Kolkata: President A P J Abdul Kalam on January 21 asked the Aeronautical Society of
India to evolve the first National Aeronautics Policy to take the country through
the new millennium and promised all help from the government to implement it.
"Scientists of repute are part of the Aeronautical Society of India. I request you
to evolve a National Aeronautics Policy and present it to the government. Any help
from my side, I promise to give," Kalam told the 54th all India annual general body
meeting (AGM) of the society.
A past president of the society, Kalam urged the gathering of scientists,
aeronautics engineers and civil aviation experts to integrate multiple technologies
like aeronautics, space science and defence to bring down the cost of producing
state-of-the-art indigenous equipment.
The President said he had discussed the issue with scientists from across the
country at the space summit of the Indian Science Congress in Bangalore recently.
The scientist President, who was at home with a technical presentation on Light
Transport Aircraft 'SARAS' being developed by the National Aerospace Laboratory,
said small aircraft were a must for the armed forces as freight carriers as well as
for commercial use.
Pointing out that the country had taken great strides in the area of atomic energy,
attained self sufficiency in agriculture and achieved core competency in Information
Technology (IT), the President said the time had come to think of integrated
technologies.
"My experience in aero-science, space and defence technologies tells me just one
thing. If you have to look at the national perspective, integrate all of them," he
said.
Kalam also urged aeronautical engineers and scientists to develop technologies to
counter the problem of fog, which was hampering the transport of lakhs of people
daily.
"Who is the captain of our aircraft? It is fog. F O G, fog. We must not allow fog to
decide when we can take off and land. You must touch upon this problem when you
discuss the challenges and perspectives in this sector," he said.
Kalam asked scientists to come out with a plan of action to tackle this natural
impediment and submit it to the government.
PTI
