CAT Magazine - Issue 2/2009

THE JOURNAL FOR CIVIL AVIATION TRAINING

www.halldale.com

ATC TRAINING

Cleared For Takeoff

AIRLINE TRAINING PROFILE

Qantas Group Flight TrainingWEB TECHNOLOGY

Training In Your PocketFLIGHT TRAINING

Florida Looks Beyond Its Shores To Stay Above Water

Issue 2/2009ISSN 0960-9024 | US $17/£8.50

WATS 2009

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WATS 2009

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I drive to work every day, proud to be part of a company committed to unmatched quality and value

in aviation training. Alteon instructors, with vast industry and operational experience,

deliver training at twenty centers in more than a dozen countries.

Being the world’s aviation training partner of choice…

now that’s something to be proud of.

w w w . a l t e o n t r a i n i n g . c o m

I drive to work every day, proud to be part of a company committed to unmatched quality and value

in aviation training. Alteon instructors, with vast industry and operational experience,

deliver training at twenty centers in more than a dozen countries.

Being the world’s aviation training partner of choice…

now that’s something to be proud of.

The 19th of February saw a world industry forum,conducted by Thales, that is already transformingthe way people are thinking about training andsimulation. View it now online and see what allthe excitement is about.

‘The New Reality’ is a dynamic newapproach that addresses ourcustomers’ key businessdrivers and requirements.

We understand that‘Total Cost of Ownership’means assigning adollar value to everyaspect of operation.Whether you are a puretraining business or anairline, you told us that total costof training and improved lead times are critical if you are to remain competitive.

We have been listening... and, consequently, our strong investmentin key technologies, support services and innovative financial options

is a vital part of ‘The New Reality’ at Thales. Talk with us soon aboutthe many ways we can help you achieve your business goals.

To find out more, please visit our website.

www.thalesgroup.com/thenewreality

MISSING THE EVENTDOESN’T MEANMISSING OUT.www.thalesgroup.com/thenewreality

26114_Thales_SIM_CAT_iss2_09_277x206:26114_Thales_SIM_CAT_iss2_09_277x206 19/03/2009 17:03 Page 1

EDITORIAL

Editor-in-Chief: Chris Lehman[e] [email protected]

Managing Editor: Alan Emmings[e] [email protected]

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Chuck Weirauch - Editor US AffairsChris Long - European AffairsFiona Greenyer - News Editor

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EDITORIAL COMMENT

CAT MAGAZINE • ISSUE 2/2009 05

Alan EmmingsManaging Editor, CAT Magazine

Business As Usual, More Or LessNo matter where you look at the moment, the outlook appears to be pretty dire for the avia-tion industry, as indeed it is for just about every other market sector on the planet. By all accounts this is going to be a really tough year for airlines. Worse, even, than the aftermath of 9/11.

Strange then that there appears to be so much optimism abroad. Are we becoming inured to the continual bombardment of grim forecasting? It’s not ignorance, nor is it complacency. I think it’s more a case of simply getting on with the job in the knowledge that the upturn will eventually come. The impending nadir will make way for another inevitable zenith.

Somewhat incongruously, but to my great delight, while preparing this column I read an article on the website of a quality UK newspaper, titled “Sick aviation industry...”, under-neath which read a Google add: “Become an airline pilot. Class starting June 2009. Book a skills assessment today”. I like that; a breath of fresh air in the face of adversity. It didn’t quite come across as cocking a snook, more of a metaphor for optimism, as if to say: “Come on everyone, let’s just get on with it.”

In this issue of CAT, there are good reasons to remain sanguine about the future of this amazing industry. There’s no navel gazing or attempts to predict outcomes. But there is an underlying urgency for continuing with what we do best, as well as some exciting prospects to contemplate.

The good folks in Florida (pp10-14), arguably the most favoured fl ight training location on the planet, are having a tough enough time of it. But they are working hard to win new business, mostly from overseas, and so keep their companies prospering. It’s a good exam-ple of adapting to the market and focusing on strengths.

Halfway round the globe, in Australia, Qantas Group Flight Training has undergone, indeed is still working on, a restructuring of the company’s training programs and policy. This airline view of training (pp.16-19) shows a different though nonetheless ardent approach from the independent school attitude in Florida. Fresh thinking and new train-ing models have been stimulated by new technologies and there is palpable energy in the company’s efforts.

As indeed there is in the maintenance sector. The continent is not alone in experiencing the seemingly intractable dearth of engineering talent. The reasons are manifold and akin to those in other regions. But Aviation Australia (pp20-21), a private company set up by the Queensland Government to provide specialised training, is tackling the issues head-on. And the initiative seems to be catching on, not only elsewhere in Australia, but also farther afi eld in Asia-Pacifi c. Government involvement could be the key to winning over a new generation and convincing them that an engineering career in aviation is worthwhile.

If only those budding engineers could read the technology features in this issue, they might be readily impressed. Word has it that Russia is lining up to become a major player in the simulation arena (pp.22-24), once the upturn comes. The skills and the technology are extant, if rather dormant, having been developed over decades in military research simula-tion. But that knowledge is ready and waiting to focus on the commercial market.

While Russia awaits its cue to take centre stage in training devices, the world as we know it is ready to move into training in miniature. Training in your pocket, or m-learning, i.e. mobile learning, looks like it’s about to make an impact (pp.25-28). It’s no gimmick either. Sure, it’s not going to take the place of a sim, but for quick, ad hoc training on the hoof, it has application, as many a student and qualifi ed aviation professional can already attest. All you need is a connection using one of the ubiquitous pocket gizmos used by apparently everyone in your street these days. Prepare to be amazed...

Alan EmmingsManaging Editor, CAT Magazine • [email protected]

The 19th of February saw a world industry forum,conducted by Thales, that is already transformingthe way people are thinking about training andsimulation. View it now online and see what allthe excitement is about.

