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Aviation History
1989
1989 - 2064.PDF
FINNAIR TRAINING Finnair has higher than average growth for an airline—20 per cent a year—and consequently demand for pilot training is increasing rapidly. Harry Hopkins assesses the Finnish flag-carrier's expanding training programme at its Pori flying training college and Helsinki flight training centre. yj ir transport is a natural choice in /\ Finland. Although Europe's fifth- / %largest country has a population of -Z_ ^just 5 million, it supports an internal air network with more than 20 destinations because surface routes are extended and frag mented by the country's 60,000 lakes. Flag-carrier Finnair operates mainly inter national routes. Its Finnaviation subsidiary, uses Saab 340s on domestic services, while another subsidiary, KarAir, recently took over Finnair's ATR42s for other domestic routes, and continues charter operations with A300s. Finnish airlines must employ Finnish pilots, and small-scale ab initio training has taken place for many years. The need to expand precipitated the transfer in 1985 of the flying training college, from Kuopio in mid-Finland to Pori, an ex-military airfield on the western coast. Three Beech A-36 Bonan zas and two King Air C-90s soon replaced Beech C-33 Debonairs and the Cessna 401/402 for instrument flying. A fourth Bonanza is to arrive shortly, and a decision is imminent on replacing the King Airs with a larger, higher-performance type with more "classroom" seats in the cabin. The college cannot afford jet training, but needs "glass-cockpit" technology. A Phase II-standard simulator will be bought for the type selected. Ten Cessna 152s are used for basic flying, but these should be phased out between 1991 and 1992. Co-operation with the Finnish Air Force on its Valmet L-70' Vinka trainer replacement could lead to a common new type, possibly Valmet's L-90 Redigo turbo prop. A future course is planned to reduce hours on the basic trainer by one-third, and to treble hours on the advanced single-engine trainer. PLANS FOR PORI Pori was to have met all commercial demands but, until recently, its whole output has been taken up by Finnair. The two subsidiaries recruit and train pilots separately although KarAir's ATR42s will be crewed by Finnair until it has enough first officers and promotes some captains. Port's planned throughput was 20 pilots a year, but this has risen to a target of 60, and is expected to peak at 80. Finnair's demand will peak in the next four to eight years, but the prediction of world demand remaining high for ten years after Pori is fully developed is behind its steady expansion. Finnair was one of the first airlines to use psychological selection tests, and soon found that sociable behaviour towards colleagues, reliability, and calmness are important characteristics. Selection accuracy is vital, because copilots now expect captaincy The ex-Alitalia DC-10-30 simulator has been fitted with Vital IV visuals 22 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 1 July 1989
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