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The Ministry of Civil Aviation has launched National Air Sport Policy 2022 (NASP 2022) recently. It has been drafted based on the inputs received from policy makers, air sports practitioners and public at large and will assure establishment of good quality of infrastructure, equipment, instructors and services.
Civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya M Scindia launched A National Air Sport Policy 2022 (NASP) which lays out the perception of making India as one of the top sports nations by 2030, by offering a safe, affordable, accessible, enjoyable and sustainable air sports ecosystem.
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Air sports, as the name suggests, involves different sports activities involving the medium of air. These include sports like air-racing, aerobatics, aero modelling, hang gliding, paragliding, para motoring and skydiving etc. India has the power to be among the leading nations in the world of air sports. It has a large geographical area, diverse topography, and good-weather conditions. It has a large population, especially the youth. It has a growing culture for adventure sports and aviation. The NASP 2022, is a step in this direction, said the Minister of Civil Aviation in a statement.
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What is NASP 2022?
NASP 2022 lays out the perception of making India as one of the top sports nations by 2030, by giving a safe, affordable, accessible, enjoyable and sustainable air sports ecosystem in India.
- The key objectives of NASP 2022 include the following:a) Encourage an air sports culture in the country.
b) Accept international best practices in safety including but not limited to, air sports infrastructure, equipment, operations, maintenance and training.
c) Develop India as a preferred global hub for air sports.
d) Develop a simple, stakeholder-friendly and effective governance structure.
e) Upgrade participation and success of Indian sportspersons in global air sports events.
f) Encourage design, development and manufacturing of air sports equipment in India in line with the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan.
- Governing Bodies: There will be four-tier governance structure for air sports in India namely:
- Air Sports Federation of India (ASFI) as the apex governing body.
- National associations for individual air sports or a set of air sports, as appropriate
- Regional (e.g. West/ South/ North East etc.) or State and Union Territory level units of the national air sports associations, as appropriate; and
- District-level air sports associations, as appropriate.
- Significance:
- India has the ability to be among the leading nations in the world of air sports. It has a big geographical area, diverse topography and good weather conditions.
- It has a large population, especially the youth. It has a growing culture for adventure sports and aviation.
- Other than the direct revenue from air sports activities, the multiplier benefits in terms of growth of travel, tourism, infrastructure and local employment, especially in hilly areas of the country, are many times greater.
- Creation of air sports centres across the country will also bring in air sports professionals and tourists from across the world.
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What does the National Air Sport Policy propose?
The NASP, 2022, targets to generate a structure that would help “promote the country’s air sports sector, by way of making it safe, affordable, accessible, enjoyable and sustainable.” It involves safety mandates, penalties for breaching those norms. Its perception is making India “one of the top air sports nations by 2030”. Scindia said in his address that the industry can likely generate 1 lakh jobs yearly and give hundred times the income it gives now.
The first draft of the policy came out on January 1, 2022, from a committee that involved armed forces officials, members from the National Cadet Corps, and experts. The policy says the Air Sports Federation of India, an autonomous body under the Ministry of Civil Aviation, will be the apex governing body. It will govern over the national sports federations, which in turn will govern over the district and state-level bodies.
What impact is the policy expected to have?
The Union government assumes that India’s demographic dividend, of a young population, as well as its favourable climatic conditions can be leveraged to make India a top destination for air sports. Tourism, the development of support infrastructure, and eventual manufacturing of sporting goods used in air sports can lead to “economic multiplier” effects, the Civil Aviation minister said. “This will be a private sector-led initiative in the truest form to make sure that it thrives in the years to come,” said Scindia. In view of heightened risk connected with air sports, safety will be sustained by arranging with the Air Traffic Control department and making separate air spaces in certain air corridors fully for air sports.
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What are the Government Initiatives for Sports Development?
- Khelo India Scheme.
- National Sports Development Fund.
- The National Sports Talent Contest (NSTC) Scheme.
- Sports Authority of India Training Centres Scheme (STC).
- Special Area Games (SAG) Scheme.
- Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS)
- Khelo India Youth Games
The policy will cover the following air sports in India: –
- Aerobatics
- Aero modeling and model rocketry
- Amateur-built and experimental aircraft
- Ballooning
- Drones
- Gliding and powered gliding
- Hang gliding and powered hang gliding
- Parachuting (including skydiving, BASE jumping and wing suits etc.)