‘The New Reality’ is a dynamic newapproach that addresses ourcustomers’ key businessdrivers and requirements.

We understand that‘Total Cost of Ownership’means assigning adollar value to everyaspect of operation.Whether you are a puretraining business or anairline, you told us that total costof training and improved lead times are critical if you are to remain competitive.

We have been listening... and, consequently, our strong investmentin key technologies, support services and innovative financial options

is a vital part of ‘The New Reality’ at Thales. Talk with us soon aboutthe many ways we can help you achieve your business goals.

To find out more, please visit our website.

www.thalesgroup.com/thenewreality

MISSING THE EVENTDOESN’T MEANMISSING OUT.www.thalesgroup.com/thenewreality

26114_Thales_SIM_CAT_iss2_09_277x206:26114_Thales_SIM_CAT_iss2_09_277x206 19/03/2009 17:03 Page 1

C H E C K O U T T H E F L I G H T S A F E T Y

When you choose FlightSafety International, you leverage the unmatched resources of a world leader in aviation training and training equipment. More courses, more instructors, more top-level fully qualified simulators, more training locations. We’re the authorized trainer for the majority of aircraft manufacturers, a world-leading supplier of proven advanced technology training devices and a major provider of mission-critical military training programs.

Business. We deliver training that meets or exceeds regulatory requirements – online, on location and at convenient Learning Centers near your aircraft manufacturer or a major service center. We tailor training to meet your specific needs and we train to proficiency for virtually every business aircraft in the air today.

Commercial. FlightSafety provides professional pilot and technician training for a broad range

of commercial aircraft, as well as training for flight attendants and dispatchers. We provide excellent customer service and online training management through myFlightSafety. It all adds up to exceptional value.

Military. Military aircrews that operate a wide variety of fixed-wing and rotor-wing aircraft benefit from FlightSafety’s comprehensive, highly cost-effective training media, courseware, sophisticated training devices and innovative distance learning. We have the resources and experience to meet your mission requirements.

Simulation. FlightSafety designs, manufactures and supports the world’s most sophisticated simulators, training devices and visual systems, with the most advanced features. We pioneered simulator electric motion and control loading, and we build full flight simulators for all types of aircraft, including rotorcraft.

*Of those operating business aircraft.

Dedicated to Enhancing

Safety Since 1951

Programs Tailored to

Customer Needs

Online Training

Program Management

Outstanding Customer

Service

Exceptional Overall Value

eLearning

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Training to

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Training for the Vast

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and Regional Aircraft

Worldwide Network

of 40 Learning Centers

Professional Training

for More Than 140

Aircraft Models

Serving 85% of Fortune

100 Companies*

3,000 Highly Qualified

Instructors

Serving All Branches

of the U.S. Military

125 Military Fixed and

Rotor-Wing Aircraft

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60 Aircraft Types

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Past Five Years Alone

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24/7 Worldwide

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Enhancing Safety by Delivering Superior Training and Support in the Areas That Matter Most

Quality Value Service Technology

For information, contact Scott Fera, Vice President Marketing 718.565.4774

[email protected] flightsafety.com A Berkshire Hathaway company

FlightSafety Gen Advantage - CAT - Bleed: 212mm xx 283mm Trim: 206mm x 277mm HIRES PDF COLOR VERIS PROOF

Gen_Advantage_CAT.indd 1 3/11/09 5:09 PM

5 EDITORIAL COMMENTBusiness As Usual, More Or Less. The outlook is dire. Strange then that there appears to be so much optimism abroad.

10 FLIGHT TRAININGFlorida Looks Beyond Its Shores To Stay Above Water. Florida’s attributes conspire in its favour. But its trainers are working hard to win new business.

16 AIRLINE TRAINING PROFILEPlanning For The Surge: Update On Training In Australia. The birth of a new entity, Qantas Group Flight Training, has been followed by its growth as a stand-alone business unit.

20 MAINTENANCE TRAININGWizards Of Auz Aiming To Put Excitement Back Into Aviation. The technology has matured… but the supply of trained people to maintain them has not made such stellar progress.

22 TRAINING TECHNOLOGYWaiting In The Wings - New Imperatives In Russian Aviation Training. Russia has moved with the times. Initiatives to change have come both from the state and the private sector.

25 WEB TECHNOLOGYComing Very Soon, To A Hand-Held Near You. Training in your pocket… trends in delivery options for learning and communications are fi nding their way into aviation.

29 ATC TRAININGCleared For Takeoff: Link’s New Tower-Based ATC Academy. Tower training is a rarity for new recruits to air traffi c control. But it is being planned atthe Link ATC Academy.

31 SIMULATION TECHNOLOGYHistory Of Civil Simulation II: Coming Of Age With PCs. Seminal developments in the technology, which elevated its value in the training arena.

34 NEWS FEATUREThe New Reality – The Thales View Of The Future. Thales recently launched a trio of initiatives in a single day.

36 B787 TRAININGRaising The Bar In Jetliner Performance And Training. The Dreamliner makes its fi rst fl ight this year. The 787 program and Alteon have been hard at work to revolutionize training.

38 NEWSAnalysis and Seen & Heard. News roundup from around the regions on latest developments in the training market, compiled and edited by Fiona Greenyer and the CAT editorial team.

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C H E C K O U T T H E F L I G H T S A F E T Y

When you choose FlightSafety International, you leverage the unmatched resources of a world leader in aviation training and training equipment. More courses, more instructors, more top-level fully qualified simulators, more training locations. We’re the authorized trainer for the majority of aircraft manufacturers, a world-leading supplier of proven advanced technology training devices and a major provider of mission-critical military training programs.

