Garuda operates new simulators

Garuda

JAKARTA (JP): Garuda Indonesia has started operating two new full-flight jet simulators at its training center in Duri Kosambi, West Jakarta, to improve the skills of its pilots.

The chief of Garuda's training center, Henry J.J. Sumolang, said that the new facilities consist of Boeing B-737-300/400 and McDonnell Douglas MD-11 simulators assembled by CAE of Canada.

The MD-11 simulator was designed with the latest technology offering a Maxvue 2000 enhanced visual system, which can provide day, dusk, dawn and night scenes.

Sumolang said that the system has a visual database of dozens of domestic and international airports, including those in Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Hong Kong, Singapore, Darwin, Jakarta, Padang, Denpasar and Surabaya.

According to Sumolang, the simulators will operate just like real aircraft.

"We received the facilities in February," he said, adding that each simulator is worth $22 million.

The simulators must be operated with one-year certificates and qualifications from the Canadian Air Regulations and Indonesia's Ministry of Transportation, he said.

He said that the B-737-300/400 and MD-11 simulators were certified in December 1995 and January 1996 respectively.

"Garuda is leasing the simulators from CAE for a 10-year period," he said.

In addition to the new facilities, Garuda's training center has had flight simulators of Fokker F-28, Airbus A-300, DC-10, and B-747-200 aircraft.

Sumolang said that the simulators will help save training expenses because training using real jets will be reduced.

The two new simulators will be officially incorporated into Garuda's training program by President Soeharto on May 2.

Three pilots are seen in the picture above operating the Boeing B-737-300/400 simulator. (icn)