mindFly Katha, From cockpit to culture — one podcast, many flight paths.

Seat belts save lives; however, their purpose differs between aeroplanes and cars. Seat belts on aeroplanes are primarily designed to prevent injuries arising from in-flight turbulence, not sudden deceleration in the event of an accident.

🕯️ Buried by time. Erased from memory. But not from truth.They ruled the hills. They fought empires. They left behind temples, coins, and stories… but no one remembers their name.Who were the Varaha Rajputs?Why were they written out of history?In this opening episode, we peel back the layers of forgotten chronicles and uncover a warrior clan whose legacy was deliberately silenced. Before the Mughals, before the British, before even the Rajputs of Rajasthan — there was Varaha.This isn’t just history.It’s a resurrection.📜 Forgotten by design.🩸 Remembered in blood.🔥 The rediscovery begins now.

I am a true believer that society and culture cannot be separated from work and training. However best the training may be, it is under a controlled environment and the performance indicators needed to be achieved are briefed before hand. The crew undergoing training works together to achieve their objective and they are driven by performance indicators required to be achieved to declare them competent. In the real world, the motivation, drive and targets are not briefed as well as they are in a training environment. There are a lot many distractions and personal cultures and behavioral influences are lot more active as compared to a training environment.

Air India Express IX1344 accident at Calicut airport where the aircraft plunged 35 meters killing 21 people including the pilots. The victims were transported to various hospitals in ambulances and private vehicles. While ambulances are equipped with life saving medical equipment, the Co-Pilot was rushed to a hospital 25km away an hours drive on the backseat of a private car thereby depriving him of the critical life saving equipment. Read the blog here

A Qatar Airways newly acquired Airbus A350-1000 series aircraft had a close call over Iran on 12th April when it came into close proximity with another crossing aircraft. The airliner equipped with the state of art technology and traffic collision avoidance system was seen climbing by about 500ft while cruising at 34000ft on a flight from Doha, Qatar to Los Angles, USA.

When does fear set in and the different categories of near misses. McCurdy observed during the bombing of London in the World War that there were 3 categories. 1. Those who dies and those who were injured 2. Those who missed narrowly 3. The remote misses The behavior varied and so was their definition of fear.

The IATA Travel Pass is a solution for both. It is built it in modules as an industry solution based on open-source standards. It can be used in combination with other providers or as an end-to-end solution. The most important thing is that it is responsive to industry needs while enabling a competitive market.

Be skeptical about claims for effectiveness of training methods. Always ask questions and on implementation of these techniques.

COVID19 crisis has crippled the aviation sector which has witnessed salary cuts and job losses to stay afloat. In this time of crisis the civil aviation ministry has managed to overlook utilization of budgetary allocation of a staggering INR1450 Cr FY 2020-21.

The Committee felt that the administrative jurisdiction of AAIB under the Ministry of Civil Aviation go against the tenets of impartiality and equality, since it may raise the genuine question of conflict of interest.

The DGCA has issued an AIC dated 20th April 2021 which states that The operation of B737 Max aircraft will not take place from/to Indian airports & transit or enter Indian airspace effective 13th March 2019 till further notice. The Watchdog Faults FAA For 'Significant Misunderstanding' Of Flight System

RASE is a repository of safety experiences. The USP of this mobile application is that experiences can be shared globally through an easy to fill form and experiences can be sorted through a searchable database in various formats. The application is for all X borders, uniting personnel using similar fleet, airports or just for information sake.

A high reliability organization (HRO) is an organization that has succeeded in avoiding catastrophes in an environment where normal accidents can be expected due to risk factors and complexity. Important case studies in HRO research include both studies of disasters (e.g., Three Mile Island nuclear incident, the Challenger Disaster and Columbia Disaster, the Bhopal chemical leak, the Tenerife air crash, the Mann Gulch forest fire, the Black Hawk friendly fire incident in Iraq) and HROs like the air traffic control system, naval aircraft carriers, and nuclear power operations.

This episode is also available as a blog post: https://safetymatters.co.in/2020/10/15/mindfulness-in-aviation-the-essence-that-west-is-slowly-adopting/

This episode is also available as a blog post: https://safetymatters.co.in/2021/01/04/trust-your-autopilot-under-high-stress-learnings-from-vistara-mayday-fuel/

This episode is also available as a blog post: https://safetymatters.co.in/2021/01/07/psychology-of-surprise-air-india-tail-strike-at-pune/

This episode is also available as a blog post: https://safetymatters.co.in/2021/04/11/seconds-away-from-disaster-crew-use-superior-training-skills-to-prevent-a-cfit/

On September 30, 2001, a King Air C-90 carrying former Aviation Minister from the sky, killing all eight onboard. The official report blamed heavy rains and pilot error—a "convenient story" for a high-profile disaster. But 25 years later, a new forensic analysis suggests the investigation was filled with comforting lies rather than hard truths.In this episode, we explore the dangerous intersection of VIP pressure and aviation safety, asking the questions the original investigators ignored:• The Weather Deception: Why did the report claim "heavy thunderstorms" when satellite archives show zero rain and clear skies at cruising altitude?• The Impossible Wind: Did investigators falsify wind direction data to explain away burn marks on the fuselage?• Silent Evidence: The pilot’s trachea contained soot—proof he was breathing during a fire—yet the report ruled out an in-flight blaze.Join us as we uncover how "vested interests" can shape the narrative when the influential can't defend themselves.

re passengers at Chennai International Airport safe? In this video, we investigate the alarming reports regarding fire safety violations at the newly commissioned terminal and the urgent remedial measures taken by the Airports Authority of India (AAI).🚨 The Allegations: Sealed Exits & Fire Risks Aviation safety experts, led by Capt. Amit Singh of the Safety Matters Foundation, raised a red flag regarding the New Integrated Terminal Building (Phase-1). Photographic evidence revealed that while "EXIT" signs were installed, the emergency access doors they led to were sealed with sheets, making them unusable.Key concerns raised included:• The "Uphaar" Warning: Experts compared the sealed exits to the tragic 1997 Uphaar Cinema fire, warning that locked exits could lead to mass casualties due to smoke inhalation.• Hidden Dangers: There were no signs indicating the exits were closed, nor were alternative routes marked.• Operational Approval: Questions were raised about how the building received operational approval despite these visible safety lapses.✅ The Fix: Major Upgrades Announced Following safety audits and complaints, significant changes have been reported as of January 2026:• New Hardware: The Chennai Airport has replaced nearly 140 emergency exit doors in domestic terminals T1 and T4.• Smart Monitoring: The new doors are equipped with electronic security and monitoring systems, replacing old chains and locks, allowing staff to control them effectively during emergencies.👇 Hashtags: #ChennaiAirport #AviationSafety #FireSafety #AAI #TravelUpdate #SafetyMatters #ChennaiNews

When the AI-171 crash occurred, the public saw flames, wreckage, and the heroism of those who rushed in to help. But beneath the narrative of bravery lies a "real safety scandal": a system that allowed responders and civilians to enter a toxic environment unaware and unprotected.In this episode, we uncover the "unseen toxins" that turn modern aircraft accidents into "invisible fibre events". We explore why the smoke from composite materials is not just smoke, but a "incapacitation weapon" loaded with Hydrogen Cyanide—a systemic asphyxiant that can block the body's ability to use oxygen.We breakdown the critical failure of doctrine at the crash site, centering on a terrifying fact from the ARFF industry: there is no meter designed to measure dangerous fibre dispersion, meaning full respiratory protection (SCBA) is the only safe default—yet it was absent