Business. We deliver training that meets or exceeds regulatory requirements – online, on location and at convenient Learning Centers near your aircraft manufacturer or a major service center. We tailor training to meet your specific needs and we train to proficiency for virtually every business aircraft in the air today.

Commercial. FlightSafety provides professional pilot and technician training for a broad range

of commercial aircraft, as well as training for flight attendants and dispatchers. We provide excellent customer service and online training management through myFlightSafety. It all adds up to exceptional value.

Military. Military aircrews that operate a wide variety of fixed-wing and rotor-wing aircraft benefit from FlightSafety’s comprehensive, highly cost-effective training media, courseware, sophisticated training devices and innovative distance learning. We have the resources and experience to meet your mission requirements.

Simulation. FlightSafety designs, manufactures and supports the world’s most sophisticated simulators, training devices and visual systems, with the most advanced features. We pioneered simulator electric motion and control loading, and we build full flight simulators for all types of aircraft, including rotorcraft.

*Of those operating business aircraft.

Dedicated to Enhancing

Safety Since 1951

Programs Tailored to

Customer Needs

Online Training

Program Management

Outstanding Customer

Service

Exceptional Overall Value

eLearning

Convenience

Training to

Proficiency

Training for the Vast

Majority of Business

and Regional Aircraft

Worldwide Network

of 40 Learning Centers

Professional Training

for More Than 140

Aircraft Models

Serving 85% of Fortune

100 Companies*

3,000 Highly Qualified

Instructors

Serving All Branches

of the U.S. Military

125 Military Fixed and

Rotor-Wing Aircraft

Simulators in Service

Operations at 29

U.S. Military Bases

60 Aircraft Types

Simulated in the

Past Five Years Alone

99.6% Simulator

In-Service Availability

24/7 Worldwide

Simulator Support

Enhancing Safety by Delivering Superior Training and Support in the Areas That Matter Most

Quality Value Service Technology

For information, contact Scott Fera, Vice President Marketing 718.565.4774

[email protected] flightsafety.com A Berkshire Hathaway company

FlightSafety Gen Advantage - CAT - Bleed: 212mm xx 283mm Trim: 206mm x 277mm HIRES PDF COLOR VERIS PROOF

Gen_Advantage_CAT.indd 1 3/11/09 5:09 PM

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10 CAT MAGAZINE • ISSUE 2/2009

florida looksBeyond its Shores

to Stay Above Waterto Stay Above Waterto Stay Above Waterto Stay Above Waterto Stay Above Water

So far the Academy has produced 13,000 grads, which now work for more than 60 airlines around the world. “Flor-ida has provided a major contribution to aviation training,” Phillips said.

The fl ight school has more than 80 training aircraft and offers training from zero hours to an advanced jet direct air-line program.

New international training agree-ments are sprouting up as well. Accord-ing to Nick Frisch, director of F.I.T. Avia-tion at the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, the school recently began a new alliance to provide a multi-FAA / JAA training program with the Pilot Training College of Ireland (PTC). Under this 200-hour program, students will earn

With the highest number of fl ight instructors (over 8,000) of any state in the

US, the second highest number of FAA certifi ed pilots, from private license to commercial, and nearly 150 independent fl ight training companies, it’s no won-der that Florida is considered one of the world’s major centers for fl ight training. One source estimates that one-fi fth of the world’s pilots have earned their wings in the state.

This last estimate may seem high but considering the number of interna-tional airlines that send their new hires to Florida, and the number of students from other countries who choose Flor-ida fl ight schools, it could be true. And that percentage could rise with more of the state’s fl ight training businesses recruiting overseas students, as fewer domestic intakes enroll due to the poor US economy.

While some fl ight schools struggle in the current economic environment, those that have increased their international student enrollments seem to be faring better.

According to Steve Phillips, spokes-person for FlightSafety Academy in Vero Beach, student enrollments have grown signifi cantly, with 60% of new students from other countries. One reason why the Academy now has a lower percentage of domestic students is that those students are fi nding it diffi cult to obtain fi nancing for their fl ight training education.

“We are fairly full,” he said. “We are actually encouraged by the number of students, given the current economic situation.”

an FAA private pilot's license and a JAA commercial pilot's license with multi-engine privileges. Completion of the instrument certifi cation is done in Ireland at the PTC facilities. Currently there are about 60 students in the program, Frisch said.

The new PTC agreement has helped with enrollments, which overall have been down 30% from last year. However, Frisch hopes that the addition of new training equipment and facilities will help increase enrollment. The fl ight school has a training fl eet of 35 aircraft and recently conducted a major fl eet makeo-ver to add new glass-cockpit aircraft. In addition, F.I.T. recently bought Frasca Mentor and Fidelity Seminole simulators. Florida Tech has also dedicated a new $4m 14,000 square-foot center for train-ing and research, which will house F.I.T. Aviation.

“We have found that more students


Domestic students are fi nding it diffi cult to

fund their fl ight training education.

Image credit: FlightSafety Academy.

to Stay Above Water

Florida must be envied by many of the world’s training regions, particularly in the current downturn. Its attributes all seem to conspire in its favor. But its leading players are working hard to win new business, writes Chuck Weirauch.

At FligthtSafety Academy, 60% of its new

enrollments come from outside of the US.

Image credit: FlightSafety Academy.

are going with the four-year traditional degree program, whereas before they did not see that as an advantage,” Frisch said. “Once they earn their degree, they can go into other areas of aviation if they can’t find a job as a pilot.”

DifferenceThe changeover from 90% domestic stu-dents to 90% international students has made all the difference for the SimCenter at Miami International airport, according to managing director Henry George. A considerable percentage of students are from India. India does not have the infra-structure for any advanced flight train-ing programs, nor do many of the Asian Pacific countries, George said.

