Instructor at the Department of Aviation Studies, Abraar Khan guides students as they work on the Autopilot System Trainer.

The Fiji National University’s Department of Aviation Studies has successfully commissioned its newest Autopilot System Trainer.

The department, under the College of Engineering and Technical Vocational Education and Training (CETVET), is proud to introduce this as the first of its kind.

Situated at FNU’s Namaka Campus in Nadi, the acquisition of this high-quality system for the department’s avionics laboratory aims to provide students with a more advanced visual and interactive learning experience.

Head of Department, Vineet Dutt, said the launch represented another significant milestone for both the department and CETVET, demonstrating their ongoing commitment to strengthening practical training, enhancing assessment standards, and ensuring programmes remain aligned with industry expectations.

“By successfully commissioning the Autopilot System Trainer, we are not only improving the competency of our trainees but also reinforcing our reputation for delivering quality and industry-relevant training,” Dutt highlighted.

“This reflects our continuous efforts to improve training aids and demonstrates our capability to deliver industry-aligned education for current and future students.”

Students engaging with the Autopilot System Trainer.

He noted that the department previously did not have any training aid specifically for autopilot systems, and to ensure students are job-ready, it was necessary to upgrade the training resources for upcoming cohorts. This initiative aligns with FNU’s Strategic Plan focus on Enhancing Student Experience.

In addition, he said modernising laboratory facilities would contribute to the successful international accreditation of CETVET’s engineering programmes.

“The students will greatly benefit from learning practical skills using this trainer, and the knowledge they acquire will ultimately be transferred to the industry, especially as technology continues to evolve,” he said.

About the Autopilot System Trainer 

The Autopilot System Trainer is designed to allow instructors to describe the foundation of a modern autopilot system and help to demonstrate the functions of each subsystem.

The principal components of this trainer include, remote mounted, magnetic slaved directional gyro, flight computer, horizontal situation indicator, roll, yaw & pitch servos, instrument panel and flight controls, control yoke with rudder pedals.

The autopilot trainer has key features, as it will be mounted on sturdy roll around unit including the instructor’s panel for fault insertion.

The interface connectors provided is for integration with EFIS (Electronic Flight Instrument System) with this model.