Hyderabad: Pilatus PC-7MkII, a basic trainer aircraft clocked a major milestone of two lakh accident-free flying hours on February 20.
According to a press release from the Indian Air Force on Monday, the aircraft was inducted in 2013. All aspiring pilots of the Indian Armed Forces are trained in managing this aircraft.
It presently operates from Air Force Academy, Dundigal as well as Flying Instructors’ School, Tambaram in Tamil Nadu.
“The fleet has facilitated a transformative evolution of training flying from the erstwhile HPT-32 aircraft. The accident-free record of the fleet since its inception is a noteworthy testimony of the professionalism and dedication of the operational and maintenance crew,” the press release stated.
Acknowledging the role of past commandants, aircrew, maintenance engineers, technicians, and administrative personnel, Air Marshal B Chandra Sekhar praised their contribution.
PC-7MkII fleet has set a new benchmark in flying and the platform has to-date trained more than 2,500 cadets, many of whom are themselves qualified flying instructors. The fleet has also trained pilots of the Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard, apart from trainee cadets from friendly foreign countries.
The Air Force Academy has the largest flying task as compared to any other IAF station and a total of about 25,000 hours are flown at AFA every year.