“I have been expecting a slowdown for a number of months. But actually 2008 has been the best year in our 10-year history and January was a tremen-dous month,” he said. “This is due to the fact that we deal mostly with the Indian market, even though India pulled back earlier last year. Indian airlines are now hiring and there will be two new startup airlines. So 2009 might not turn out to be as bad as we thought.”

SimCenter also gets students from Australia, New Zealand and the Phil-ippines, and the school just signed an agreement for line training with a Mid-dle Eastern charter airline, George said. Training at the facility ranges from zero flight time to type ratings. Students end up with type rating on their commercial pilot’s license, which is usually a 10-month program. The SimCenter leases all of its simulators from Alteon’s Miami Training Center.

“If you don’t have a type rating endorsement, you are pretty much at the back of the line,” George said. “It has become a requirement.”

American Flight Training Academy in Opa Locka can also attribute its current success to the high number of interna-tional students, according to owner Peter Riker. The flight school provides ab initio and advanced airline training primarily for Indian and Far Eastern students. A major draw is its new hybrid nine-month heavy jet ab-initio course, which Riker refers to as a “boot camp”. The Acad-emy collaborates with Aeroservice Avia-tion Center in Miami for advanced B737 simulator-based type training. Graduates of the Academy’s program participate in Aeroservice’s flight crew job fairs.

“We are exactly the opposite of what some flight schools are experienc-ing,” Riker said. “We [proceeded] with our expanded training program recently because we thought things couldn’t get much worse and went ahead full-throt-tle. So far, we have seen a significant response from the marketplace.”

Degrees HelpWith tough competition for pilot jobs in the current economy, several aviation educators are advocating that potential airline pilots earn a four-year college degree in the aviation field. According to Frank Ayers, chair of the flight department at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University at Daytona Beach, this is a good time to enter a four-year educational institution. The degree provides an advantage in the aviation industry these days, since it can provide more opportunities than short-term flight school programs.

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Students seem to be getting that message, since enrollments are stay-ing strong at ERAU, Ayers said. Steady growth in international students by about 17% to 18% over previous years has also helped, he added.

Another draw may be that the col-lege is in the process of expanding its training aircraft fleet. The college expects to add 10 Diamond DA-42 aircraft to the fleet this year. Flight training will also be enhanced by the addition of two Frasca DA-42 simulators. In addition, ERAU is also building a new hangar for its flight line, which is expected to be operational by August 2010.

Like some other Florida flight train-ing schools, in spite of the downturn in students, SimCom in Orlando is add-ing to its simulator capacity, as well as upgrading its training devices. Busi-ness aircraft training customer enroll-ment has been "soft" due to the current economic situation. This has reduced the acquisition of new aircraft and the turnover of used aircraft, all of which has lowered demand for training, said senior vice president and managing director Tracy Brannon. However, the company still plans to add a Socata TBM 850 and a King Air 300-350 simulator this year, as well as upgrade its FTDs with Level D equivalent visual graphics.

Miami-based Pan Am International Flight Academy (PAIFA) is also invest-ing in its future in spite of the economy. PAIFA recently added a B737-400 and B747-800/400 FFS to its Miami facil-ity, as well as new sims at its Memphis, Minneapolis and Las Vegas locations. The company has also added many new FAA-approved programs to its Part 142

Top: Embry-Riddle has recently added the

Diamond DA-42 to its fleet of aircraft.

Image credit: ERAU.

Below: A graduating class of A320 FOs from

Kingfisher Airlines at SimCenter, Miami.

Image credit: SimCenter.

training certificates, according to senior director of sales Captain Greg Darrow. These new initial and recurrent pro-grams are offered on the B777, B737-600-900 and BBJ aircraft, as well as the A330 and A340, CRJ-200, 700 and 900, and EMB-170 through 195 airliners, Dar-row said.

Pan Am International Flight Acad-emy saw a few of its airline customers go out of business in 2008, but replaced all of these losses with new carriers from emerging markets in Africa, Asia and South America, Darrow said. “We are seeing an attempt to postpone train-ing or reduce training cycles by some of our customers, but this can only be

done for a short period. Most of our cur-rent airline customers are still forecast-ing training hours equal to those of 2008 and 2007.”

PositionedDespite the current downturn, the favorable Florida training climate and environment, as well as the diverse and plentiful training resources and personnel, mean that the state is well positioned to ride out the latest finan-cial storms.

According to James Bystrom, direc-tor of Gulfstream Training Academy in Fort Lauderdale, the Part 121 flight school is enjoying a good outlook for

2009. Although the Academy primarily serves as the training center for regional Gulfstream International Airlines, its graduates are also finding jobs at other airlines. A typical 250-hour program is conducted in approximately five and a half months, Bystrom said.

The flight school has an agreement with Skywest, as well as other region-als. Gulfstream International is growing and has recently begun services to the Midwest and Northeast, as well as add-ing routes to Caribbean destinations this April, Bystrom reported.

“We are a Florida-based airline and a home-town airline, both of which are attractions for pilots. The Florida weather is also an attraction, but we have weather conditions as well,” Bystrom said.

Even though Alteon is taking a “hunker down” position this year due to a slight downturn in the number of customers, according to chief operating officer Len Weber, the company’s Miami center remains a major draw for busi-ness. The center serves Alteon’s US and Latin America clients.

“It’s a big positive for the center to be in Miami,” Weber said. “It provides a draw for customers, since it’s a great host city. The Miami center is one of our key pieces. It’s equal to the size of the center in Seattle and serves as a bell-weather for economic conditions in the US and Latin American region.”

“We view Florida as a tremendously important location for both interna-tional and domestic business,” Dar-row said. “Strategically located as an international gateway for training from Europe, South America and Africa, our Miami location has always been the preferred training location for airlines from these regions. The weather, excit-ing community and tourist facilities make Miami an ideal location for our customers to train. We will continue to grow our training center in Miami and are always open to new opportunities throughout Florida.”

