Two British plane spotters fined Rs. 25,000 but escape jail time

The two British plane-spotters, Stephen Hampton and Steven Ayres from Bristol, arrested in New Delhi last month for monitoring ATC conversations, have been fined Rs. 25,000 each by a court in Delhi, after admitting to illegally monitoring aircraft.

The two spotters who appeared before magistrates in Delhi were charged under the antiquated but draconian Indian Telegraph Act, 1885, with intercepting privileged communications.

What will be a relief to the pair, and to all of us spotters, is that fact that they escaped with just a fine, instead of jail time. Mr. Hampton and Mr. Ayers were informed they could return to the UK.

It is important to note that the court did not charge them for observing or photographing aircraft.

Source : BBC News

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India Aviation 2010 air show: Day 1 - Tragedy and happiness

The Aviation India 2010 began on March 3rd with a bang. Along with political stars, state Chief Minister Rosiah, US Ambassador Timothy Roemer, French Ambassador Jerome Bonnafont, almost everyone in the Indian commercial aviation industry was present for the inauguration. Union Minister of Civil Aviation Mr. Prafaul Patel, Air India Chairman Mr. Arvind Jadhav, Jet Airway's Naresh Goyal, Saroj Dutta, and Sudheer Raghavan, Kingfisher Airlines Chairman Vijay Mallya, SpiceJet CEO Sanjay Aggarwal, the Director General of Civil Aviation Dr. Nasim Zaidi, Boeing India head Dinesh Keskar, Airbus India head Kiran Rao, and I am sure I have missed out many names.

Immediately after the inauguration ceremony tragedy struck the show. A four plane aerobatic formation of the Indian Navy Sagar Pawan team was demonstrating their prowess when HJT-16 Kiran Mk II tail number IN078 crashed five seconds after I took this photo. Commander S.K. Maurya and Lt Commander Rahul Nair were killed.


Video from TV9 (a local language channel) shows how IN078 trailing green smoke appears to have flown in to the jet wash of IN076 trailing blue smoke. It was all over in five seconds.


Despite the tragedy, the show went on. The second half was joy, and all that of Airbus S.A.S. India chief Kiran Rao. First his company delivered to national carrier Air India the very first A320 in the Air India livery. VT-EDD is part of the 43 aircraft order placed by the erstwhile Indian Airlines which included 20 A321, 19 A319 and four A320. By next month, delivery of the remaining aircraft, one A321 and the balance three A320s should be completed.

Powered by CFM56 engines, the new A320s are equipped with the Thales i3000 in-flight entertainment (IFE) system, in two class configuration 20 business and 120 economy.


Late in the evening, Airbus delivered to value carrier IndiGo its 25th A320-232, VT-IGK. Powered by IAE V2500 Select One engines, this aircraft is in all economy configuration with 180 seats.

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I was almost robbed today!!!!

Just about an hour ago, I almost fell victim to the "divert and grab" robbery ploy that is now plaguing Bangalore.

I was parked on the main Koramangala road in front of Raheja Arcade waiting for my son who had gone to the Citibank ATM to make a withdrawal. My camera bag was in the rear seat of my Hyundai Santro car.

Suddenly the driver's side door was popped open by a person walking by and he gestured to a whole bunch of ten rupee notes lying on the road. As I looked down and put one leg out of the car, I suddenly remembered I did not have that many tens on me.

Promptly I turned 270 degrees and saw a man pulling my camera bag out of the rear seat of the car from the rear door opposite the driver's side. I yelled really loud which caused my son to come running from the ATM and the man to drop the bag and go, running in to the crowd.

Later my son informed me, these type of "divert and grab" robberies which were previously confined to isolated locations, are today widespread in Bangalore, especially in high traffic commercial areas.

He studies in Bishop Cotton Boys' School and the same modus operandi is employed to divert and grab valuables like tennis racquets, guitars, etc., from cars who come to pick up students after school. Theft occurs on a daily basis. Another diversion tactic, typically at a traffic light, is for one thief to spread a map on the front windshield while the grab takes place in the rear.

Please learn from my almost disaster. I would have lost in excess of $10,000 worth of equipment, had my brain been just one second slower.

Keep ALL your doors locked at ALL times. Even if someone steps out of the car, open the door and then re-lock all your doors immediately. Keep your bags in the trunk of the car, and keep the trunk locked.

A good ending to this incident, the potential thieves left behind Rs. 100 which I picked up. I will use this money to buy biscuits and feed the stray dogs around my office.

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Kingfisher Airlines to launch Delhi Hong Kong services from April 7

Kingfisher Airlines has loaded on to the GDS its six times a week service between Delhi and Hong Kong from April 7, 2010.

As per the loaded schedule, the flight will be operated by an Airbus A330-200.
IT031 departs Delhi 23:30 arrives Hong Kong 07:25 next morning daily except Tuesdays
IT032 departs Hong Kong 18:05 arrives Delhi 21:10 daily except Wednesdays

While the outward schedule will permit the airline to cater to transit passengers within India, it does not fit well with its London flight. The return flight too will not capture inbound passengers from the US who typically arrive in to Hong Kong in the early morning.

It is also quite baffling why the airline is parking its aircraft for the whole day at Hong Kong International Airport. Even the Mumbai Hong Kong flight schedules see another Kingfisher A330 parked at HKIA for the whole day. It is a terrible waste.

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