An Cosantóir

www.military.ie the defence forces magazine | 15 Cadets then progress through ten hours of familiarisation training on the Fixed Training Device (FTD), or simulator. The simulator is a fully working replica of a PC-9M cockpit, complete with instrument panels, head-up display (HUD), and a 210° viewing screen onto which the instructor can project different scenarios. The FTD allows the student to gain a feel for the layout of the cockpit and to master the location of buttons, screens and switches without the added pressure of actually being in the air. The students will initially practice simple procedures such as engine starting and then move onto in- creasingly complicated normal and emergency sit- uations in a cost-effective and safe environment. They are now ready to commence flying the PC-9M. The first 50 hours of flying makes up the elementary block, where students learn how to taxi, take-off, complete basic manoeuvres and land. A high point in this stage is the cadet's first solo flight where Chief Flying Instructor, Capt Odhran Murphy, deems them safe to take an aircraft into the sky on their own for the first time. Following on from the elementary phase cadets are introduced to navigation, flying by reference only to cockpit instruments, and military formation flying. Basic flying train- ing takes total flying hours up to 150. The final stage of the course includes forma- tion flying and more advanced aerobatics, the culmination of which is the final handling test. Cadets fly once or twice a day and always have at least three flights planned at any time, provid- ing flexibility for the unpredictable Irish weather. As well as flying, cadets have other ground duties to carry out, preparing them for the variety of responsibilities they will assume as young of- ficers in the Air Corps. Throughout their training, elements of command, leadership and organi- sational studies are completed through focused lectures, seminars and round-table discussions. This intense level of training wouldn't be pos- sible without the dedicated support of the techni- cal staff in the modern, well-equipped hangar. FTS Aero-Engineer, Capt Anna Edgeworth, together with Senior Aircraft Inspector, Sgt Alan Campbell, lead a team of highly skilled aircraft technicians, ensuring that the school has the serviceable airframes needed to complete the mission. On a daily basis four aircraft are required, with at least one in deeper maintenance at any given time. Daily inspections and component changes are everyday tasks, with a sergeant inspector responsible for investigating techni- cal issues, assigning rectification teams and certifying completed jobs. Technical staff also carry out scheduled 150-hour servicing, which can take up to three weeks. Aircraft requiring a 300-hour service are passed to the Airframe Repair Flight, No 4 Support Wing. Most days start with instructors and cadets as- sembled in the Fitzmaurice Building for the morning briefings. The first brief of the day consists of a weather briefing covering the meteorological situation around the country, together with relevant air traffic con- trol issues and flight planning changes for the day. The second brief is given by a member of the senior cadet class and covers a range of topics such as emergency procedures in the aircraft, Air Corps regulations, or any other topic that may be relevant. Instructors and cadets then proceed to com- plete individual sortie briefs before they don their flight equipment and head to their aircraft. This cycle is repeated several times each day. Mean- while, the junior cadet class attend lectures given by Air Corps subject-matter experts. To enable cadet training and operational conver- sion training on our other aircraft, the Air Corps must train flight instructors. FTS has this respon- sibility and this intense training and development is run in tandem with the cadet-training cycle. The flying element of the instructor course is de- signed around a flight 'cycle', comprised of three similar flights. For the first flight the trainee instructor acts as the student, with an instructor in the rear 'teaching' the student. On the second flight, two student instruc- tors will pair up, and practice their instructional tech- nique for the assigned disciplines. The third flight will have the trainee instructor in the rear with a qualified instructor in the front seat simulating common student errors. This ensures that the potential instructors con- tinuously develop throughout the course and are ex- posed to situations that will face them once qualified. During my time as Officer Commanding FTS the Cadet Pilots Wings Course has been modernised, ensuring it meets the requirements of the Air Corps' operational aviation units. Currently six cadets are approaching the end of their flying training, eight are completing ground school, and twelve are car- rying out basic officer training in the DFTC. While the workload is high in the FTS, I also have to find the resources to run instructor courses in addition to staff continuity training, test flights, display and visits, ceremonial flypasts, and ex- ercises with the Army and Naval Service. My instructors come with a wealth of ex- perience from all areas of the Air Corps, with three lieutenants who have recently gradu- ated from the FTS and captains drawn from either a fixed-wing or rotary-wing background, often with seven or eight years flying experience. The FTS is a high-tempo but exciting and reward- ing place to work where the staff have the pleasure of helping young men and women develop into highly competent military aviators, and students have the opportunity to fulfil their childhood dreams and earn their commission and military pilots wings.

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