“There are a number of factors that contribute to Florida’s appeal and suc-cess,” Brannon said. “The environment, the diversity of Florida’s population, the availability of numerous training provid-ers, carriers and technology, international accessibility and the state’s numerous tourist attractions all combine to make Florida an appealing and successful loca-tion for training.” cat

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There are facets of fl ight crew training in Australia, which do not necessarily have the same

high visibility as the Qantas motif, but which still have a signifi cant role to play. The birth of a new entity, Qantas Group Flight Training (QGFT), as reported in CAT 5/2007, has been followed by its growth as a stand-alone business unit. The key driver behind its creation was the recognition that there were poten-tially both operational and commercial benefi ts to be had, by identifying and implementing best practice across the entire Qantas operation.

Qantas and Australian Airlines merged some 25 years ago and although both cultures had sound competencies, there was great interest in standardising procedures between the two operations and effi ciently using common resources of equipment and techniques to unify and improve training.

The introduction of a low-cost opera-

tor, JetStar, within the Qantas group, and the inclusion of the Qantas Link regional network, further reinforces the value of having a unique training philosophy. With some 2,500 fl ight deck crew and 10,000 cabin crew, the overall training task and cost is signifi cant. New effi cien-cies would not only help the bottom line, they could also free-up resources to sup-ply training to third parties and generate additional revenues.

ResourcesWith an extensive program of new air-craft acquisitions underway (65 B787s on order with 50 options, 20 A380s, 108 A320s and 80 B737-800s), the two prin-ciple training centres at Sydney and Mel-bourne are being modifi ed to cope with the surge.

One development is particularly interesting. Of the recently developed technologies, Captain David Coates, group general manager of Qantas Group

Flight Training, is hugely impressed with the Evans and Sutherland EP1000 visual system (it features the latest LCOS capa-bility) for the simulators.

With an expanded fi eld of view (47°x 200°), it better matches the larger win-dows fi tted to widebody aircraft, and the level of realism and quality is “beyond expectations”.

The sharper image and improved refresh rate makes it, in his view, the benchmark. So keen is he on this system that existing simulators will be retrofi t-ted with it. He is also keeping a close eye on developing and future technolo-gies, including the evolution of seat cue-ing accurately synchronised with good visual systems – he favours the work

The stylized kangaroo logo of Qantas is probably the best-recognised symbol of Australian aviation. Certainly it represents the top end of the civil aviation market there, and the airline’s far-reaching route structure projects a national image very effectively, writes Chris Long.

Planning For The Surge: Update On Training In Australia

Above

The EP1000 visual system on-board the

A380 full fl ight simulator.

Image credit: Qantas Group.


being done by Dave Rapley of Aerosim in the development of a fixed base trainer. This will be a flat panel device fitted with tactile controls and capable of delivering quality training for taxiing / low visibility operations / TCAS and runway incursion prevention.

Qantas bought the first CAE 5000 FFS prototype and has been keen to work alongside the manufacturer as it has matured.

With the B787 on order the associ-ated training devices have also been bought from CAE. Two initial procedures trainers have been ordered, which, with a full flight simulator, will provide training for the first 15 aircraft. A second FFS is to be ordered as the fleet builds beyond that first tranche. Given the high crew-aircraft ratio required for widebody aircraft oper-ation (four crews per aircraft), the steady state would eventually require one FFS per 12 aircraft.

Conventional wisdom has it that the delivery of a FFS for a new aircraft type be arranged “just in time” before aircraft arrive. Experience with the A380 has shown that if a minimum of 12 months is set between arrival of the FFS and delivery of the aircraft, then a thorough

development of the training programme, together with comprehensive implemen-tation of instructor training, results in a flawless and cost-effective entry into service from the perspective of crew training.

Integrated TrainingCabin crew training is embraced in QGFT, not only at the Sydney and Melbourne centres, but also in Brisbane. With some crews based outside Australia, training for them takes place in Auckland with Air New Zealand, and in London with British Airways. In the spirit of stand-ardisation, however, Qantas instructors are used throughout. Naturally the full range of safety and security training is provided and door trainers, emergency trainers and pool training are contained in-house.

Specialist fire training, first aid and security training are presently con-ducted by third parties but thought is being given to bringing these in-house in future.

As with flight crew instructors there are two underlying principles with respect to instructor qualifications. All instruc-tors must undertake at least two sectors

Left

Qantas’ CAE-built A380 full flight simulator

based at the Sydney training centre.


of operational work in a six-month period to maintain the link and understanding of operational demands. And all instructors are to be multi-skilled in the delivery of “soft” skills, such that they can deliver emergency training, human factors (HF) and CRM training.

For cabin crew promoted to the position of customer services manager (the Qantas title for the senior cabin crew member), there are simulator details and LOFT exercises to observe and understand flight crew tasks and workloads. HF and CRM training are conducted jointly with cabin and flight crews.

Considerable cost is incurred over incidents, which happen during work on the ramp. Proactive effort is upheld to improve training for personnel involved in those tasks to reduce the risk of personal injury and damage to expensive equipment. QGFT is devel-oping a “virtual ramp” for training in aircraft marshalling, tug driving, air bridge operation and freight loading to improve safety.

ExpandHaving re-structured a comprehensive

training suite to support its own group-wide operations, QGFT plans to use this expertise to expand the third party train-ing business training, which it already delivers to some 30 airlines. Its eye is firmly on the training market in the region and it sees as key to this expan-sion the establishment of partnerships with equipment manufacturers, regula-tors and airlines.

Ab initio pilot training has a strong

The cabin crew safety and security

training is provided by QGFT at a number

of training centres.



