PMO approves Rs.1,200 crore for Air India

New Delhi: The Prime Minister' s Office (PMO) has given the go-ahead for an
equity infusion of Rs.1,200 crore in
national flag carrier Air India, and the
matter may soon come up for a final
cabinet clearance, two government
officials said. The aviation ministry had sought the
advice of cabinet secretary K.M.
Chandrasekhar and the PMO, in
keeping with new guidelines that
require all big-ticket capital projects to
be reviewed by the two offices before going for cabinet approval.
" There have been no adversarial comments" from the PMO, said one of the government officials, asking not to
be named.
Air India ' s losses have soared to $1 billion (Rs.4,510 crore) since its
merger with Indian Airlines in 2007.
The carrier lost Rs.2,226 crore in
2007-08, Rs.7,189 crore in 2008-09,
and Rs.5,551 crore in 2009-10.
Comparatively, losses in 2006-07 stood at just Rs.448 crore. In 2004-05,
it made a profit of Rs.161.97 crore,
while in 2005-06 profit stood at
Rs.64.44 crore.
The airline' s borrowings have increased from Rs.6,550 crore in 2007
to Rs.19,000 crore now. Its total debt
stands at Rs.40,000 crore.

Aircraft Rivets

Standard solid-shank rivets and the
universal head rivets (AN-470) are
used in aircraft construction in both
interior and exterior locations.
Roundhead rivets (AN-430) are used
in the interior. Rivets of pure aluminum are used for
riveting nonstructural parts fabricated
using the softer aluminium alloys. When riveting magnesium alloy
structures, 5056 rivets are used
exclusively because of their corrosion-
resistant qualities in combination with
the magnesium alloys.
Mild steel rivets are used primarily in riveting steel. Galvanized rivets should not be used
on steel parts subject to high heat.
Corrosion-resistant steel rivets are
used in riveting corrosion-resistant
steel parts such as firewalls, exhaust
stack bracket attachments, and similar structures.

In-flight Entertainment System

In the world of Aircraft Interiors, IFE
and Connectivity go hand in hand with
seats and interiors design, but in its
own right, is a rapidly growing market
segment. In 2010, connectivity will be
a growth business as will be the delivery of in-seat embedded
(portable-based) IFE and associated
in-seat power. This area is probably
the growth area of portable IFE. The manufacturers' holy grail is
Exceptional Reliability combined with
exceptionally low weight. A typical
installation with a high level of
functionality will weigh less than five
pounds per seat even when all cabling, distribution, headend
equipment and kits are accounted for.
That means there will be more capacity
for passengers, cargo and fuel, to
ensure high levels of operational
efficiency. Optimized configurations can be even lower in weight. Seatback units that are not portable,
but stand-alone distributed content
systems (the seat hardware is hard
disk based with content at each seat)
are also in development, using fibre
optics that are already in the aircraft for broadcast solutions like map
features and content updates.

Aircraft Fuel Tanks and Cells

Fuel tank repair
Welded or riveted fuel tanks that are
made of commercially pure aluminum,
3003, 5052, or similar alloys, may be
repaired by welding. Aircraft fuel
tanks made from heat-treatable
aluminum alloys are generally assembled by riveting. In case it is necessary to rivet a new
piece in a tank, use the same material
as used in the tank undergoing repair,
and seal the seams with a compound
that is insoluble in gasoline. Special
fuel tank sealing compounds are available and should be used in the
repair of aircraft fuel tanks. Inspect
fuel tanks and cells for general
condition, security of attachment, and
evidence of leakage. Examine fuel
tanks or cell vent line, fuel lines, and sump drain attachment fittings closely.

Ground Power Unit(GPU)

GPUs provide either AC, or AC and DC
power for the operation of aircraft
avionics and engine start up on the
ground. Solid-state Ground Power
Units (GPUs) convert utility power into
400 Hz power for the aircraft. The GPUs take over when the Auxiliary
Power Units (APUs) onboard aircraft
are switched off, in order to reduce the
noise, the air pollution, and the
maintenance required by the APUs. The use of ground power also means
cost savings, the power can be
converted on the ground much
cheaper and much more efficiently
than by burning jet-fuel on the aircraft.
GPUs can also be mobile units, giving further flexibility. GPUs have also been
developed to meet the needs of
operators who have a requirement to
carry portable ground power aboard
the aircraft on a regular basis. These gpus are extremely powerful
for their size and weight and can be
loaded and carried aboard if required.

Integrated Primary Flight Display (IPFD)

Integrated Primary Flight Display (IPFD) is Honeywell’s Synthetic Vision System (SVS) ― a new product that will be offered on multiple platforms for business jets. IPFD uses cues that pilots already understand to provide them with a VFR visual environment regardless of the time of day or weather conditions.

The integrated primary flight display uses Honeywell’s industry-leading Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System (EGPWS) database and our advanced Head-Up Display (HUD) symbology. Combined, they give pilots an unprecedented, coherent, and continuous window of situational awareness of their flight path, terrain, and navigational environment.

The IPFD synthesizes key information for the pilot and delivers it in an easy way that is:

Ambient – The pilot makes no special effort to gather data

Natural – The pilot makes no special effort to interpret the data

Continuous – The pilot makes no special effort to update the data