News Flash :

The proposed NAL Golden Jubilee “International Conference on Civil Aeronautics
(INCCA 2009) which is scheduled to be held during 25 – 27 May 2009 has been
deferred due to unavoidable circumstances and unforeseen events.

INTRODUCTION

National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL) was established in 1959 under the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and is celebrating its Golden Jubilee from June 2008 to May 2009. NAL is the premier R&D laboratory in India in the field of aerospace engineering and has successfully contributed to all the major national projects in the aeronautics and space sector. It has set up excellent facilities and built significant expertise in aerospace R&D. The strength thus accumulated led to initiation of programmes related to development of civil aircraft, which started in the late eighties on a very modest scale. An all composite Light Canard Research Aircraft was built and flown in 1987 which was followed by the design and development of a two seat, all composite trainer aircraft called HANSA-3 which was type certified by DGCA in the year 2000, under JAR-VLA category. As on date, thirteen HANSA-3 aircraft have been built. Efforts are underway to get this aircraft certified by CASA in Australia in collaboration with RMIT, Melbourne.

Subsequently, NAL has embarked on the development of a light transport aircraft (SARAS) presently undergoing flight-testing. The aircraft is expected to achieve type certification (FAR 25) by 2010. NAL has now proposed development of a regional transport aircraft in the 70-seat capacity with several new technologies. This initiative has received an ‘in-principle’ approval from CSIR.

The growth of civil aeronautics in the country is looking up, and there are definite signs of catching up with the remarkable growth in the civil aviation sector. This conference is intended to survey and consolidate the state-of-the-art in the design development and operation of civil aircraft. The conference will provide an opportunity for international R&D organizations, academia and industries to present their latest achievements and explore possibilities of networking with similar institutions in the country which is critical to reduce cost and time schedules and to boost business opportunities. This conference will also showcase the civil aircraft technologies developed by NAL.

This conference will be spread over three days (25 to 27 May 2009) and will be consisting of plenary / invited talks from experts in the field from India and abroad. Multiple parallel sessions are planned including interactive poster sessions as well as exhibits from the industries.