India’s first indigenous trainer aircraft Hansa-3 launched for pilot training
The indigenously developed Hansa-3 trainer aircraft has been cleared for use to train aircrew for obtaining pilot licences, and the aircraft will now be manufactured in India by the private industry.
Designed by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research’s (CSIR) National Aerospace Laboratory (NAL), Hansa is an all-composite, two-seat light trainer aircraft for ab-initio flying training by flying clubs.
The launch of the aircraft for commercial training and its production by Pioneer Clean Amps Private Limited after transfer of technology by CSIR was announced by Minister of Science and Technology Dr Jitendra Singh on April 4.
According to a CSIR brief, all airline and military pilots begin their career in a 2- to 4-seat aircraft cockpit. Approximately, 50 per cent of the 2- to 6-seat fixed-wing aircraft in India are being used for flying training purposes. Many of these, like Cessna 152 and Cessna 172, imported aircrafts.
Due to the rapidly growing aviation market, there is a large requirement of pilots in the country, which creates immense opportunities for the small aircraft production industry. Most aircrafts with Flying Training Organisations (FTOs) in India are now old and increasingly becoming economically non-viable to operate. Therefore, all FTOs are actively looking to replace these aircraft this requirement can be filled by the Hansa.
The aircraft is equipped with a digital display (glass cockpit) system and is powered by an advanced fuel-efficient Rotax 912 iSc3 Sports engine. It features a bubble canopy with a cabin width of 43 inches and electrically operated flaps, meeting modern user requirements. It has a range of 620 nautical miles, 7 hours of flying endurance and a maximum cruise speed of 98 knots.
The small aircraft market in India is predominantly dominated by foreign players where domestic players have no presence. The immediate demand estimation based on market research by private think tanks is 70 to 80 aircrafts for flying training in the country.
Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh today officially launched indigenous “Trainer Aircraft” technology for Commercial Pilot Licensing (CPL) and also announced the decision to involve the private sector to collaborate in the manufacture of this aircraft.
Speaking at the launch ceremony, the minister said that Hansa will fulfil the requirements of flying clubs in providing Private Pilot Licence (PPL) and Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL) training to the young generation.
Emphasising the need to develop a large and world-class flying training ecosystem in India to meet the rapidly growing demand of the Indian aviation sector he highlighted the huge opportunity for start-ups and MSMEs, along with significant employment generation potential through the indigenisation of aviation technologies.
Dr Jitendra Singh also reaffirmed the government’s focus on decentralisation of pilot training, which will reduce the cost of pilot training and give wings to the aspirations of youth.
India will need 30,000 pilots over the next 15-20 years, up from the current 6,000-7,000 pilots, as Indian airlines collectively have over 1,700 aircraft on order. Currently, India’s commercial aircraft fleet stands at over 800 aircraft. Typically, each aircraft requires 15-20 pilots for narrow-body aircraft and 25-30 pilots for long-range wide-body jets.
