City?s IAF station top destination for cadets from abroad - The Times of India
CHENNAI: The Mechanical Training Institute (MTI) at the Indian Air Force (IAF) Station in Tambaram is not just popular among aspiring airmen in the country. Hundreds from abroad, particularly from South East Asian nations, come to the institute to acquire flying skills.
Said to be among the IAF's oldest ground training institutes, the MTI, celebrating 75 years of its existence, imparts skills in the mechanical trades to freshly-inducted airmen as well as in-service officers and airmen. "We train airmen from many countries including the European Union. However, those from South East Asian countries outnumber the others. Some defence personnel from many African countries too, come here," Air Officer Commanding of the station, Air Commodore Sanjay Sharma, said on the sidelines of the platinum jubilee celebrations of MTI on Thursday. Before being shifted to Tambaram in 1947, the MTI was located in Secunderabad in Andhra Pradesh.
The week-long celebrations, from November 14 to 20, include a cross-country run, painting and cycling competitions for children of air warriors, cultural programmes, social get-togethers and a community lunch for serving and retired defence personnel. A ceremonial parade will be held on Saturday, marking the end of the celebrations.
Every year, the inflow of foreign cadets has been varying. It depends on the requirements of the respective countries and their budgetary allocation for such training. Besides, the total number of foreign cadets that can be trained at the institute each year is decided by the ministry of defence. On an average, around 4,000 cadets, including foreigners, are trained at the institute annually. "Our role is to give the cadets sent to us the best training," Group Captain Akhilesh Verma, commanding officer, told TOI.
The syllabus for all cadets, irrespective of their nationalities, is the same. Air warriors are imparted skills in airframe, engine and weapon trades. The first involves maintenance and servicing of airframes and its accessories while the other two involve training in undertaking repairs and servicing of gas turbine engines and armaments. "A uniform syllabus is followed for all. However, the duration varies between three and eight months depending on the nature of the training," said Verma.
The instructors here are said to be facing a unique problem. Unlike doemstic air warriors, those from South East Asian countries, especially Myanmar and Bhutan, are slow in learning the nuance of military tactics, mainly due to their poor communication skills, and this makes the instructors' job more challenging. "Our experience helps us. We try to understand their difficulties and teach them accordingly," said an air force officer.