The Royal Bahraini Air Force is making steady progress in consolidating the indigenous pilot training system for which it placed a contract with BAE Systems at the last Farnborough airshow.
The contract placed in 2002 included the supply of three Slingsby T67M260 Firefly primary/basic training aircraft, instructor pilots and support engineers, together with six Hawk Mk129s and a comprehensive training and support package, including synthetic training devices.
The first instructor pilots arrived in Bahrain in February 2003, and students from the Bahrain defence force academy began pilot training in May 2004, after a comprehensive selection process including aptitude testing, an English language exam, an assessment of aviation knowledge and understanding, and a selection panel interview. Their instructors include Major Adel Amari, a Royal Bahraini Air Force pilot, who completed his own instructor training at RAF Cranwell.
The first students flew their first solo sorties in June 2004, by which time the Fireflies had flown 742 sorties, achieving over 97% serviceability.
The elementary training syllabus includes some 80h of training on the Firefly, and covers basic handling, instrument flying, formation flying and navigation.
All of the students currently undergoing the Firefly elementary course will move on to basic helicopter training.
In the future students destined for fast jets will continue with an additional Firefly basic training course, and will then move directly to the Hawk.
The Royal Bahraini Air Force will take delivery of its first Hawk trainer aircraft in late 2006.
Source: Flight Daily News
