Is this you? As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.
Claim your profile
Articles by Hemant Arjyal
Foreign Minister Saud Highlights The Strategic, Economic And Ecological Significance Of The Indian Ocean
Minister for Foreign Affairs Narayan Prakash Saud underscored the strategic, economic and ecological significance of the Indian Ocean and highlighted its importance as a gateway to international markets for the landlocked countries like Nepal.
EU Ambassador Deprez Stresses The Need To Collectively Nurture The Universal Declaration Of Human Rights
Ambassador of European Union To Nepal Nona Deprez delivered a lecture on ‘Celebrating Human Rights for all’ at the Mid-Western University, Surkhet to mark the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights globally observed throughout 2023 recently.Tweeter for more Addressing the program, she said that all of us collectively need to nurture the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
European Union Supports Nepal To Close The Digital Gender Divide
This year theme for International Women’s Day DigitAll: invocation and technology for Gender Equality highlights the opportunities that the digitalization brings for women empowerment. It also reminds us that we must take a meaningful step to close the digital gender divide. Indeed, the gender digital divide, among other things, prevents women to advance in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
A win-win for Nijgadh?
A win-win for Nijgadh? Keeping the Landmark Worldwide Company’s report under wraps does not help Nijgadh. Releasing it might do more good than harm The scare created by a coffee spill in the cockpit happens to be the interesting story for this week. Two A350s experienced uncommanded in-flight shutdown of one of the engines after spillage on the centre pedestal that housed “start and control” engine functions.
Tail wagging the dog
Tail wagging the dog It is good that TIA has initiated efforts to chaff out suspected carriers among disembarking passengers from mainland China and we only hope that it is pursued effectively This is about some instances and incidents which may be known or unknown but might be of some interest to those following aviation. The biggest news of all happens to be the worldwide fear created by the emergence of Coronavirus.
Playing snakes and ladders
Playing snakes and ladders Here are issues related to B737Max, decision about ending A380 production and stalling of Jet Airways Being a CEO of NRA is a difficult job, more so as the position entails policy makers breathing down your neck all the time. Thought it will be better to review the year just passed considering some notable aviation happenings.
Taking for granted
Taking for granted The habit of not taking things seriously, irrespective of the sensitivity of work, is at the root of most problems facing aviation sector One runs out of topic even when writing about the unending plight of an airport or an airline. At times readers may find same issue being repeatedly written about. This happens primarily as issues hardly ever get tackled inviting outrage.
Acting deaf n dumb
Acting deaf n dumb New tourism minister has come up with list of tasks he wishes to get done before Visit Nepal Year 2020. But he has left out many aspects Last three weeks saw quite a few changes in Nepal’s aviation sector. The foremost was the appointment of a full minister at Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation which had become headless since the sudden demise of Rabindra Adhikari in February this year.
Sound of silence
Sound of silence Communications in aviation are not as dependent on HF transmission as before, as other modes of communications have overtaken HF This piece is about radio in general with obvious aviation leanings. The basic thing one has to understand about propagation is that wavelength multiplied by number of times it moves in a second (frequency) gives its velocity. Radio wave’s velocity is derived as 3x108mtr/sec (or 300,000 Km/sec), and this is recognised as “universal constant”.
Gulf of distrust
Gulf of distrust There is good prospect for trans-Himalayan airways, not just “South of Himalayas,” that could help bring in better connectivity benefits in future It is not always easy to decide what to write next. A direct feedback on my previous piece, from someone who had been at the helm of aviation fraternity, was the trigger this time. Sensing that the basic premise of an airway was not sufficiently explained, he clarified that it is always at the pleasure of the countries being over flown.
All for pride
All for pride Overflying ferry flights, destined to Nepal, were compelled to land under one pretext or another or held up in countries outside India for days before permits were issued This piece is a mix bag of past and current aviation happenings, in and around our neighborhood, that are serious, sensitive and even outright dumb. The most serious one, that is not much in news, relates to Pakistani closure of trunk airways.
What if?
