BANGALORE: The increasing co-operation between the Indian and US armed forces will soon acquire a new dimension with exchange of flight instructors.
The Indian Air-Force, keen to absorb the latest training and flight techniques has planned to send a batch of flight instructors for advanced training in US Air Force facilities.
The exchange will be the first Major step between the two air forces since the Operation Shikshak held in 1963 in the wake of Chinese aggression, in which many other western air forces participated,
The IAF brass feels that the swap of instructors would expose Indian personnel to the latest in techniques, aircraft and other airborne systems. The orientation acquired by Indian flight instructors in USAF bases may also come in handy in the event of India buying US equipment in future.
The Kickleighter proposals pinch the Indian armed forces have agreed to in principle, had envisioned exchange of instructors as part of full scope cooperation between the two forces.
Newsmen on a recent visit to IAF warning establishments in the South found officers enthused by the swap proposal. The additional inputs such an exercise would bring in would be welcome, but no essential to the level of training being already imparted to would be pilots, they say.
IAF officers are proud of the existing training regime that governs the entry of pilot into service, but worry over the wanting of attraction that IAF has for the youth,
The responsibility of training personnel of the IAF lies with the Air Force Training Command, headed by Air Marshal R.F. Dhawan. Unlike other IAF Commands the Western southwestern and Maintenance, Training Command has no geographical boundaries. Its establishments range from Allahabad in the north to Coimbatore in South.
Among the tasks of the Training Command is the training of pilots, navigators of the Flying Branch, Electronics and Mechanical Engineers of the Aeronautical Engineering Branch, officers of the administrative, logistics, accounts, education and meteorological branches.
The trainees range from fighter pilots to musicians and cooks, and also include fliers coming in for in-house training. The instructors are some of the best fliers deputed from the squadrons.
At any given time, 6,000 technicians, 1,000 officers and 500 noncommissioned officers are trained at 27 training FTEs in places as diverse as Bangalore, Hyderabad, Belgaum, Bidar, Madras and Coimbatore, Besides the 1AF pilots, others trained at the establishments include those belonging to the aviation wings of the Army and Navy, besides those belonging to friendly air forces. To give an indication of the effort that goes into training officers for the fourth largest air force in the world, IAF cadets spend 75,000 flying hours a year, By and large, the training of pilots in FTEs (flight training establishments) of the [AF matches that imparted anywhere in the world, say air force officers, while at the same time underlining the need for an advanced jet trainer for conversion to fighters by the trainee fliers. The MIG-21, which is now used for conversion to the fighters, is not the most ideal choice in the light of its dated avionics, they say.
In the first phase of training, the trainee pilots fly for 24 weeks on basic trainers HPT-32 or JHT-16. In phase II, they fly 24 hours on JHT-16 of the Polish Iskra. The trainees are assessed at every step, and depending on their performance and aptitude are then divided into three seams, fighters, transports and helicopters.
Article extracted from this publication >> October 2, 1992
