INDIA BEATS
Soaring high
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Pavan Kaula has built a plane of his own for personal travel. And he believes there should be many more of them out there. K. JESHI
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Photo: S. Siva Saravanan
Beyond the blue sky: Pavan Kaula with the Long-EZ.
IF he had a magic wand he would fill the sky with innovative aircraft. “We are one billion people and look at the sky, it is always empty, where are the aircraft?” asks Pavan Kaula.
When this retired pilot flies his plan-built Long-EZ, there is very little traffic and that he says is not very encouraging. “Getting flight level and clearances for low altitudes up to 18,000 ft is a breeze. Yet, the traffic is miniscule. In the U.S., there are 37,000 airfields and it has more air traffic than the rest of the planet. Here, we have just 300 airfields and the roads are getting overcrowded. It’s time we looked at the skies for transport,” he declares. For his personal transport, Pavan has built the Long-EZ aircraft, a canard layout type designed by one of the world’s greatest aerospace designers, Burt Rutan.
“It wasn’t a spontaneous thing,” Pavan says about his passion to build a Long-EZ, which comes under the experimental aircraft category. “I had read about Burt Rutan during my schooldays when I was yearning to fly. And a visit to Oshkosh in the U.S., the Mecca of aviation enthusiasts, in 1991worked wonders,” says the aviator. “As a kid driving along with my father to our farm in Devanahalli in Bangalore, I used to watch the flying activity at Jakkur airfield with great interest,” he adds.
A lifetime in aviation
Settled in Coonoor now, this Kashmiri has 10,000 hours of flying experience, starting with his training as a glider pilot in Delhi. He then worked at Tata Steel in Jamshedpur after getting his commercial pilot’s license. He set up a glider club for the company and also served as the instructor for the flying club in Jamshedpur before moving to Singapore Airlines to fly the Boeing 747- 400s.
Pavan recalls the electrifying ambience at the Oshkosh, the annual celebration of aviation lovers, where the experience of witnessing the mind-boggling line up of 6,000 aircrafts, most of them experimental ones, was magical. “The enthusiasm of the aircraft builders, an open forum with Burt Rutan, and an air experience in the Long-EZ — I couldn’t ask for more. I decided to buy the Long-EZ kit,” he adds.
The Long-EZ community worldwide has a cult following and every private owner takes pride in introducing their individual style elements to the original design. Pavan Kaula is one of them. At the annual reunion at the Oshkosh, over 3,000 members unveil innovations, explore the sky in air races and participate in a technical forum. Though the altitude ceiling for a Long-EZ is 27,000 ft, Jim Rice of the U.S. holds the record for max altitude at 35,000 ft. Dick Rutan (incidentally Burt’s brother) holds the record for the maximum range at 10,458.5 km and the longest endurance of 33hours.
What makes this aircraft so special? The practical design, derived from the Varieze, the most efficient airplane on the planet. And, it is specifically developed for efficient, high speed, long range travelling with room for two adults and plenty of baggage. “Phenomenal efficiency is achievable. It takes just 50 minutes and I burn 25 litres of gas to fly from Bangalore to Coimbatore. All the controls are harmonised. It has a three-navigation system, three-communication system and the EFIS (Electronic Flight Information System) and it is equipped with an electric engine starter, electrically driven air brakes and retractable gear system and full IFR (Instrument Flight Rating),” he explains.
Pavan has flown the Long-EZ to Colombo, Puducherry and Jaipur and flies regularly to Bangalore. “The approach speed and take off speed are quick. You fit in like a glove, close the canopy, choose your music and the sky is all yours. It is a different experience,” he waxes eloquent. Talking of building the aircraft, he says, “You need to put in 4,500 man hours to build it. The body is made of fibreglass and you cannot get it off the shelf. It is like taking baby steps, you crawl, walk and then run. Different levels of expertise is required at every stage. Reading up on the critical aerofoil and the systems (electric, hydraulic and pneumatic), the power plant, the engine, is mandatory. For building the avionics, you need professional help,” he adds.
Meticulous attention
Every single phase of the build is documented. Inspection signatures and clearance are required from the Civil Aviation Authority to proceed from one stage to the other. “Check and cross-check is the mantra. Even a tiny pin matters. After the aircraft is built, you need 40 hours of testing to get a permit to fly,” he adds.
Pavan will soon add another innovation to the sky in the form of a Glass Air III, which he is currently building at Zephyr, his fabrication unit which works for the DRDO. He carries out research and development work in the hardware and software of aviation. “Glass Air III is an animal. It delivers the performance of a Kiran Jet but comes at a fraction of its cost. It took me more than a year to build just the wing, the cabling alone runs to 300 ft. It looks straightforward, but a lot of work is required to make it air worthy,” he adds.
Pavan says growth in aviation should come from down up. “Getting youngsters air minded is the only way to fill the sky. At schools, setting up an adventure club to popularise activities like ultra light flying and parasailing and introducing them to aircraft building is a good way to begin. The aero club of India should take an initiative in bringing excitement in the aviation sector. At the State level, flying clubs should become active.”
Aviation, he says is largely risk management. “When you fly, you take everything as it comes. And, you always take a calculated risk. Exploring the open sky in a personal toy is the ultimate form of accomplishment, it is worth it,” he swears.
India Beats features stories of the unusual, the exotic and the extraordinary.
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