Mahindra Group successfully test-flies a five-seater aircraft
MUMBAI: In what is being described as a milestone for both the country's indigenous civil aviation and the public-private partnership programmes, the software-to-transportation Mahindra group in collaboration with CSIR National Aerospace Laboratories has successfully test-flown a five-seater aircraft.
The project , which took three years to move from the drawing board to the skies, is billed to revolutionize Indian transportation over the next decade.
The aircraft has completed five tests in the last ten days and it could take six months or more before it gets the FAR 23 certification, which guarantees the highest standards of safety. It could then go for commercial development.
Once ready, each aircraft is expected to cost around $400,000 (about Rs 2 crore) and would also be the first such commercial aircraft in the world which offers a five seat configuration.
For the Mahindra group, it is the second leap into aviation after it acquired the Australiabased aircraft maker Gippsland Aviation about two years ago. For the $12.5-billion Mahindra group, it's like reliving its own heritage and marks the third major intervention for the group in transportation after the introduction of Jeep in the mid-40 s and Scorpio in 2002-both of which left an indelible mark on the country's transportation roadmap.
"It may not have the sex appeal of jets but it would open up areas which were virtually not accessible earlier and aviation would become an alternate mode of transport to connect such remote locations," a visibly excited Anand Mahindra told TOI describing the reach and potential of the initiative.
Top group officials compared the potential of the programme to the Scorpio, the group's SUV, which helped increased the M&M market cap around 50 times, seen to have been the game changer for the group. It also brings Anand Mahindra , one small step closer to his cherished dream of being the Embraer (a Brazilian aircraft manufacturer) of India. "It has the potential of democratizing aviation," he added.
The running cost of the aircraft (in terms of per seat km) would be only 30% more expensive than a car, Hemant Luthra, chairman of Mahindra Aerospace said. The market for small aircraft (20 seats and below) started to de-grow in 2007 and stands at roughly 2000 a year and is expected to turn the corner in 2011 with a small growth, he said. The main competitors for Mahindra in the segment include Cessna and Piper. CSIR director general Samir Brahmachari , is equally excited.
Mahindra Group successfully test-flies a five-seater aircraft - The Economic Times
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Mahindras take to skies with 5-seater aircraft
Test-Fly Plane, Await Commercial Launch
Shubham Mukherjee TNN
Mumbai: In what is being described as a milestone for both the countrys indigenous civil aviation and the public-private partnership programmes, the software-to-transportation
Mahindra group in collaboration with CSIR National Aerospace Laboratories has successfully test-flown a five-seater aircraft. The project, which took three years to move from the drawing board to the skies, is billed to revolutionize Indian transportation over the next decade.
The aircraft has completed five tests in the last ten days and it could take six months or more before it gets the FAR 23 certification, which guarantees the highest standards of safety. It could then go for commercial development. Once ready, each aircraft is expected to cost around $400,000 (about Rs 2 crore) and would also be the first such commercial aircraft in the world which offers afive seat configuration.
For the Mahindra group, it is the second leap into aviation after it acquired the Australiabased aircraft maker Gippsland Aviation about two years ago. For the $12.5-billion Mahindra group, its like reliving its own heritage and marks the third major intervention for the group in transportation after the introduction of Jeep in the mid-40s and Scorpio in 2002both of which left an indelible mark on the countrys transportation roadmap. It may not have the sex appeal of jets but it would open up areas which were virtually not accessible earlier and aviation would become an alternate mode of transport to connect such remote locations, a visibly excited Anand Mahindra told TOI describing the reach and potential of the initiative. Top group officials compared the potential of the programme to the Scorpio, the groups SUV, which helped increased the M&M market cap around 50 times, seen to have been the game changer for the group. It also brings Anand Mahindra, one small step closer to his cherished dream of being the Embraer (a Brazilian aircraft manufacturer) of India. It has the potential of democratizing aviation, he added.
The running cost of the aircraft (in terms of per seat km) would be only 30% more expensive than a car, Hemant Luthra, chairman of Mahindra Aerospace said. The market for small aircraft (20 seats and below) started to de-grow in 2007 and stands at roughly 2000 a year and is expected to turn the corner in 2011 with a small growth, he said. The main competitors for Mahindra in the segment include Cessna and Piper. CSIR director general Samir Brahmachari, is equally excited.
We have done several PPPs, including a few in the aviation space (components) but this is the first one on the skies. Among others, it would play a crucial role in tourism and transportation of small cargoes, especially flowers. Its an example of how Indian industry has come forward to partner with the scientific community to make adifference, he said. According to A Rinku, the project team leader from the CSIR NAL side, the responsibility of most of the design rests with it while Mahindra Aerospace is responsible for developing and manufacturing it.
The project itself has not been without challenges.
Though work on the prototype started in India, it had to shift mid-way to Australia due to certain regulatory constraints 
where the Mahindra group had acquired Gippsland. Mahindra describes it as the side bar of globalization. The project team itself, consisting of about 23 people, was largely sourced from the engineering services team of M&M. It was led by Karthik Krishnamurthy who had experience on some projects outsourced by NASA. Being developed as an aircraft with a frugal mindset, it started out with a small budget of $15 million. The aircraft is ideal as an air taxi operator and for distances of about 300 km, Mahindra Aerospace CEO Arvind Mehra said.
It is now investing another Rs 300 crore to set up a component facility in Bangalore while Gippsland is working on a plan to launch a 10-seater aircraft by 2013 and an 18-seater aircraft by 2014.
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