By Sabu Sivaraman, EAA Lifetime 709426
Though India has a very long aviation history and is now considered the fastest growing aviation market, experimental aviation or recreational aviation is almost non-existent in the country now. When the country was under British rule, many flying clubs were established by enthusiasts, some of which enjoyed the patronage of the local royalty. In 1932, the scion of a prominent industrial group, JRD Tata, undertook the first commercial airmail flight from Karachi, which was part of India then, to a small aerodrome near Mumbai called Juhu. That was the start of Tata Airlines, which later grew to become an international airline, Air India. After the country gained independence, the first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, invited famous German glider pilot Hanna Reitsch to set up the first gliding club at New Delhi which would serve as a model for other gliding centres to follow.
The flying and gliding clubs were active until the late ‘60s, but over a period of time, due to many restrictions placed by the regulatory authorities, participation in recreational aviation declined, and there is hardly any activity worth any mention now. To date, only two aircraft have been built by individuals under the experimental category, a Mustang II and a Kolb Mark III.
It is against this background that the effort of one individual stands out for his ingenuity and perseverance. Pushparaj Ameen was born and raised on a tiny island in the southern part of India. As a young child he used to see older children who were cadets in the Air Wing of the National Cadets Corps, the Indian equivalent of the University Air Corps, flying aeromodels in a stadium near his house. Fascinated by this, he took up aeromodelling and learned everything that there was to learn about it. Pushparaj soon was teaching aeromodelling to the cadets of the National Cadet Corps. Building and flying unmanned aerial vehicles was a natural progression, and he soon set a national record for high-lift-producing unmanned aerial vehicles. This set his mind thinking about the possibility of building a microlight aircraft, and since the island where he was located did not have a runway or a field suitable for the ground run of an aircraft, the natural choice was to go for a seaplane. The idea was discussed among aeromodelling enthusiasts, and soon a small group of students from an engineering college and some aeromodelling enthusiasts joined him to fulfil his dream.
Work started in 2019. The challenges were many; lack of adequate funds, no workshop where they could build the aircraft, lack of proper tools and equipment, to name some. Undeterred, they carried on, raising 180 USD through crowdfunding. The rest of the 8,300 USD required came from their own pockets.
The aircraft was made using aviation-grade aluminium, extruded foam, braided Dacron lines, nylon cloth, fibreglass cloth with epoxy resin, and plywood. The length is 25 feet and the wingspan is 35 feet. The floats were made of composites, and the aircraft is powered by a Simonini Mini Evo 2 33-hp engine. COVID-19 delayed the project, so it wasn’t ready for the test flight until 2021. Pushparaj, despite his lack of experience, decided to perform the first flight himself. With the entire team watching, Pushparaj took off from a waterbody near his house and flew at a height of 15 feet. The entire flight lasted less than a minute. History was made that day, as it was the first microlight seaplane in India. Pushparaj has flown a total of 70 flights in his aircraft. Slow recognition came in the form of coverage in the local television and print media, which led to him receiving accolades from local politicians and social organizations. Pushparaj was also inducted as a special charter member of the Indian EAA chapter.
Sadly, events took a sad turn soon after. The aircraft, which was parked near his house under a fragile shelter, was badly damaged in a cyclone in 2022 and now needs major repairs, a daunting task beyond his financial capacity now. Pushparaj has moved on and is now working on other projects, with an emphasis on agriculture.