The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : HATSOFF: HAL’s simulator school for helicopters

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Aug 17, 2007
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

HATSOFF: HAL’s simulator school for helicopters

Staff Reporter

Tie-up with Canadian firm for the project

The $52-million school will be operationalised in September 2008
It will be the third of its kind in the world

BANGALORE: To address the training needs of the 300-strong Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) domestic market and other helicopters entering India, State-owned aviation major Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is all set to launch a simulation school in Bangalore. Dubbed the “Helicopter Academy to Train by Simulation of Flying (HATSOFF),” the $52 million school will be operationalised in September 2008.

HAL will use a Shareholders’ Agreement with Canadian firm Canadian Aviation Electronics (CAE) to kickstart the project. HAL and CAE will equally share the project cost, top Helicopter division officials of HAL told presspersons here on Thursday. CAE is a leading provider of simulation and modelling technology and integrated training services for civil aviation, and defence customers worldwide.

The simulation school will feature all the three variants of the ALH besides the Bell 412 EI helicopter. The facility will be a level-D FAE certified simulator, and manned by about 25 people. Once completed, the simulator will be only the third of its kind in the world. Two others are based in France and the United Kingdom.

The simulation software will be developed in-house by HAL. The facility will be open for civilian pilots as well. They will be charged $1,200 to $1,400 an hour, the officials said.

But even with the simulator, the huge and growing helicopter market in India is expected to put immense pressure on the training facilities. “Our Directorate-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) requires nine hours of training on the simulator and another hour of actual flying. But to fly a Bell helicopter abroad, only 12 hours of simulator training is adequate,” explained an official.

LCH entry

The entry of the Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) into HAL’s project list will only add to the helicopter numbers. “The LCH is a tandem dedicated helicopter with the same weapons as in the ALH. It will have a great degree of manoeuvrability at very high altitudes and in confined environments. It will be a small, very agile fighting machine, specific to our battle environments,” explained HAL chairman Ashok Baweja.

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