VietNamNet Bridge – The inventors of the VAM-2, the first made-in-Vietnam ultralight airplane for civil aviation, received a promise in the past from the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) that it would grant it a flight license.
However, VAM-2, described by Vietnamese scientists as a great achievement of Vietnam’s science and technology, still cannot get off the ground because it has not got the license from the watchdog agency.
Dr. Tran Dinh Ba from the Vietnam Science Technology Union pointed out that it is CAAV which has to take responsibility for the tardiness in licensing, emphasizing that CAAV “is killing the Vietnamese eagerness to take off and deny the great achievements gained by a lot of academics and scientists who devoted themselves to create a product bearing Vietnamese brand.”
In 2003, the then Prime Minister Phan Van Khai signed a document assigning Professor Dr. Academic Nguyen Van Dao, chair of the Vietnam Mechanical Engineering Association, to head teamwork to create a small propeller airplane with two seats.
VAM-1, the first version of the airplane, was created just a short time after the inventors heard the commitment by the HCM City authorities and Viet Kieu (overseas Vietnamese) invested enterprises to provide financial support.
In December 2005, VAM-1 successfully fulfilled the test flight in Vietnam. Encouraged by the achievement, the inventor began creating VAM-2.
The ultralight airplane weighs 450 kilos and has engine capacity of 50 horsepower. It can fly at the speed of 140 kilometers per hour and uses A92 petrol like a motorbike.
One-hectare land plots with the 200 meter runway could be the landing zones for VAM-2. It is easy to learn to fly the airplane and easy to preserve it.
Scientists believe that VAM-2 is especially helpful for flights between territorial waters and the mainland and between islands in the rough sea conditions.
In March 2007, a scientific council with many prestigious professors and doctors, offered official technical acceptance of the airplane, raising hopes for the development of the Vietnam’s civil aviation industry.
However, contrary to all predictions, VAM-2 still cannot take off because CAAV has not given it the “go-ahead” signal.
Some prestigious Vietnamese scientists are discontented about the delay, repeatedly urging the Minister of Transport Dinh La Thang to personally consider the project and allow the airplane to take off.
Lai Xuan Thanh, head of CAAV, said it is really a complicated matter to grant a license for test flights.
He said it is necessary to examine the safety of the airplane and technical indicators. Thus, the examination can only be carried out by the most experienced aviation experts.
He also said that the test flight can only be conducted if this is approved by the National Defence Ministry, who acts as the agency in charge of controlling the skies.
However, Thanh has promised that CAAV will consider the case once the inventors contact the agency. It will grant the technical certificates if the airplane can meet the requirements.
Dat Viet