What comes in mind when you think about Nepali Aviation? You will see the focus on the term Nepali aviation because I prefer Nepali over Nepalese. Now coming back to the question, obviously the very first impression in the mind of any individual is the visual imagination of the only international airport of our country that is Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) located at Gauchar, Kathmandu..
We generally see the world of Nepali aviation revolving around it. It is the only International airport of our country and has served well for almost about six decades since its inception. As aviation business has a reputation everywhere in the world because flying, operating and maintaining such expensive air machines at national and international level,requires huge management, a strong national support and skilled manpower with encompassing budgets. Nonetheless, tourism without aviation is almost impossible in the landlocked countries like Nepal, therefore the country’s economic development is synonymously dependent upon aviation industry of the country.
Nepal is so impeccably diverse in terms of her natural resources and environment. Nepali sky becomes different as we go a breadth inside this curved rectangular block which is burgered between India and China. Nepali aviation breathes oxygen in the skies of different diversities. Nepali sky is the centre of attraction for everyone who visits or wants to visit Nepal. One of the prime reasons is the sky of The Himalayan region under which lies eight of top ten highest immaculate snow covered mountains, most graciously crowned by Mount Everest.
Sad to say the next thing that comes in mind is Nepali air crafts that have the worst reputation among common Nepali people and now even in the international arena as well. One of the most highlighted and talked about topic has been Nepali aircraft’s ban over European sky and Nepal being blacklisted by International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
Yes accidents are unfortunate and the chances of them occurring are always there. But frequent occurrence of the accidents tells us about the loopholes in the system and makes improvements accordingly. Having said that, being a part of the aviation system today, I can assure you that Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAA Nepal) has jumped into the road of making a major turn-around. Our country’s aviation family is making the necessary changes in the system with a vision of safer and much better future of Nepali aviation. If we continue in the footsteps that our system has stepped into today, every aviation gurus and enthusiasts are considering major opportunities and ventures coming in Nepal’s way in near future. A serious note to consider for the young students who are on the verge of choosing their careers!
There are several outlooks of Nepal aviation as it has its history of fortunes and misfortunes way back since 1949 when the first aircraft, single engine Beech craft Bonanza, carrying the then Indian ambassador named Dalip Singh Majithia, landed in Nepal. Today’s internet’s popular search engines can make any layman a historian, isn’t it? Anyway leaving aside the general thinking and all the hoodoos of other thoughts that might strike our mind like the earnings of pilots, engineers, and life of airhostess, administrators or any worker in an airlines company; we are here focused on introducing the optimism of aviation as a system for you in a simple term. How Nepali aviation can be passionately dreamt as a career for an individual? And why this particular field is so interesting and more young people should be looking forward to the career inside aviation?
Let me take you away from aviation for a moment. We have always historically been very critical about
Nepali education with the way it is taught from the grassroots level. Yes we know of all the impractical ways of trying to feed the knowledge, the sluggishness of the governing system to react and education has become a mere business in today’s world. However, all these aspects are there and we cannot avoid them and neither can be immediately change the way system is being run. Our young readers should know the fact that Nepali students are considered one of the most talented and learned, when they go abroad for their further studies. So, if you don’t look at the complaining side and rather take on the positives and stay focused on doing well, one can develop beautifully inside Nepali system of education. However, the main point is that we Nepali students should be proud of ourselves and look forward to developing our country’s various sectors as when you go abroad and compare, we really have marked difference in what we know and how much we know. What we need to do is focus on things that we like and know well from inside our heart as today prospects of good works are numerous. Nepal’s aviation needs more educated and efficient manpower in the upcoming future to strengthen the safety and to understand the complex simplicity of aviation studies is simply the bottom-line of this particular paragraph. So now coming back, Aviation has leapt from the mere symphony of lifting an object into the air era to one of the most commercial and hypersonic mode of transportation age today.
