Approved Training Organization
“To serve in the SMA, a future pilot must first become a police officer or already be one with the CNP because a pilot with a police background better understands what is expected of them in the air,” says Chief Inspector Martin, an SMA pilot at the Cuatro Vientos air base. With no prior flying experience, he began his pilot training in 2005. After obtaining his frozen ATPL, he served on the MBB Bo 105 and became pilot in command after accumulating 500 flying hours as a copilot. Upon reaching 1,000 flying hours, he became an instructor, handling aircraft like the H120, H135 and H225. Over the years, he has been the head of European operations, coordinating SMA operations in Senegal and for Frontex, and he has amassed an impressive 3,600 flying hours within the SMA.
76 May/June 2024
“Until 1989, our aspiring pilots received their initial training from our colleagues in the Spanish air force on the H120 at the Armilla air base,” Martin explains. “Now, the SMA is an Approved Training Organization (ATO) designated by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). This means we can conduct the entire training in-house. Selected pilots start with 1,100 hours of theory before entering the simulator (FNPT II) for the H135. Subsequently, they undergo 120 hours of actual flight training on the H120. After successfully completing this first phase, pilots train for realistic police missions, combining the H120 and H135. This phase takes about 180 flying hours, with 90 hours on the H120 and 90 hours on the H135. After flying 500 hours as a copilot, pilots can progress to become pilot-in-command and eventually an instructor. We also train technicians, and we are fully authorized by EASA for this too.”
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