Helicopters - Stifled Growth

Despite the multi-faceted utilisation of helicopters in a variety of operations, the total number of helicopters bearing civil registration is an unimpressive 288 as compared to 1,122 fixed-wing aircraft

The history of aviation in India records the first commercial helicopter flight being undertaken by Rustom Captain in 1953 in Mumbai on a Hiller UH12B. Almost six decades later, helicopter operations in the civil domain still remain stunted. And this despite the broad spectrum of operations that helicopters performs in India today. The primary and foremost requirement of a helicopter is for air travel between places, of which, at least one cannot accommodate a fixed-wing aircraft or does not boast of an airstrip to land an aircraft. This is especially, but not exclusively, applicable to mountainous terrain.

Then there is the growing concept of intra-city mobility. The increasing trend of Greenfield airports mushrooming far away from cities they are intended to serve is popularising the concept of intra-city helicopter movements. Carriage of VIPs, when not being performed by military helicopters, is another role for the civil rotary wing craft. Then there are operations of a different nature— emergency medical evacuation, a concept that is yet to take off in India. OSS Air is bringing the first helicopter emergency medical service (HEMS) helicopter into India this year. What a welcome beginning. Disasters and emergencies also have their own demands to make for helicopter operations. Helicopters have also been utilised for pesticide spraying of crops, operations for search and rescue as well as on the high seas (ships, oil rigs, islands) and for flights for recreational purposes. Another growth area is the use of these specialised ubiquitous machines by highway patrols and news gathering agencies.