- Paragliding and para motoring (including powered parachute trikes etc.)
- Powered aircraft (including ultra light, micro light and light sports aircraft etc.)
- Rotorcraft (including autogyro)
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Under the new policy, there will be a four-tier governance structure for air sports in India namely
- Air Sports Federation of India (ASFI) as the apex governing body
- National associations for individual air sports or a set of air sports, as appropriate
- Regional (e.g. West/ South/ North East etc.) or State and Union Territory level units of the national air sports associations, as appropriate;
- District-level air sports associations, as appropriate.
Safety
a) Air sports by their very nature involve a higher level of risk than flying a regular aircraft. They also offer a base for new aviation technologies and safety procedures.
b) Each air sports association shall formulate the safety standards for equipment, infrastructure, personnel and training etc. as per global best practices for its air sport. It shall describe the disciplinary actions to be taken in case of divergence and willful non-compliance.
c) No person or entity involved in air sports shall breach the correct way of a manned aircraft.
d) No later than forty-eight hours after an accident involving air sports activity takes place, the person or organization involved shall report the accident to the concerned air sports association in writing, along with a copy to the ASFI. Negligence to do so may lead to penal action.
e) Failure to execute safety standards by an air sports association may lead to penal action by the ASFI against such association including financial penalties, suspension or dismissal.
Registration
a) All persons and organizations offering air sports services shall be needed to register as members of the respective air sports associations.
b) Key machinery used for air sports shall be registered with the respective air sports association, till such equipment is inoperative, damaged beyond repair or lost. The air sports associations be responsible for assuring safe and danger-free disposal of broken equipment by its members.
c) A person may transfer an air sports machinery to another person by way of sale, lease, gift or any other way, after providing required details of the transferor, transferee and the registration number to the concerned air sports association.
Air Sports
Air sports is not a single sport but quite a large sporting sphere including a extent of aerial activities. The sports which merge to make up the ‘Air sports’ include Air Racing, Aerobatics, Aeromodelling, Hang gliding, Human powered aircraft, Parachuting, Paragliding and Skydiving and many more.
Many Air Sports are also known as extreme sports with only one rule of pushing the envelope as far as one can. These comprise of air racing, hang gliding, paragliding, and wingsuit flying. Be it a small air craft or parachute on your back, the stakes are extremely high when you take part in Air Sports.
All the disciplines counted in air sports are internationally managed by the non-profit organization Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI) founded in 1905. On the national level, different aero clubs govern Air Sports.
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Motorized Air Sports
- Air Racing — involves airplanes competing over a fixed course low to the ground.
- Aerobatics — sport aerobatics involves aircraft maneuvers such as rolls, loops, stall turns (hammerheads), and tailslides.
- Ultralight Aviation — events with lightweight aircraft which have 1 or 2 seat fixed-wings.
- Aeromodeling — sport using flying model aircraft (not a sport).
- Drone Racing — competitors race with specially built multi-rotor drones around a natural or specifically designed course (not a sport).
Wind / Gliding Air Sports
- Hang Gliding — a type of air sport in which the rider flies a non-motorized aircraft which is called a hang glider.
- Kitesurfing — a board and kite are used on the water utilizing different styles consisting of freeride, speed, down winders and racing.
- Paragliding — riders using para-gliders perform cross country or acrobatic maneuvers.
- Ballooning — competitive hot air ballooning is a test of accuracy, not speed. The aim is to fly as close as possible to a target and drop a weighted marker.
- Gliding — an air sport in which pilots use an unpowered aircraft.
- Canopy Piloting — a parachute skydiver performs aerial feats above a small body of water.
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Gravity Air Sports
- Skysurfing — a skydiver attaches a board to his feet during freefall.
- BASE Jumping — involves parachuting from a structure or cliff, with competitions based on landing accuracy.
- Parachuting / Skydiving — a involves jumping from an aircraft with just a parachute.
- Banzai Skydiving — a form of skydiving in which the diver throws their parachute out the airplane door, waits and then jumps after it.
- Wingsuit Flying — a variety of skydiving, where a person will fly in the air using a special jumpsuit called the wingsuit.
- Bodyflight — an acrobatic sport involving skydiving or a vertical tunnel to perform maneuvers while in the air.
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