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tradition in Australia, varying from air-line fully-sponsored cadet programmes to private sponsorship. Favourable weather and a low-cost base make it an attractive training option. In the

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view of David Coates, the clear leader and benchmark in the field is Flight Training Adelaide (FTA). Now a mem-ber of the Flight Training Group, the Hong Kong owned company has a long history of competent flight training, and the facility at Parafield, Adelaide, is still operating close to maximum capacity even in these challenging times.

Globally there is a shortage of instructors in the civil aviation training business. FTA is not immune to this and sources its instructors through another partner within the group, also based at Parafield. Although there is still a high turnover it is largely manageable, and in fact some of these instructors are in a scheme whereby, once they have quali-fied as a Level 2 instructor, they receive a seniority number from Cathay Pacific and after three years at FTA they then join that airline.

In addition to the self-sponsored students, FTA has a broad customer base, which includes cadet pilot pro-grammes with Cathay Pacific, Emir-ates and Japanese airline JAL Express. This is a very effective model with extremely close ties between the parent airline, the regulators and the school. Students are well selected, motivated and work hard – a joy for the trainers. Another string to the FTA bow is the increasing numbers of rotary wing students; two customers of note are the Hong Kong Government Flying Service, which has a particularly able instructor in Adelaide, and students from the Rescue and Salvage Bureau of the Department of Transport of China. Keith Morgan, CEO of FTG, believes that this diversity is one key to long-term viability of a training school.

European CooperationAnother initiative in the ab initio mar-ket is the quest for training to the JAR/EASA licences. One venture following that path is the International School of European Aviation. The partners are the Lund University School of Avia-tion in Sweden, and the University of Wollongong, NSW Australia. Students will graduate with a CASA and JAR Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL) with instrument ratings, multi-engine rat-ings and JAR ATP theory and licence with a Vocational Graduate Certificate in Aviation.

The course starts with a selection process in Sweden; most of the course is then carried out at Bacchus Marsh, some 50km west of Melbourne where Peter Dow, who drove the development, oversees training delivery. In order to satisfy JAR requirements the final training and skill tests are conducted back in Sweden. This operation pres-ently operates on a small scale, but the structure is set up to cater for gradual expansion.

Fresh ThinkingNew technologies have brought with them fresh thinking in the approach to flight simulation and training devices. An example is to be found at the Mel-bourne-based Simulation Centre Aus-tralia (SCA). Founded by a former robotics specialist, Chris Kasapis, it challenges some of the conventional beliefs on motion cues. The underlying assumption is that motion cues can be effectively given using much shorter electric rams than traditional systems, providing that the software is adapted to the 12” stroke available with this sim-plified system.

Kasapis does not claim levels of FFS fidelity, but believes that this much more compact device can be a useful tool with many tasks, from giving train-ing to deliver the competencies neces-sary to bridge the gap between ab initio and airline operation, to providing the platform for IR renewal. It is not only Kesapis who believes this to be the case – both CASA and the Malaysian DCA have certified the SCA200 FFT as suit-able for the IR renewal skill test. The attraction of such a system is that its smaller size and comparative simplicity dramatically reduce not only its instal-lation footprint, but also acquisition and operating costs.

Flight crew training systems in Aus-tralia are evidently taking the initiative in developing new training models and equipment across the entire spectrum of civil aviation. Not only are the estab-lished training providers adopting new ways, but there is obviously room for new entrants who are prepared to accept the challenge of bringing original solu-tions to the market. Let’s hope that the energy they are creating can weather the present economic storm and can set the pace for the inevitable upturn, whenever that may be. cat


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These days, challenges to the industry extend beyond the simple creativity and persist-

ence of people in the hangar or lab-oratory. While technology has matured and aircraft have become incredibly reliable, the supply of trained people to maintain them has not made such stellar progress.

For many years under a heavily regulated airline environment, carriers like Qantas and Ansett could afford to train a surplus of high quality aircraft maintenance engineers and remain net contributors to the industry. How-ever, airlines have had to reduce costs, including training, and so now have become net consumers of engineering talent.

This has contributed to an increasing worldwide shortage of qualifi ed aircraft maintenance engineers that consistently exceeds the shortage of pilots and which seems to be fed by a number of clear challenges.

In a recent submission to the Austral-ian Parliament, Paul Bredereck, industry veteran and CEO of Aviation Australia, one of the world’s leading aviation engi-neering training institutions, identifi ed some critical challenges.

According to Bredereck, these include:• Aircraft maintenance has an image problem. Following high profi le airline failures, the effects of the Asian eco-nomic crisis, 9/11, SARS, high oil prices, and now the global fi nancial crisis,

there seems to be a perception that the industry is risk-prone and a poor career choice.• The collapse of Australia’s (then) sec-ond airline Ansett in 2001 is still a fresh memory and, along with widespread media speculation about Qantas main-tenance work going to Asia and Qantas job cuts, aviation careers are further rel-egated to careers of last resort.• In Australia, federal funding which supports students’ living expenses while undertaking full-time prevoca-tional trade training is means tested against parents’ combined income at quite a low level. This limits accessi-bility for many of the potentially better candidates.• There is no consistent approach or coordinated strategy by state govern-ments in funding and delivering aviation training due to relatively small numbers in overall terms compared with other industries. Curriculum and standards vary across states and for the most part are not harmonised to new CASA 100.66 (which is aligned to EASA Part 66 and 147 regulations).• There are many career choices for school leavers and this, combined with a relatively low starting salary for aircraft maintenance engineers, is a disincentive to potential entrants.• There is a critical need to create training programs and methodologies that address the generational change in learning styles. For many years a traditional “four-year apprenticeship approach” was the core of the train-ing effort. This is no longer a relevant approach, as it does not meet the needs of industry or students.• In an effort to focus their money on the “sharp end”, defence forces around the world are outsourcing maintenance to civilian contractors and so have them-selves ceased to be suppliers of trained personnel to industry.• Industry itself must also do much more to promote structured engineering career pathways. The challenge remains that of convincing “old school” manag-ers that the old ways of training appren-tices through unstructured, on-the-job experience, simply no longer applies

Australia’s isolation and pioneering spirit have spurred its people to punch above their weight in many areas of endeavour. Notably it has produced some of the most innovative and respected maintenance engineers, writes David Bentley, business development manager, Aviation Australia.

