Basic flying training in the IAF has been well-structured and the induction of the Hawk AJT has strengthened the process. The grounding of the HPT-32 has disturbed the system to some extent and the IAF needs to manage this disruption as best as it can.

Basic flying training is the foundation on which the skills and capabilities of a pilot are built. The transformation of a relatively raw individual into a skilled professional capable of piloting a modern fighter, a heavy-lift transport aircraft or an attack helicopter, which are all weapons of war, is a process replete with challenges, both for the individual and the system of training that brings about this transformation. The process begins with selection of candidates for the ‘flying branch’ of the Indian Air Force. This process includes stringent medical tests to ensure fitness of candidates for the demanding workload of a pilot. Visual acuity and superb physical condition are vital requirements. Mental alertness, ability to perform in teams and social compatibility are also checked. There is a special series called the ‘pilot aptitude battery tests’ to gauge the motor coordination skills and spatial orientation capability of the candidates. A failure in this means permanent rejection for a flying career.

A majority of those wanting to join the flying pilots (FP) branch route through the National Defence Academy (NDA) were cadets of all three armed forces are trained together. FP cadets are introduced to glider flying in their senior term and then sent to the Air Force Academy. This is a unique institution where trainees of all branches of the IAF are jointly trained for the first six months. All stages have compulsory academics, physical training, drills and service related events like diningin nights and social etiquette lessons to strengthen officer-like qualities in the trainees.

Basic flying training is divided into three stages. At each stage, the trainee is introduced to more demanding exercises to build up his confidence and skill levels. Stage I comprising 65 hours of flying, used to be conducted on the HPT-32 till its grounding in 2009. The HPT-32 has had a chequered history as a basic trainer and on many occasions had to be temporarily grounded due to accidents resulting from recurring technical defects. IAF had warned the Government of India (GoI) and the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) that HPT-32 would have to be phased out earlier than planned, and the induction of a new basic trainer had become an urgent necessity. Neither the GoI nor the HAL took any concrete action to address this specific requirement. In July 2009, consequent to a fatal crash involving two pilots in an HPT-32, the IAF grounded the entire fleet of 116 aircraft as being unsafe to fly. The originally planned phase out of HPT-32 was to be 2014, by which time, HAL’s new basic trainer, the HTT-40, would have been ready for the task. HAL tried to come up with alternative plans to revive the HPT-32, including a rather bizarre one of fitting a parachute in the tail section so that a safe recovery could be effected in case of engine malfunction. The IAF rejected this proposal. Inputs are now available to suggest that the Lycoming engine which powers the HPT-32 may not be at fault and the defect may be in the fuel system of the aircraft. HAL is reluctant to admit this. A joint effort involving the IAF, HAL and Lycoming original equipment manufacturer (OEM) could result in the HPT-32 being declared airworthy again with consequential benefits for all the stakeholders. Non-availability of a basic trainer has forced the IAF to slash the syllabus from 65 hours on HPT-32 to a mere 25 hours on Kiran (HJT-16) aircraft which is also utilised for Stage II training. A flying instructor now has to assess an ab initio student’s motor skills, reactions to emergent situations, air-mindedness and other parameters in one-third the flying time available earlier. The studentpilot hardly gets enough flying hours under his belt to consolidate the ‘feel of flying’ before being pushed into a more difficult regime at Stage II of the training. India has now contracted for 75 Pilatus PC-7 trainer aircraft whose delivery will start by end-2012 but full-scale training may only begin in late 2014.

‘Trifurcation’ or streaming the flight cadets into fighters, transport and helicopters takes place at the end of Stage I. All three streams need similar flying skills but individuals have differing aptitudes and dispositions. The flying instructors are trained to spot these differences and recommend the stream in which each flight cadet would do best. Women cadets are bifurcated into transport and helicopter streams as per existing procedures. Army officers proceed to Devlali for conversion to helicopters and naval trainees branch off to the Naval Academy.

The fighter trainees are sent to Air Force Station Hakimpet for Stage II flying on Kiran Mk II aircraft, the transport trainees fly the Dornier at Yelahanka while the helicopter trainees fly the Chetak at Hakimpet. During Stage II, the trainees fly 85 hours over a 24-week period. The grounding of HPT-32 has increased the burden on Kiran aircraft.

The numbers of Kiran aircraft available for basic flying training were limited, as they were primarily tasked for Stage II flying training. To get additional flying machines, the IAF had to disband its reputed and world famous ‘Surya Kiran’ aerobatic team and the Indian Navy its ‘Sagar Pawan’, so that these Kiran aircraft became available for training purposes. It is learnt that 20 additional Hawk advanced jet trainers (AJTs) are being acquired to revive the ‘Surya Kiran’ aerobatic team. This is indeed good news. Utilising the Kiran for basic training opens up another potential problem. The numbers of a particular type of aircraft (like the Kiran) inducted into the IAF and their projected phase-out year, are calculated based on the planned ‘utilisation rate’ (UR). UR is the number of hours an aircraft is planned to fly each year. If the actual UR is higher than the originally planned UR, then calculations go awry and the phase out will occur earlier. As Kiran UR has increased, its phase out will be earlier than planned. HAL’s ‘interim jet trainer (IJT or HJT-36), which was to replace the Kiran, has suffered serious developmental roadblocks, especially as regards its engine. A prototype crashed in April 2011 and the possibilities of early induction of the IJT into the IAF appear rather bleak at this stage. In effect, both HTT-40 and the IJT are uncertain prospects as far as the IAF is concerned.