ARUP CHATTERJEE VIVIDLY remembers that freezing Leh day from more than two years ago. As director (engineering and R&D) of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), he was in Leh for the cold weather endurance test of the light utility helicopter (LUH) prototype.
His team’s task was to fly the LUH to a helipad at 17,000ft, leave it exposed there for 24 hours (at -30° Celsius), and check whether the chopper was still fit to fly. The team landed at the helipad, but was grounded for two days because of rough weather. “We were worried whether the helicopter would start,” Chatterjee. “If it did not, bringing it back would have been difficult. To our surprise, even after being exposed to such a harsh environment for 48 hours, the helicopter started. It told us that we were on the right track.”
From its manufacturing base in Bengaluru, Chatterjee and his team flew the prototype to Leh, instead of sending it on a C-17-Globemaster transport aircraft. “We flew to Leh with breaks in between. The LUH flew for 6,000km without any fault,” he said. “At a stretch, it can fly for around 400km to 500km. Helicopters are, however, not meant for long-haul flights.”
This story is from the May 29, 2022 edition of THE WEEK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the May 29, 2022 edition of THE WEEK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
What Will It Take To Clean Up Delhi Air?
IT IS ASKED, year after year, why Delhi’s air remains unbreathable despite several interventions to reduce pollution.
Trump and the crisis of liberalism
Although Donald Trump's election to a non-consecutive second term to the US presidency is not unprecedented—Grover Cleveland had done it in 1893—it is nevertheless a watershed moment.
Men eye the woman's purse
A couple of months ago, I chanced upon a young 20-something man at my gym walking out with a women’s sling bag.
When trees hold hands
A filmmaker explores the human-nature connect through the living root bridges
Ms Gee & Gen Z
The vibrant Anuja Chauhan and her daughter Nayantara on the generational gap in romance writing
Vikram Seth-a suitable man
Our golden boy of literature was the star attraction at the recent Shillong Literary Festival in mysterious Meghalaya.
Superman bites the dust
When my granddaughter Kim was about three, I often took her to play in a nearby park.
OLD MAN AND THE SEA
Meet G. Govinda Menon, the 102-year-old engineer who had a key role in surveying the Vizhinjam coast in the 1940s, assessing its potential for an international port
Managing volatility: smarter equity choices in uncertain markets
THE INDIAN STOCK MARKET has delivered a strong 11 per cent CAGR over the past decade, with positive returns for eight straight years.
Investing in actively managed low-volatility portfolios keeps risks at bay
AFTER A ROARING bull market over the past year, equity markets in the recent months have gone into a correction mode as FIIs go on a selling spree. Volatility has risen and investment returns are hurt.
