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India’s first sea plane operation was inaugurated by Hon’ble Prime Minister on 31 Oct. 2020 with start of services between Statue of Unity in Kevadia and Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad. The service is being operated by Spice Shuttle, subsidiary of SpiceJet Airlines. Under the visionary guidance of Hon’ble PM under the leadership of Shri Vijay Rupani, Hon’ble Chief Minister, Gujarat has signed an MoU on 22/07/2020 with Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), Govt. of India, and Airports Authority of India to start first-ever “Seaplane Services in Gujarat” to provide seamless and affordable air connectivity from Sabarmati Riverfront, Ahmedabad to Statue of Unity, Kevadia which turn out a historical achievement of the State Government. The kind of service is first ever in the Country. The Scheme is being implemented by the terms and conditions of a tripartite agreement between State Government, Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), Govt. of India, and Airports Authority of India. In this connection, a high-level meeting was organized on 29th August 2020 at New Sachivalaya, Gandhinagar to review the progress of the water aerodrome operation in Gujarat which was chaired by Chief Secretary, Govt. of Gujarat along with the Secretary, Civil Aviation –Govt. of India, Joint Secretary, Civil Aviation- GoI, DOG- DGCA, Concerned officials from Airports Authority of India, Airline Operator (Spicejet), and other Government officials from State Government and Central Government. The service operated by Spicejet Airline from Sabarmati Riverfront, Ahmedabad- Statue of Unity, Kevadia: 04 Flights, a day ( 04 Arrival & 04 Departures. The Ticket price would be around of Rs.4,800/- Per person. In this connection, a high-level meeting was organized on 29th August 2020 at New Sachivalaya, Gandhinagar to review the progress of the water aerodrome operation in Gujarat which was chaired by Chief Secretary, Govt. of Gujarat along with the Secretary, Civil Aviation –Govt. of India, Joint Secretary, Civil Aviation- GoI, DOG- DGCA, Concerned officials from Airports Authority of India, Airline Operator (Spicejet), and other Government officials from State Government and Central Government. The service is operated by Spicejet Airline from Sabarmati Riverfront, Ahmedabad-Statue of Unity, Kevadia: 04 Flights, a day ( 04 Arrival & 04 Departures. The Ticket price would be around of Rs.4,800/- Per person. The inaugural flight will likely happen on 31st October 2021. On recommendation of Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), AAI Multi-Disciplinary team conducted Pre-Feasibility Study for development of Water Aerodrome at three sites namely Sabarmati River Front, Statue of Unity and Shatrunjay Dam identified by Govt. of Gujarat in June 2018. A tripartite MoU has been signed among MoCA, AAI and Govt. of Gujarat for development, operation and maintenance of Water Aerodrome at above sites. AAI appointed M/s Feedback Infra as consultant for preparing DPR. IWAI was entrusted of conducting bathymetry survey and execution of concrete pontoons and DGLL has installed marker buoys demarcating runway alignment, aircraft maneuvering and obstacles in water. Design of all works carried out by IWAI and DGLL have been vetted by IIT Madras. The average cost of development of water aerodrome is approx. Rs. 36 crore. Based on bathymetry survey and Obstacle Limitation Surface (OLS) survey Master Plan and flight SOPs have been developed by AAI. As per MoU, the city side development works has been undertaken by GUJSAIL, Govt. of Gujarat. Although, the site selected was remote and had a lot of challenges due to difficult terrain, the agencies involved have worked tirelessly to complete the infrastructure development works in record 45 days.   TYPE OF SERVICES The Water Aerodromes have been designed to cater to category 2B type of floatplanes such as the 19 seater Viking Twin Otter Series under VFR conditions. The runway of length 800m X 60m at Statue of Unity has been marked with Marker Buoys for clear visual demarcation. Also, areas with hazards to marine activity have been marked with nun buoys. A sturdy Floating Jetty made of Structural Concrete Pontoons of size 24m X 9m along with necessary safety equipment, soft fenders, ‘in deck’ service utilities, mooring systems and connecting gangway with shore have been installed at the site for docking of seaplane. Currently, there is provision for docking of one seaplane at a time however being modular in nature this system can be expanded to accommodate more seaplanes as well. The Water Aerodrome will initially function from an interim Terminal Building till the regular building of area 700 sqm. is constructed on shore for both the sites. The State Government shall operate and maintain the water aerodrome including providing fire and security services, as per regulations of DGCA and BCAS. The developed Water Aerodromes at Statue of Unity was officially inaugurated by Hon’ble Prime Minister on 31 Oct. 2020.