Wizards Of Auz Aiming To Put Excitement Back Into Aviation

There is an increasing worldwide shortage

of qualifi ed aircraft maintenance engineers.

Image credit: Aviation Australia.


in the era of highly complex (and very expensive) aircraft systems.

Other sources have indicated that other issues may be at play. For exam-ple, despite the increasing complexity and intellectual capability demanded of engineers, it is still seen in some quar-ters as a blue collar job and therefore less desirable than a profession that demands a university path. A signifi-cant effort must be made to address this issue if quality candidates are to be lured away from other industries.

Government and industry need to quickly develop programs, which identify the more talented young peo-ple and develop them through experi-ence and higher education to be future leaders, innovators and designers. If this does not occur many industry seg-ments will not have the skilled capa-bility to sustain their organisations in the future.

EffortsSignificant efforts have been made, starting in Queensland with the gov-ernment’s vision that became Aviation Australia. What makes organisations like Aviation Australia stand out is the leadership it has shown in adopting a “clean sheet of paper” approach in designing modern programs based on EASA Part 147 training standards and Australia’s expertise in competency based training, ahead of the rest of the local industry and indeed many parts of the world. This early adoption has proven to be a significant benefit as the Civil Aviation Safety Authority in Australia has now largely aligned its maintenance licensing and training regulations with EASA. As the rest of the world moves in this direction, Avia-

tion Australia can offer full EASA B1 and B2 training to Australian and over-seas trainees and remains the first non-European institution to do so.

To address the needs of future engineering management, Aviation Australia also created a diploma pro-gram and is moving towards a degree program in aviation engineering that is specifically tailored to the needs of the industry.

Attracting the best young people to the industry was also a priority. To this end, Aviation Australia partnered with Boeing Australia (now Boeing Defence Australia), and the Queens-land Department of Education to cre-ate a dedicated Aviation High School, and to introduce formal aerospace pro-grams into 17 secondary high schools (years eight to 12) across the state. This has been hugely successful.

All of this has been achieved in close consultation with industry and govern-ment, so in providing his observations, Bredereck knows of which he speaks.

Some other states have begun to take similar action. In Victoria, Kangan Batman TAFE (a state vocational insti-tution) has licensed Aviation Australia’s courseware and has been delivering EASA based training to that State’s avi-ation trainees for a couple of years, but more needs to be done.

In order capitalise on the successes of these leading organisations, a coor-dinated effort is needed to create a cohesive and thorough training system that eliminates the gaps and shortfalls of the past. By consulting with indus-try, it will provide a specific and aligned program offering highly trained entry-level trainees to carriers in Australia and overseas.

KeyThat government involvement is key to success has been shown by a number of governments and government owned airlines in the Middle East and Asia, who are sponsoring engineering cadets to attend foreign institutions like Aviation Australia.

As the world moves inexorably towards globalisation, standards and practices inevitably have to be aligned and local history, tradition and “fixes” must give way to best practice and agreed methodologies.

The final challenge for governments, educational institutions and other spon-sors of industry training is to recognise that there will continue to be a shortage of aircraft maintenance personnel and that this will only become more acute with the growth in air traffic.

Further action needs to be taken now to reinvigorate the industry, to create up-to-date and forward look-ing training programs that address the new technology, and to shake off the old image issues past.

Recently the Australian government took a serious look at the challenges in the creation and publication of a Green Paper on aviation, which sought the views of the regulator and numerous industry experts like Bredereck on issues such as skills and productivity. This was the first such review for some time and bodes well for the future of the training industry in Australia. But clearly, there is much more to do.

To succeed, the industry needs to demonstrate to a new generation of engi-neering minded youth that aviation is exciting and it can take them anywhere in the world and as far up the food chain as they want to go. cat

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One indicator of the Rus-sian state’s view was the instruction issued in June

2008 to Dr. E.N. Lobashev, then adviser to the minister of transport of the Russian Federation, who was asked to undertake a wide-ranging review of civil aviation safety in Russia.

The aim was to produce a com-prehensive set of appropriate regula-tions and processes to ensure constant improvement in civil aviation safety, bearing in mind the new equipment entering service. Within that remit was a determination to ensure that present and future training would also be properly adapted to the new generation of aircraft and technology.

Using ICAO Annex 1 as the prime ref-erence for licensing processes, and with the anticipated introduction of ICAO Document 9625 as the guide to future classifi cation of fl ight simulation and training devices (FSTD), it was decided

that civil aviation training in Russia would only make minor changes to adopt them into Russian law.

Indeed Dr. Lobashev is very pleased to point out that Russia is the fi rst country to formally adopt the most recent Docu-ment 9625 (Issue 3) into national law, an action that indicates very clearly the will to set and to maintain an internationally recognised bedrock of legislation.

As frequently happens in these instances, once this review was com-pleted, Dr. Lobashev was asked to imple-ment the tasks identifi ed in that work. As such, he has recently been appointed director of the State Centre for Flight Safety Civil Aviation.

One of the instruments available to guide the adoption of appropriate cer-tifi cation for FSTDs is the Certifi cation Centre for Flight Simulation and Train-ing Devices in Moscow. (This centre, led by Dr. Vladimir Shibaev, features in a report in CAT Issue 1/2009, p36). There is

presently a discussion about this centre working with Sukhoi and Thales to pro-duce training devices in support of the Sukhoi Superjet.

