Helicopters
and why they’re important
This helicopter is
in trouble and about to crash.
The pilot was
performing a manoeuvre,
which may be needed
for real in Afghanistan.
But in this helicopter simulator
in the Czech Republic,
pilots from around the world
can practice flying in Afghanistan,
even before they step foot
in the country.
Why are helicopters
so important in Afghanistan?
They are the preferred means
of getting around.
The infrastructure has suffered
from years of war and neglect,
meaning versatile air transport
is much quicker and safer.
And this is one of the reasons
why helicopters are so valuable.
They provide a versatility
that is rare amongst the other pieces
of equipment for the armed forces.
If you need to get
troops into a location
or the wounded out of a location,
you will probably choose a helicopter.
For combat,
they provide more flexible fire power,
taking less time to be called upon
and able to loiter longer than jets.
But Afghanistan is not
an ideal environment for helicopters.
Landing at its dusty locations is
hazardous for pilots and the engines.
Very skilled,
low-level flying is often needed.
Afghan snow can
threaten whiteouts for pilots.
And Afghanistan generally
being hot and at high altitude
means pilots have to fly in thinner air,
reducing helicopters’ ability to lift.
Also, the higher wear and tear for
helicopters operating in Afghanistan
and the higher cost of flying make
operating helicopters in Afghanistan
hard on both pilots and budgets.
The new Multilateral Aviation Training
Centre could help on both counts.
For pilots, it’s a way to practise
flight conditions with mixed crews,
changing conditions
and flight analyses.
For budgets, it helps
to provide lower cost pooled way
for countries to use shared equipment
and improving a key capability.
The benefit
for the multinational crews is
that the pilots
from the different countries,
they need to have
one language in the cockpit
because if you have on
the captain’s seat guys from Croatia,
on the right seat
there can be guys from Hungary
and in the middle there could be
guys from the Czech Republic.
And each country has
a little bit different procedure also.
Due to be ready in 2014 or 2015,
the proposed centre will
have a base in the Czech Republic.
This so-called smart defence project
recently added
Hungary to its participants,
which already include the US, Croatia,
the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
The signing here today
of Hungary, adding its name
to the Multinational
Aviation Training Centre,
indicates that smart defence
is moving from being a concept
into a growing reality. Currently,
training focuses heavily on skills
pilots may need in Afghanistan,
such as low level flying,
flying in mountainous areas
or flying in formation.
But simulators and trainers
are flexible and can present pilots
with challenges
from around the world.
And as the drawdown continues,
it will be training for these challenges
where this particular area of smart
defence may have the most effect.