Russia’s Ulan-Ude Aviation Plant Training Centre under Russian Helicopters has completed training Indian pilots on how to operate and maintain the Mi-171A2 helicopter.

The Mi-171A2 received a certification validating the rotorcraft’s export in India in late 2020. The company said first of these helicopters meant for the country has already been built.

The foreign experts studied the aerodynamics of the Mi-171A2, its design and technical operation, avionics, the VK-2500PS-03 engine with its integrated digital control system and the auxiliary power unit, ROSTEC said in a release recently.

Each of the Sky One Airways LTD personnel received an established certificate for passing the training. Among the trainees there were also specialists from the Indian Directorate General of Civil Aviation, who conducted a preliminary inspection of the training centre for its validation.

"During crew training, special attention is paid to the procedure and rules for operating cockpit systems and avionics, various details concerning piloting techniques, aerodynamics and dynamics of the helicopter flight, as well as crew resource management (CRM) and airborne communications. Along with the theoretical part of the program, each technical specialist also passed practical training in operational and routine maintenance," said the Managing Director of U-UAP Leonid Belykh.

The training program for Indian pilots included additional focus on operating procedures in non-standard and emergency situations, as well as for manoeuvring the helicopter out from a difficult spatial position.