Millions and millions of people fly everyday around the world as we are at the age of globalization where technology and business has stretched out its hands to the orbit and further. Air travel tagged as the safest mode of transport has put that added responsibility over the airlines industry; especially Nepal’s air industry should be aware of the fact and actually act according to it. If you just think, from the aviation’s point of view, of any country that comes in your mind that is developed and economically strong they have the world’s busiest and largest of airports, biggest of airlines companies and solid standards of safe aviation management. Hence, any country’s development is merely reflected by its airport, its infrastructures and the strength and reliability of the system inside it. Airport is like Line of Control of a country but at the heart of it which makes us appreciate the remarkable idea of its construction but at the same time makes this area sensitive towards both country’s safety and development. In fact is the most basic reason why the operating system must be strong having web like safety nets everywhere with minimum chances of any loophole. Though a system without any loophole is almost impossible to create but just simply raising the standard of acceptance of any work being done at any level automatically strengthens and reinforces the way towards improvement and development. Design, in itself is a huge area of interest for millions of aviation enthusiasts.
Most definitely it is, as a simple drawing on a sheet of paper with assembled simplicity, can have flying characteristics in it; is just mesmerizing for an individual who loves aircraft. This area is considered one of the finest of all, let me tell you why? Because the word ‘better’ has no end in this world, you can always be better than yesterday because absolute is not possible and thirst to reach near it never stops inside a passionate professional. Then, the design with different level of operational and performance qualities is assembled and manufactured by manufacturing companies according to the design. Since every point of an aircraft’s body is designed with scientifically proved thought over it, manufacturing of the different parts are prepared by different companies which literally enhances the quality of the finally assembled body.
Manufacturing means turning the dream into reality by the molecular combination of metals, non-metals, composite materials and others. The studied analysis of the design of the aircraft allows the manufacturing companies to use what materials where, to exactly bring the characteristics that the air machine will possess, for example, where the part of the aircraft needs to be flexible and light yet strong, aluminum alloy is used for the construction but where strength with the capability of bearing heavy loads with non-corrosive characteristics is required, stainless steel is proposed.
When designers design and manufactures assemble and form the aircraft, a legal regulating body’s role comes into play. This world of aviation is called Design certification of aircraft. Until and unless an aircraft is abide by the requirements and laws to be fit, safe and airworthy to stay in the air performing its characterized operation within its limitations that are set by these regulating bodies or authorities of individual nations or union of countries that follow one legal body authorized by International Civil Aviation
Organization (ICAO) who sets the internationally accepted lawful standards worldwide, it cannot leave the ground. Two of the major authorities that have stamped the world of aviation with their regulations are FAA and EASA. FAA is known as Federal Aviation Administration that is an American agency and EASA stated as European Aviation Safety Agency, a European Union agency whose rules and procedures have influenced our nation today. Going past the huge history of these two bodies, the adoption of the rules and regulations of EASA for its envisioned impeccable safety nets within the system is the future of Nepali aviation. Anybody thinking of aviation future, knowing EASA is just a golden key. Just termed it golden because diamond key always is within a person, it is always found inside the individual. Coming back to the point, a certified design formed into a certified manufactured aircraft becomes a business product after going through many functional, operational and crash resistant tests ensuring its reliability and safety.
The governing bodies are the National Aviation Authority of a country, for Nepali air crafts, it is CAAN known as Civil Aviation Administration Organization. When the word civil hovers around, the word military immediately strikes our mind, the military air crafts do not fall under Civil Aviation category hence, they follow their own regulatory body inside their system. To be an operating organization of an aircraft the basic things it must show are the budget capability to fulfill the operational and maintenance demands set by the aircraft’s body, the skilled operating team with pilots as their performers to actually fly and complete the operations and mission that is set, the maintainers known as Aircraft Engineers. With the help of Aircraft Technicians, the aircraft is kept its optimum best condition for everyday flight with the help of planning team for which the production team produces the necessary equipments, tools, items and aircraft components to keep the operating air crafts healthy. A reviewing team to keep the records of the aircraft and a quality team to keep auditing and enhancing the quality by short-listing the minor to major faults in the system and trying to nullify the errors by correcting the procedures from its inception. Well, the bottom-line of so beautifully delegated responsibilities within an airlines company is safety as the human lives are directly affected by any errors committed within any of the areas mentioned above.
The part highlighted in this article is a small part of this huge aviation industry as one lifetime is not enough to completely know each aspects of aviation science as every aspect of aviation’s work requires various certifications, different work policies, different professional background each having its own laws and requirements. Nepali aviation is at the brink of some major improvements in the coming years which is why this article reminds the young students opting for careers, to please have a good, positive and developing thought when aviation strikes your mind.
