficult part was reading from the time it went down to the time that they found everybody,' Steve Langen, Alec's dad who also has experience as a Marine on the CH-53E, told NBC 7. 'What happened? Were they over task-saturated? Were they tired?' Steve Langen explained he and his wife, Alec's mom, were briefed in person a few weeks ago by Marines who shared the full, unredacted investigative conclusion with them, as is standard policy. He explained they 'never wanted there to be a family to have to live with [the responsibility]' of knowing one person on the aircraft may have been to blame for the tragedy. 'As a parent, you want to believe that they all made the decision together,' Steve Langen said. Despite the entire length of the investigation, those final moments before the helicopter crashed into the mountain ridge will never be fully understood. 'A few limitations presented during the investigative process, including the inaccessibility of certain on-board flight data and exact real-time weather. The investigative team thoroughly evaluated possible scenarios and simulations to draw conclusions from the available data and analysis,' read the 3rd MAW media release announcing the completed report. That is exactly what needs to change, Steve Langen told NBC 7. He said he wants to see voice recorders added to the cockpit of military aircraft so that other families do not need to be left with lingering questions if the unthinkable happens. 'Were they having a discussion? Did one guy override the other one? Was Alec saying let's turn around or was Alec saying let's go?' Steve Langen said. A spokesperson for 3rd MAW explained that incorporating crash-survivable recorders into the CH-53E would be too costly, given their limited remaining service life in the Marine Corps. 'No, it's not going to bring him back. No, it's not going to give us full closure from it, but there has to be some change,' Steve Langen said. The media release from 3rd MAW added that 'multiple recommendations were implemented to police and training across 3rd MAW in response to the investigation.'
