Air force to install C-130H aircraft simulator system

The air force will complete the installation of a simulator system for the C-130H transport aircraft next year in an attempt to enhance the flight safety of the plane, defense sources said yesterday.

The C-130H simulator system will cost NT$1 billion. The construction process takes a total of four years, and began in 2000.

The system, to be placed at an air base in Pingtung, is expected to enhance the flight safety of the C-130H fleet by providing trainees with simulated emergency and unusual flight conditions.

It is also expected to greatly reduce the costs that the air force spends on training pilots for the C-130Hs.

In the past, the air force had to send pilots to the US for the C-130H training on a yearly basis. The US training cost the air force tens of millions of NT dollars each year. The air force bought in the C-130H in 1986 to replace the aging C-119 aircraft. The air force now has around 20 C-130Hs.

C-130Hs' safety records show that there has been only one plane crash over the past 16 years. On Oct. 10, 1997, the No. 1310 C-130H crashed to the ground in its second attempt to land at Taipei's Sungshan airport. Five crew members were killed as a result.

Although it might be a little late to introduce a simulator system for the C-130Hs, military analyst Chang Li-teh (張立德), a senior editor with Defense Technology Monthly magazine said, "It is better late than never. The C-130Hs could be used for yet another 10 or 20 years. They are very reliable planes.

"Before the simulator system was an option, C-130H pilots did not have the chance to experience what it would be like to fly under emergency and unusual conditions on a regular basis," he said.

Meanwhile, the air force also has plans to build a simulator system for the F-5E, a project scheduled to be completed in two years which will begin next year.

The F-5E simulator construction project will cost NT$47 million, much less than the C-130H equivalent. It will be developed by the Chunshan Institute of Science and Technology (CSIST) of the military.

The F-5E simulator, to be installed at an air base in Taitung, is aimed at training F-5E pilots' air-to-surface attack capabilities.

The F-5E, which has been sidelined since the operation of new fighter planes such as the F-16 A/B, is not to be retired until 2010.

The simulator construction project is only part of the effort to extend the service of the F-5E.

The air force launched a radar upgrade project at the beginning of this year for the F-5E at a cost of NT$500 million.