Former Topgun Instructor Takes Readers on the Ride of a Lifetime… DAVE BARANEK, AUTHOR, TOMCAT RIO Dave Baranek knows exactly what it means to “ride into the danger zone.” In his new release, Tomcat RIO, he plants readers firmly in the cockpit of the legendary F-14 Tomcat fighter, blazing along at twice the speed of sound seven miles above the ocean and the carrier that hurled it off its deck. In an exclusive email interview with Aviation World, Dave Baranek share more about his experiences while working with US Naval Aviation and penning down back-to back three book series. Excerpts…” What is the concept and thought behind penning down Tomcat RIO? Is this an extension of two of your previous book titled Topgun Days and Before Topgun Days? Yes, Tomcat RIO describes my flying adventures in the US Navy picking up where Topgun Days left off. I wanted to share those years with readers, when I had some of my best experiences as well as when I dealt with challenges as my responsibilities increased. In the book I describe doing well at some aspects of my mission as an F-14 Tomcat Radar Intercept Officer (RIO, the back-seater in the F-14, like Goose in the movie “Top Gun”). I don’t feel like I was bragging, because it was the result of years of good training and experience. And then to balance it, I talk about later in my career when it wasn’t so easy, after I had not flown for a few years. I wrote Topgun Days first, because it includes a career highlight of being a Topgun instructor and my small contribution to make the movie “Top Gun,” and it also includes my ejection incident. The second book, Before Topgun Days, tells about Naval Aviation training and how I got into the F-14. So the new book, Tomcat RIO, completes the story. The book mentions about the challenges and unexpected trials faced in the US Naval Aviation. Kindly elaborate a bit more about your journey & experiences? When I returned to an F-14 squadron after 2 ½ years as a Topgun instructor, I felt very comfortable and confident. I was on top of the situation when flying, and I experienced success when performing my ground job. In the US Navy, pilots and back-seaters have jobs to run the squadron, in addition to their flying duties. Then I spent a few years serving on high-level staffs, such as supporting the Joint Chiefs of Staff in the Pentagon. By the time I returned, the F-14 had taken on a new mission: air-to-ground attack. In addition, the aerial threat we faced was much more capable than it had been only a few years before. At the same time as I dealt with these changes, my job was commanding officer of an F-14 squadron, which consisted of fourteen F-14 Tomcats and more than 300 people. Things went well, but as you will see in the book: it wasn’t easy and I learned some lessons. This book also features your best and most acclaimed photos. Any particular moment that is really close to your heart and you would like to mention? Yes, one of the photos is my all-time favorite, from years of flying and taking picture. It shows an F-14 Tomcat in full afterburner against a dark sky, its nose pointed toward the stars. This was a set-up that came to my imagination, and one evening I discussed it with my pilot and the guys in the other jet. At the time, our aircraft carrier was in the South China Sea. This was 1989, so there was no unusual tension in the region. We launched on our mission, got in formation, lit the afterburners and started climbing. I shot an entire roll of film, and the pictures turned out just how I imagined. Later photos, showing the F-14 carrying an array of missiles and several bombs, also look impressive as they show the versatility of the aircraft. I should clarify that taking photos like this was a hobby for me. Most pilots and RIOs did not take photos, or only took a few. Several others, however, also took many photos and some of them have been published in books and magazines. The Navy allowed us to take photos on most flights, as long as it did not interfere with the mission. Strap in, and get ready for a wild ride! What does this mean in reader’s context? These words are meant to make the reader think they are climbing into the cockpit seat of an F-14 fighter. Once in the seat, you strap in for security. Reading Tomcat RIO will make the reader feel like they are flying in an F-14! Any specific point that you really want to emphasize upon from Tomcat RIO? When I wrote the book I wasn’t thinking about providing lessons or instructions, but as the story unfolded several ideas emerged that may inspire or inform readers. One of the overall points, that I think is carried through all of my books, is that you should pursue your dreams and passions. I worked hard on my skills in aviation and was fortunate that I was rewarded, doing what I dreamed, and I enjoyed it. Accomplishments rarely come to people who have not made a strong effort. Another point is that behind these exciting things we see in movies, such as flying jet fighters, there are many people who support and enable the activity. I tell some of these stories, and I think they are interesting because they provide some detail. Yes, I can tell you it is thrilling and enjoyable to fly a jet fighter, but there is a lot more to it than zooming among the clouds. So, this can be taken as conclusion of your book series and last leg towards your F-14 Journey? Yes, at this time I think I have told all of my stories, so Tomcat RIO is the last leg. But you never