Why is it necessary for the full squadron of ministers and battalions of top ranking officers to be present at the airport for every goings and comings of VIPs? It is sensible to have backups for a “what if” like situation in case things do not turn out the way planned. Long years of load-shedding had compelled us to go for inverters to keep storage batteries charged.
No time for NOTAM
No time for NOTAM All good things about CAAN in strictly following Notice to Airmen was brought crashing down by none other than its own officials when they let FlyDubai flight (FZ574) to Dubai (DXB) take-off at 2217 hours Irrespective of the suffering caused by the cancellation of RA’s flight (RA231) to Dubai (DWC) due to night time runway closure after 10 PM, it was good that Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) was strictly followed.
Troubles at TIA
Troubles at TIA It was too much of callousness on the part of authorities to make us use the immigration counter that was exclusively marked for the “Indians” This one is more on arrival experience with passing reference to runway refurbishment works that have just begun. As is well known, TIA as the entry port is more famous for its negative attributes than anything else.
Death dance monotony
Death dance monotony Pathibhara accident exposes our callousness toward aviation safety right to the core On hearing about the Pathibhara accident, “death dance” came into my mind out of nowhere and instantly looked quite appealing as a title. I was not ready to write so soon after the sad event. As for the term, death dance rituals are common among tribal groups elsewhere including here. Searching further, I came across something that was just right.
Rumblings of a Comet
Rumblings of a Comet Comet-4 flew high over Kathmandu in 1959, during Prince Philip’s first ever India trip. It seems he wanted to have closer look at the Himalayas No, it is not about A380 which happens to be top aviation news this week. A380 is a marvellous aircraft no doubt, but it not just had “too much wings” but also “two engines” too many. This time it is about another four engine passenger jet that was conceptualised and built soon after World War II.
Making hay, our way
Probably nothing much will come out of investigations on wide-body scam. Events bear a “symbolic” and yet uncanny similarity to how Jamal Kashoggi was murdered Even if not in consonance with expressed views, we generally detest commenting publicly for not wishing to offend. A positive note, in my mail box about my last write up “Positive spin gone awry” (Republica, January 12) was a rare happening.
Getting rubbed silently
Getting rubbed silently Writing on simple technical issues that suits a normal reader is difficult enough. Perhaps, it is even more difficult to get such piece approved by the opinion editors first. Big media houses elsewhere usually keep knowledgeable technical hands to support the editorial team. On issues I have little grasp, I often try to verify facts first with people working in the related field and reconfirm the accuracy of scripted portion after the piece is done.
Positive spin gone awry
Positive spin gone awry No bureaucrat or official will have the guts to try to execute this level of fraud without political blessings from the very top. It was unbelievable that something big, both in terms of size and money involved, would ever be purchased/leased without extracting a proportionate kickbacks in this country. But we were made to believe, right in the beginning, that everything would be made “quite transparent” this time.
Daring of non-flying hours
Daring of non-flying hours Half of Kathmandu was on terrace watching the B727 that was struck overhead with technical issue for hours around midnight in 1978 There is a general tendency to trust written material. I am not sure how widespread is the fake news out here, but thanks to Donald Trump we get to hear about it almost every day. The very wide reach of social media, helped by our habit of taking everything at its face value, has created a perfect ground in spreading of fake materials.
The ultimate backup
Concerns have been growing that airline pilots’ basic stick, rudder and energy management skills have weakened with automation This piece aims to present a brief overview of safety related issues arising out of over reliance on cockpit automation. The automation progressed, incrementally, over a protracted period and it has enhanced aviation safety, increased efficiency and reduced pilot’s workload.
Flight of fancy
There is a good scope for bringing overflying traffic using Nepali airspace while flying L626/B345 to head north We have complete dislikes for long routes and it cannot be anything but natural to take shorter ones where possible even while walking. It is not just distance: men are still striving to get to the farthest place faster by any means. It took almost 13 days to fly 9189nm between London-Sydney in 1935 and flying boats did it with 30 stops. People were happy with that as ships took months.
