Indian Air Force Goes Tiny to Get Big

CALGARY , July 9 /CNW/ - A Calgary company is helping the Indian Air Force (IAF) attempt to smash the record for the fastest flight around the world in one of the tiniest planes.

It's a microlight aircraft piloted by two IAF fighter pilots and they are trying to circumnavigate the world in 64 days, slicing 34 days off the current 98-day record.

Weather permitting, the microlight is scheduled to land in Prince Rupert , British Columbia the evening of July 9th and Vernon around noon on July 10th .

The flight will then head to California, veer east to Florida, north to Toronto and exit northern Canada at Iqaluit.

Pilot Rahul Monga, 37, and co-pilot Anil Kumar, 38, left an IAF airfield near Delhi , India on June 1st knowing this mission is one of the most dangerous they've faced.

That's because the aircraft's design and weight make it quick but quirky.

It weighs less than 500 kilograms, with one pilot aboard, fuel and baggage and even a slight breeze can make landings dangerous.

As a result, the two have faced many perilous approaches at remote airfields in China and Russia as sometimes torrential winds tossed the little craft up, down and sideways.

At one airstrip they were just about to touch down when a powerful wind shot them 50 feet back up into the air.

The most dangerous passage to date was crossing the Bering Sea July 5th .

Monga was the only one flying the craft as it skimmed over those frigid waters because Kumar was replaced on the Russian leg by a local navigator, a mandatory requirement when only Russian is spoken by that country's air controllers.

If engine troubles forced Monga to ditch the plane in the Bering Sea, he would have had only six minutes to three hours to survive, depending on whether he was able to get an immersion survival suit on in time.

That is where the breakthrough tracking and communications technology provided by Calgary-based Flyht, a wholly owned subsidiary of publicly traded AeroMechanical Services Ltd. (TSX-V: AMA), would have proved critical.

Flyht's equipment, called an Automated Flight Information Reporting System (AFIRS) allows the IAF to constantly track the airplane in real time and it also allows the pilots to phone anyone from wherever they are in the world.

Had Monga been forced to ditch into those ice-cold waters, the IAF control room in Delhi could have used the AFIRS technology to tell rescue teams exactly where in the water to look.

The (IAF) launched this goodwill and record-breaking flight as part of its 75th Anniversary celebrations.

Monga is an IAF Wing Commander, father of two and is a fighter helicopter pilot.

Kumar is also an IAF Wing Commander, father of one and a jet fighter pilot.

For further information: For the most current information on when the aircraft will land in either Prince Rupert or Vernon, for further information on the flight, or for interviews with the pilots call: Bob Beaty, Senior Associate, Howard Group, (403) 891-3435, (403) 410-6020, bob@howardgroupinc.com; AeroMechanical Services' President Darryl Jacobs at (403) 605-2284; AeroMechanical CEO Bill Tempany at (403) 606-7436; AeroMechanical's website is: http://www.amscanada.com; The Indian Air Force website is: http://www.indianairforce.nic.in.

About AeroMechanical Services Ltd. http://www.amscanada.com/

AeroMechanical Services Ltd. (AMA:TSX.V) provides proprietary technologies and services designed to reduce costs and improve efficiencies in the airline industry. The company has successfully commercialized three products and associated services currently marketed to airlines, manufacturers and maintenance organizations around the world. Its premier technology Automated Flight Information Reporting System AFIRS™ and UpTime™ allows airlines to monitor and manage aircraft operations in real time, all the time, anywhere on the planet.

For further information contact:

AFIRS, UpTime, AeroQ and Smart Box are Trade Marks of AeroMechanical Services Ltd.

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