REGULATORY TRIBULATIONS OF DRONES BY GP. CAPT. AK SACHDEV ( RETD.) Human avarice endows commerce with powerful dynamics which often militate with societal and regulatory norms and constraints; the ongoing drone proliferation demonstrates this amply. Technological advances in drones, and appreciation of their emerging commercial munificence, have led to a great deal of interest in their employment for business and commercial activities. India’s resurgent economy, notwithstanding a temporary setback due to Corona virus, has seen an immense interest in drones; indeed, there is a mushrooming market for drones of all sizes and with variegated payloads and capabilities. The beginnings of this revolution of sorts was visible almost a decade ago and so were the associated risks and hazards, and we should have been ready to regulate its intricacies. However, for various reasons, our regulatory oversight of drones is rather unconvincing at the moment. REGULATORY INFIRMITIES Starting with innocuous remote controlled toy drones at the beginning of the decade gone by, the market was inundated with their presence in the market (and their size)growing at a disquieting pace. As the process of regulating their use was lagging pitiably, a blanket ban was put into place in 2014as an interim, short term measure with the laudable intent of simultaneously drawing up exhaustive regulations to control drone flights in Indian airspace. The intent, however, was not matched by the actions thereafter, and it took an inordinately long time for Director General Civil Aviation (DGCA) to promulgate Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR), Section 3 – Air Transport Series X, Part I Issue 1 on August 27, 2018. The CAR uses the technical term Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPAs)for drones and regulates their use in the Indian Airspace; itstipulates the process for obtaining Unique Identification Number (UIN), Unmanned Aircraft Operator Permit (UAOP), and other operational requirements including identification of civil drones and drone operators.The drone operators are required to register their drones on the online portal after which a drone Acknowledgement Number (DAN) and an Ownership Acknowledgement Number (OAN) is issued online which would help in validation of operations. However, this does not give drone operators to fly drones in India without permission. Only around 20,000 drones are registered with MoCA but the number of drones being flown without registration and without permission for various purposes is much larger due to the excessive delay in promulgating the CAR and the inability of the regulatory machinery to ensure the ban prevalent between 2014 and 2018. The establishment of a Digital Sky platform was envisaged as a system to regulate drone flights but it was not ready at the time when the CAR was issued; its partial readiness was announced on 01 December 2018. Digital Sky concept is a massive framework which needs to be comprehensive, complex and data driven. Unfortunately, users and manufacturers alike remain largely unaware of its technical requirements. India has a unique No Permission – No Takeoff (NPNT) clause which means that a drone needs to be configured with a special software and/or hardware in such a manner that unless the regulatory permission is given through Digital Sky platform, a drone cannot fly. In other words, until the NPNT is incorporated into its design, a drone manufacturer should be unable to sell drones in India.However, while the NPNT compliance has been granted only to 19 companies (details at https://digitalsky.dgca.gov.in/RpaTypeList), the drone market is inundated with non-NPNT compliant drones doing brisk business at attractive rates. The problem appears to be that while NPNT is a great idea, enforcing it has become a headache for the regulator as it is still struggling with implementing a system to keep a check on the hardware and software capabilities of drones as there are very few labs to ascertain these standards. On June 2 this year, MoCA published a Gazette Notification with a draft “Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Rules 2020”; the draft introduced some changes from DGCA’s 2018 CAR mentioned earlier. The important changes are aimed at tweaking the five categories of drones, eligibility of persons authorised to manufacture, import, trade in, own or operate drones, Unique Authorisation Number (UAN) rules, change in UAN/UIN/UAOP/Pilot License fees, and the import of non-compliant drones into India. MoCA had given a month’s time for stakeholders and the general public to submit comments. Expectedly, there were many inputs, possibly the most significant being a 43 page document from the Drone Federation of India (DFI), a non-government, not-for-profit, industry led body promoting unmanned aviation industry in India. Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) has recommended that the rules provide for setting up of a single window mechanism to obtain all clearances and approvals necessary for procuring and operating drones in the country. Hopefully, these inputs will be accommodated in the final Rules which are yet to be promulgated. It is also hoped that the final Rules will address the restrictions on entities owned by foreign players or their controlled Indian subsidiaries, as they are not allowed to register as an Authorised Person under the Rules; this restriction is a dampener for foreign investors interested in investing in e-commerce companies that want to use drones. CONCLUDING REMARKS Different sources estimate the number of unregistered drones in Indian skies is to be between two to six lakhs and future projections predict a growth of around ten lakhs per year for the next five years or so. The numbers do not matter so much as the fact that the proliferation appears to be unbridled with the regulatory mechanism not yet in convincing control of the growth. It is not just the commercial impetus or the aviation enthusiasts who are responsible; some of the state governments (at least eleven) are known to have flouted DGCA regulations and employed drones for variegated purposes, sheltering behind the abnormal conditions imposed by the Corona pandemic. The proliferation is certain to continue unabated even after the final Rules are promulgated as the DGCA is not geared up to exercise stringent control and oversight over drone use. Their small size