Merpati operates F-27 simulator

SURABAYA, East Java (JP): State-owned air carrier PT Merpati Nusantara has started operating a new Fokker F-27 simulator to provide training for its pilots and other airlines using the aircraft in the Asia-Pacific region.

Company president Budiarto Soebroto said here yesterday that the simulator would also provide professional and flight safety training for airline companies operating in the region.

"The facility will make Merpati more efficient, rather than sending pilots overseas for training," he said when launching the facility at Merpati Training Center here yesterday.

He said that even though the company was phasing out its F- 27s, it was still operating 12 of them which served numerous routes in the eastern part of the country.

In addition to the F-27 simulator, Merpati Training Center also operates a simulator for CN-235 aircraft, which have been flying since 1994.

Merpati currently has 14 CN-235s produced by the Bandung-based aircraft maker PT Industri Pesawat Terbang Nusantara.

The training facility should also be seen as a strategic business opportunity that could improve Merpati's performance because it would offer the facility to local and foreign airlines using similar airplanes, Budiarto said.

"Besides training pilots, the facility can also be used to train aircraft technicians to improve their knowledge in engines, hydraulic systems and many other things related to the aircraft's operation," he said.

He expressed optimism that the facility would be "saleable" since it was the only one in the Asia-Pacific region and that the facility would also profit because it would be used by Merpati, and local and foreign airlines.

He said that besides Merpati, the Armed Forces and many local chartered airlines were still operating F-27s. "There are 53 F- 27s operating in the Asia-Pacific, 28 of which are in Indonesia."

There are only three countries, including the Netherlands, Finland and Indonesia, which provide a simulation for F-27 airplane pilots.

Budiarto also attended yesterday a signing agreement between Merpati and local airlines, including Trigana Air Service, Indonesian Air Transport and Mandala Praniaga Tama, which would use the facility for their pilots and engine technicians.

Chief of Merpati Training Center, Ade T. Christianty, said that her company had received many orders from local and foreign firms to provide a proficiency checkup for their pilots.

She said that the training center's schedule for the next year had been filled. (rms)