An ode to a monster
In aviation, high frequency radio which used to be backbone of communication with ground is now being progressively sidelined Generally speaking, we try to learn as many new things as possible on subjects/areas of our interest. But it becomes a bit challenging if it falls outside the realm of one’s studies or profession. It was easier getting fascinated by aviation, but it was difficult to get necessary information then.
A double whammy
Hopes of seeing RA’s domestic front invigorated has sadly turned sour It is good that with the arrival of second A332 (9N-ALZ), RA’s fleet strength has risen to thirteen. But the bad news is eight of those in the domestic fleet either do very little or no flying at all. Chinese made aircraft like MA60s (Modern Ark 60) and Y12s are slowly nudging off the Twin-Otters whose number had been dwindling since long.
Talking big, talking loud
People in the West consider anything at or above 55 db as too noisy. We have no such standard as concerned agencies are bent on bringing in more flights It may sound bizarre, but the six meter tall balloon depicting screaming baby Trump, kept aloft over the parliament square last week in London, had some connection with approach to Heathrow (LHR). Its impact might have been even bigger if it was kept well above the London skyline.
Small bug, big lesson
Long period of stagnation has harmed RA’s image significantly. Regaining it will be slow and painful but it needs to reclaim its turf The arrival of RA’s new Airbus A330-243 virtually created a Navaratri like rush to the temple. Everyone with or without an identity tag was seen jostling at the steps to have the darshan before the door closed. A330 is a well proven aircraft and comes in two basic versions namely A300-300 and A300-200 (A332).
In bits and pieces
Nepal’s next pursuit should be Himalaya-2. For this, China has to open up new airways and India should be more accommodating Following is an interesting extract from a June 6 news story: “The Indian government has approved three new “bidirectional” cross-border air routes at Janakpur, Bhairahawa and Nepalgunj points. The air routes are envisaged to serve the proposed Second International Airport (SIA) and regional international airports in Bhairahawa and Pokhara.
Quiet moment at Bhattedanda
It is believed that PIA accident investigation commission recommended setting up navaid at Bhattedanda to mark it as an accident black spot The second opportunity to get atop Bhattedanda came about just four days ago, after over two decades. The first time was to see if placing of some kind of memorial plaque was possible there as some affected family members from Scotland wanted to know then.
Perennial disorder
Was it safe to fly the aircraft with only one generator working? Was it not a case of an unwarranted complacency doing so? Frankly speaking, facts that are hidden intentionally are more dangerous than speculations. The former is outright wrong as it robs the opportunity to learn from mistakes. Imagine this in the context of an airline accident. Speculative discourse can be enlightening or even be outright foolish particularly when social media has such a wide spread.
Going far - Oped - The Kathmandu Post
Ethiopia is similar to Nepal in many respects; it is poor and land-locked, and was even ravished by repeated bouts of devastating famine. How could it run a very successful airline while we could not? Jan 22, 2017- Can anyone dare to maintain their sanctity while floating on a morass of filth? The state of affairs in Nepal creates an environment that nurtures corrupt practices and that has sadly become a way of life here.
The thing in between
There is no point in treating one unfortunate incident as the pretext to terminate single engine aircraft from Nepal; they do have a future here Mar 20, 2016- The debate about single engine aircraft in Nepali skies has begun anew with the Air Kasthamandap’s February 26 accident. Rather than opting for a logical course, the bureaucracy has succumbed to an involuntary kneejerk reaction by grounding all single engine flights in one stroke.
Race against time
The only lesson from Air Kasthamandap crash is that we need search and rescue teams both in east and west No one feels comfortable speculating after an accident, air accident in particular, given the sensitivity of the matter and out of respect for the departed. But this is precisely what the general public wants. On the other hand, formation of an accident investigating committee and report submission within the stipulated timeframe, runs through their ritualistic course, as always.
Show More
loading
Actions
Is this you?
As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.Get in touch with Hemant
Contact Hemant, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.
Learn more about Muck Rack