Two state-of-the-art stimulators commissioned

Two state-of-the-art simulators were commissioned at the Southern Naval Command here today.
The simulators--The Flight and Tactical Simulator (FATS) for Seaking helicopter and the Water Survival Training Facility (WSTF) for aircrew, were the most sophisticated, the first in Asia and third in the world, Vice Admiral Satish Soni, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Southern Naval Command, said.
He was speaking after inaugurating the twin facilities, housed at INS Garuda Navy's Air Station at Kochi.
Soni paid homage at the Seaking memorial built at the premises of FATS prior to the event.
The Vice Admiral said such facilities help in reducing accident rates and urged the crew to focus on proper maintenance so that the facilities can be used for many years.

The FATS is designed for Pilots and Observers of Seaking helicopters for initial, and periodic training, as well as evaluation of new procedures and tactics.

The real life simulator built from ground up with inputs from over 110 Navy personnel and 200 engineers from M/s HALBIT and M/s ELBIT, is a PC based system with glass cockpit, collimated visuals, and an electro pneumatic system with six degrees of freedom and motion, a release said.
Commander Wingston Mathew is the Officer-in-Charge of the FATS.
The WSTF, built at a cost of Rs 20 Crore, will provide realistic training to air crew for escape from a ditched aircraft under varied simulated conditions and crash scenarios. The facility, the first such in India, has state-of-the-art Survival Training Simulation Theatre (STST) with several components.

The WSTF has been set up by Survival Systems India, Mumbai, and Commander Satish is the Officer-in-Charge of the facility.