N.S. Prabhakar Naidu (83), a doyen among aeronautical engineers and among the first batch of aeronautical engineers to graduate from the Madras Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1952, passed away in Seattle, United States. The last rites were conducted in Seattle on Sunday.
He was a distinguished technocrat, who created innovative concepts that contributed to advanced aircraft design, performance, safety and reliability. It is a matter of great pride for MIT and India that one of their sons could achieve so much in one lifetime. He was a regular visitor to the MIT and the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras.
Flight-tested Gnat
Prabhakar Naidu worked with renowned and reputed aircraft manufacturers such as Handley Page in England in building the Herald passenger aircraft structures, Beverly air freighters and Buccaneer naval jet fighters. He flight-tested the well known Folland Gnat jet fighters. In Ireland, working with Short brothers, he was into flight-testing and performance-analysing the Royal Air Force's turbo fighter Belfast.
The Folland Gnat, developed for the Royal Air Force, became well known as the mount for the RAF's Red Arrows aerobatic team. It was exported to Finland, Yugoslavia and India. In later years, the Indian Air Force became its largest operator and eventually manufactured the aircraft under licence before developing Ajit, a modified and improved variant.
In Canada, Prabhakar Naidu worked with DeHavilland Aircraft, building the Performance Manual for among others for DH Twin Otter and Buffalo.
In the U.S., he worked with Boeing in Seattle, and generated the FAA approved performance Flight Manuals for the famous fleet of B727, B737 and the B747. These aircraft needed to be flight-tested prior to sale to commercial airlines.
Working with Eastern Airlines, he helped develop flight manuals for use for applicable system airports in the U.S., Europe and South America, besides individual charter airports in the then erstwhile USSR, Africa and China.
Prabhakar Naidu had lived and worked in different parts of the world with various aircraft designers and makers. He was selected in the U.S. to coordinate with various air transport authorities in air safety operations. He was in demand to hold training seminars for System Flight Captains on regular schedule.
Taught at MIT
He returned to India to teach Aircraft Design and Production at the MIT and successfully flight-tested the first “Sail Plane” designed in India by a team of students and staff of the MIT. At that time it was quite an achievement for the institute.
Prabhakar Naidu is survived by wife Joan, who is an aerodynamics engineer; son Arun, an electronics engineer; son Anil, a mechanical engineer; and daughter Kiran, a post graduate in education, all settled in the U.S.
