SAAF to increase use of simulators
Date: 8 February 2010
By Dean Wingrin
The SAAF is looking at innovative ways to save money, with the use of simulators being one of them.
Speaking at the recent Air Force Day Parade at Swartkop, the Chief of the Air Force, Lt Gen Carlo Gagiano, said that the SAAF, in terms of human resources and hardware, cannot be adequately supported its present budget.
"The negative effects of prolonged underfunding of our operational budget are being aggravated by the present global recession, and the recession will not disappear overnight."
As a result, "super-innovative" efforts were required to streamline processes and to cut red tape at all levels.
"Definitely we are going to concentrate much, much more on efficiency and effectiveness. We must use every rand to its absolute optimum," Gagiano said.
One of the ways is to make sure that training is optimised to the use of simulators.
Gagiano said:"I think we can make huge improvements to our training schedule and do it at a fraction of the cost."
"Our negotiations to acquire the use of the flight simulators of South African Airways is perhaps a case in point".
Gagiano has already visited simulators at Lanseria airport and still plans to go to Grand Central airfield to see the a Caravan simulator.
