JOIN USHAL's Academy to acquire simulators
Speaking to Deccan Herald, HATSOFF Helicopter Training Academy Private Limited (a JV between HAL & CAE) CEO, retired Wing Commander C D Upadhyay said “Our board of directors has given the approval to acquire a low-cost simulator for RWA’s Schweizer 300C which would enhance the academy’s training abilities.”
Pointing out that about 7.5 choppers meet with accidents for every 1,000 hours of flight of which 70 per cent are caused due to human error, he said that the only way to reduce this is through simulators.
Many a time, the pilot does not have the experience in dealing with an emergency situation, as training them to handle emergencies on real aircrafts is an expensive and unsafe method.
On the other hand, a simulator can train the pilot on almost all conceivable emergencies thereby equipping the pilots to tackle emergencies better, he added.
Agreeing with this was former Indian Airforce (IAF) pilot Mayank Tiwari, who has just completed his training at HATSOFF with four other pilots.
“In my experience of flying for 6,000 hours, I have barely come across emergencies, and when there was one I was lucky to survive,” adding that a simulator training definitely will enhance the pilot’s ability to react to situations and perform more efficiently.
The simulator will be acquired from CAE, given its existing partnership with HAL and will be housed in the HATSOFF premises.
While this is just the beginning, RWA is expected to increase the number of simulators in the future, subject to the viability of the one for Schweizer 300C.
Further, Upadhyay said that the unveiling of HATSOFF will not prove to be competition for HAL’s RWA, as the models are different in both academies.
Elaborating on it, he said the training provided is for pilots with experience and for those who are switching over from one aircraft to another, and what happens in RWA is for raw, inexperienced pilots.
Besides training pilots from various companies and Indian forces, the company is also running a unique offer. That is, providing Indian pilots a day of free training using simulators. The offer is valid till December, said the company.