Tommy operates simulator

JAKARTA (JP): PT Grahadi Angkasa, a private firm owned by Hutomo (Tommy) Mandala Putra, President Soeharto's youngest son, on Friday launched its first Boeing B-737-200 simulator to improve the skills of the country's pilots.

The B-737-200 simulator, manufactured by Conduction Missouri and designed with ITS technology, offers two computerized canals and three windows which provide visual databases of airports in Jakarta, Bali and Surabaya.

The Directorate General of Air Transportation licensed the use of the simulator which was installed at a cost of about US$10 million, the Kompas daily reported.

The simulator will help reduce pilot training costs as domestic airlines will no longer have to send their pilots overseas, to countries like the United States and Germany, to undertake Boeing-737 training.

However, simulated training has yet to be supplemented by real jet training operations to enable a pilot to get a Boeing 737 rating.

Informed sources said Grahadi has set a charge of $300 per hour for the B-737-200 simulator utilization. Overseas pilot training centers charge $250 per hour.

But Grahadi has signed agreements with domestic airlines, including Merpati Nusantara Airlines, Bouraq, Sempati Air, Airfast, Mandala and Gatari for the use of the simulator.

There are currently some 10 B-737-200 jets operated by domestic air carriers. (icn)