As one sits in the cockpit of a Pilatus aircraft in the simulator, which generates a real-life like environment, it is just a matter of seconds before the pilot goes from being in a room to flying the trainer aircraft. The virtual arena is complete with sensitive graphic screens to give trainees a ‘real’ experience, before they actually fly one of the 40 aerial machines in the Air Force Academy at Dundigal.
What makes the Pilatus PC-7 aircrafts special is that it comes with a whole different set of features, a simulator and user interface for AFA trainees, sharpening their skills and making them more competent as pilots. The simulator is also different from the ones that were used to train cadets to fly the Kiran Mark-ll and HPT-32, which are no more used at the AFA.
With the Air Force Academy (AFA) at Dundigal doing away with the indigenous HPT-32 and Kiran Mark-ll training aircrafts, the Pilatus PC-7 basic trainer aircraft, which is more technologically advanced, has comfortably set-in as a replacement since it was introduced last year. The training for cadets now also includes technical tests, with the Pilatus’s own software generating questions.
“The Pilatus aircrafts are definitely better than their predecessors. The simulator and cockpit are different, which makes the whole difference,” said a senior Indian Air Force (IAF) official at the AFA, during an interactive session with the media here on Thursday. He, however, did not reveal whether the aircraft would be indigenously maintained or with assistance from the Swiss manufacturer of the plane.
