The Pilatus PC-7 Mk II fleet comprising 75 aircrafts presently operating from Air Force Academy Dundigal as well as Flying Instructors School Tambaram have successfully clocked a major milestone of 2 lakh accident free flying hours. Commandant of Air Force Academy Air Marshal B Chandra Sekhar and Chief Flying Instructor Group Captain Atul Anand flew the 2 lakh-hour sortie on February 20, at the Air Force Academy.
The Commandant acknowledged the role of past Commandants, aircrew, maintenance engineers, technicians and administrative personnel, without whose contribution, this feat could not have been achieved. The Air Force Academy has the largest flying task as compared to any other Station in the IAF and a total of about 25,000 hours are flown at the AFA every year. 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 fleet has facilitated a transformative evolution of training flying from the erstwhile HPT-32 aircraft.
The Pilatus PC-7 Mk II has set a new benchmark in training flying and the platform has to-date trained more than 2500 cadets, many of whom are themselves qualified flying instructors today. The fleet has also trained pilots of the Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard, apart from trainee cadets from friendly foreign countries. The PC-7MkII fleet continues to be the bedrock of the IAF’s mission of producing the best military aviators in the world.
