DGCA asks pilots to use Google for safe take-offs, landings

Keeping in mind the surge of demand for helicopters ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation on Monday issued guidelines for election flying, asking aircraft crew to confirm helipads' coordinates and check presence of obstacles using Google.

Apart from the search engine, the norms ask crew to carry local maps and use them for navigation instead of relying only on global positioning system.

The aviation regulator has also suggested pilots and helicopter operators to avoid Naxal-infested areas and places that have witnessed upsurge in terror activities. It says such hostile places impede search and rescue operations.

The emphasis on the use of the easily available technology gains significance as cell phone towers, trees and high tension power wires have always been the major causes of helicopter accidents in the past.

dna, in its February 6, 2013 edition, had pointed out the dangers faced by pilots and helicopter operators due to mushrooming cell towers and high-voltage electricity lines, especially near hilly areas outside cities.

VIPs, SPG-protected individuals and other important persons frequently use choppers for electioneering. Long flying hours, large number of take-offs and landings, weather changes, lack of proper rest, hurriedly prepared helipads are among the major challenges faced by pilots, claims the aviation regulator.

According to the regulator, factors such as frequent changes in itinerary, highly stressed security arrangement, crowd control, lack of adequate communication, poor airspace management, commercial interest and language barrier further compound the problem.

Raising concerns over non-implementation of its guidelines in the past, a circular from regulator chief Prabhat Kumar states, "Analysis of earlier accidents/incidents associated with helicopter operations from airstrips/temporary helipads and past experience of election flying by the operators has revealed that laid down instructions were violated time and again and safety was jeopardised."