How was training being imparted to pilots of the Indian Air Force?
After completion of their basic training–stage I on the HPT-32 and stage II on the HJT-16 Kiran or Iskra aircraft– the pilots are put on a MiG-21 FL trainer. It is basically a MiG-21 fighter converted into a trainer and part of the MiG Operational Flying Training Unit. Until the Hunter aircraft were phased out, this third phase of training was imparted on the Hunters, in a unit named Operational Conversion Unit. Are there any disadvantages in the existing training system? Yes. The sudden jump tothe supersonic MiG-21 is a tough challenge for a pilot who has till then only flown the relatively slower Kiran. The MiG-21 is a tough proposition because it is a single-engined fighter that is unforgiving of mistakes. If the same pilot flies afighter with two engines and fly-by-wire technology, he has a better chance of getting back to base safely even if he commits a blunder or one of the engines stalls. There have been several accidents involving trainee pilots flying MiG-21s. How many? The
