To guard airspace and territorial waters,
pilots of squadron EC-225 under the Naval Operations Staff of the Vietnam Navy
have kept on training a routine flight program with state-of-the-art aircraft.
Responsible
for key missions of scouting and search and rescue at sea, the powerful and
fast 11-ton-class EC-225 helicopter combines long-range performance with a very
large cabin – accommodating up to 19 passengers in crashworthy seats.
With a
service flight ceiling of 5.9km and a max weight of 24,251 lbs, an EC-225 can
accommodate two pilots and 19 passengers and operate at a maximum speed of
275.5 kph.
Its
integrated display system, advanced avionics and digital 4-axis automatic pilot
significantly reduces flight crew workload, improves mission effectiveness and
increases operational safety.
Tuoi
Tre journalists accompanied a regular patrol flight along the coast of Vietnam
and witnessed a training day of the squadron’s pilots with the
five-bladed-rotor helicopters.
A
training session
The
cockpit of an EC-225 aircraft on the training day included three men – main
pilot Nghiem Quang Huy, pilot Tran Hoai Nam and flight trainer Kieu Dang Hung.
Huy
reported the ready status of his machine and crew with a verbal command to air
traffic control, “VNT EC-225, Check good, Take-off.” After being informed of
the wind speed, air pressure and temperature at the airfield by the control
unit, the chief pilot was allowed to ‘take-off’.
The
helicopter, the latest member of the French-made Eurocopter Super Puma family,
began lifting up from the ground for a training session.
The
content of the crew was to ensure operations in emergency situations when one
of the two engines broken down at sea and safely pilot it back to a nearby army
base, landing with air cushion trouble, plane’ failure of hydraulic power
system, and operating from a very small helipad at sea or on shore.
On this
day, pilots Huy and Nam took turns operating the controls as part of their
training. When one of them sat in the driving seat, the other kept his eyes on
a check list, which is a mandatory procedure for the complete inspection and
control of the aircraft.
Other exercises
during the training included flying in a circle above the airfield, and forcing
the helicopter to bank left and right in a simulation of losing balance. Pilots
are also required to react to applications of their controls and other aircraft
systems and to external environmental factors such as air density, turbulence,
clouds, and precipitation as demanded by the trainer.
The
most complicated situation presented by the training plan is the one in which
the craft loses its lifting power from an air cushion while hovering at a
height of over 40m, and descends on a 15 degree incline until gaining the
necessary speed (VTOSS) for taking off again.
“I got
a little confused with the situation,” pilot Tran Hoai Nam admitted.
After
three hours in the sky, the training session ended at 4:30pm with a total of 31
lift-offs and landings. The EC-225 was then transferred to a technical unit for
maintenance in a hangar.
The
target of the session was not only to help pilots gain precise handling but
also remain calm in the sky, especially in an emergency.
Hard learning
“I felt
embarrassed when I was sitting in the driving seat facing the automatic flight
control panel,” Huy admitted. “It’s so modern and complicated.”
“It has
a digital engine control unit, a duplicate integrated flight display system,
and piloting and navigation and mission multifunction to ensure effective
operations in bad weather,” he said.
Airmen
like Huy and Nam had to pass strict training abroad and in Vietnam before
becoming part of the squadron. They were recruited from the ranks experienced
combat pilots, and spent 18 months studying English before being sent to France
for two months of pilot training.
To
pilot the state-of-the-art craft, they had to spend time training in a
simulator – an exact replica of the helicopter cockpit – in order to become
familiar with the controls and systems of the aircraft. Trainees can experience
real-world reactions in response to pilot control movements and external
aerodynamic factors, such as the feeling of descending and air sickness.
Any
imprecise handling in the simulator will be displayed on visual systems so that
trainees can repeat the process.
“We
EC-225 pilots always mutter something as our mind is calculating and imagining
that we are at work in the cockpit and falling in a supposed emergency,” Huy
said.
Huy
also mentioned the logistics personnel who make silent but valuable
contributions to each operation and training flight. The technical officials
are the ones who come early and go home late.
Vu Dinh
Ba, vice chief of a technical unit, said, “Our squadron has recently been set
up and my staff is still learning during their work. Many of them stay up late
reading documents until 11 or 12 at night. But having the chance to work with
an EC-225 is our pride.”
The
library of the squadron has over 100 thick books written in English featuring
technical details of the EC-225. Technical staff members have spent months
abroad and in Vietnam studying English.
TUOI
TRE
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