ScaleTo give scale to the training task for Rus-sia, Guillaume Dubois of Thales, based full-time in Moscow, explains that the present Russian civil aircraft fl eet num-bers about 3,800 and is predicted to rise to some 5,200 by 2024.

However, the vast majority (around 75%) of the older Soviet-built aircraft will need to be retired over that period, par-ticularly as they are increasingly costly to maintain and operate.

While the production of a new gen-eration of Russian built aircraft (such as the Sukhoi Superjet) is on the horizon, it is likely that there will be an increasing number of western built aircraft operat-ing in Russia. Consequently, and in spite of the present economic downturn, there will be a growing demand for training devices, which use the technology in these new aircraft. Thales believes that this market is suffi ciently important that it is in the process of boosting future sup-port by setting up an in-country support centre.

It may surprise some to learn that, while there has in the past been pro-duction of some sophisticated simulator technology in Russia, the emphasis has usually been on building devices suitable for research and development. Histori-cally the training philosophy has largely been to use aircraft for routine training tasks. This policy is changing as newer aircraft arrive and appropriate training tools are required.

As far as pilot supply is concerned, there is a similar case. Many of the present airline pilots have gained their experience on older aircraft and will be retiring soon. Consequently there will be an increasing demand to train pilots for the new fl eets; estimates suggest that some 700-800 new pilots a year will be needed. Naturally this fi gure is also dif-fi cult to defi ne with accuracy given the present economic situation, but it serves to scale the size of the training task.

As countries adapt to the fl ood of new technologies and regulations in the world of civil aviation, Russia also has moved with the times. Initiatives to change have come both from the state and the private sector, writes Chris Long.

Waiting In The Wings - New Imperatives In Russian Aviation Training

S7’s fi rst of two A320 full fl ight simulators

supplied by Thales.

Image credit: Thales.


In the shakeout from earlier private sector initiatives a clear leader in terms of scale has emerged in the privately run airlines. The biggest domestic non-state carrier is S7 Airlines, whose base is at Moscow’s Domodedovo airport. Its fl eet comprises:

Aircraft Type Number

A310 7

B767 2

B737-400 4

B737-NG 4

A320 Family 25 (Incl. A318 & A319)

This fl eet makeup was infl uenced by the decision made in November 2008 to stop operation of all Soviet-built aircraft as they were judged to be too ineffi cient. An order for B787s was recently can-celled and a yet-to-be-determined type acquired through leasing will fi ll that fl eet segment.

As Oleg Vasiliev, director of S7 train-ing, points out, it is challenging to accu-rately predict the rate of acquisition because of the present economic climate. Nonetheless he has a clear idea of the direction he wants to take for training in terms of equipment and process.

Russian law forbids the use of for-eign pilots in Russia. However, he sees as very positive the decision to stay close to ICAO guidelines. Vasiliev believes that certifi cation requirements for new FSTDs are clearly laid out in ICAO 9625 and that certifi cation can therefore be applied for directly through the Russian regulatory authorities.

The newly-built S7 training facil-

ity is typical of modern training centres around the world, including as it does a mix of modern classrooms, CBT, part-task trainers and so on. Importantly the quality systems are being built in, with the assurance that proper instructor qualifi cation and training records are an integral part of this setup.

In the same vein, Vasiliev is keen to adopt the training patterns of the aircraft manufacturers as a source of effective and credible training standards. For instance, S7 has embraced the Airbus APT2 foot-print and, interestingly, has found that with an additional three sessions of FMS

RP Aero Systems will supply S7 with its

cabin crew training equipment – a B737

door trainer and an A320 CEET.

Image credit: RP Aero Systems.

training and two of ECAM training, pilots from legacy aircraft can successfully transition to the A320.

A great believer that investment in appropriate training tools is necessary, S7 training has an FTD from ECA Faros, which is used for MCC and transition training.

Cabin crew training will be carried out using equipment supplied by RP Aero Systems; a B737 door trainer with NG over wing exit and an A320 cabin emergency evacuation trainer (CEET) for installation at the S7 training centre in May 2009. The CEET will comprise a 1L type I main door with a type III emer-gency exit. Also featured are smoke and fire simulation (three positions), auto-matic rechargeable simulated fire extin-guishers and oxygen mask deployment with auto-retract.

JewelThe jewel in the S7 training crown is an A320 FFS, which will be commissioned soon, the first of two to be supplied by Thales. S7 intends to continue this build-up of training equipment, as there are another two simulator bays available, but is not yet able to publicly announce the source of further devices.

Although some sources in Russia are convinced that MPL is the solution to ab initio pilot training, Vasiliev takes a dif-ferent view. He is entirely satisfied with the quality of young pilots coming out of the traditional pattern from such training establishments as the Ulyanovsk High Civil Aviation School.

After an academic, medical and psy-chological testing process prior to enrol-ment, students complete a five-year train-ing course. Flight time includes about 20 hours on the Yak 40 jet, which prepares them well for their introduction to airline jet operation; they graduate with a CPL/IR.

They go on to complete an S7-designed JAR/EASA style MCC course before moving into transition training. About 200 pilots a year come through this system, so the shortfall to provide the 700-800 a year may, in the future, be addressed by using military train-ing facilities when required, as there are presently no private ab initio pilot train-ing schools.

One thing is clear from a visit to this facility – if S7 training represents the future model of Russian civil aviation training, then it not only shows the flex-

ibility of thinking needed to adapt to new demands, it also clearly sets a standard, which is well up to international levels, and thereby acknowledges the modern imperatives for training.

SimulationThe role of FSTDs in routine training has not historically been widespread in Rus-sia. However, over a considerable time there has been a huge build-up of exper-tise in simulation, a lot of this originating from the world–renowned Central Aero-dynamics Institute (TsAGI). Dinamika, founded some 20 years ago, recently benefited from private financing to sup-port the technical strength of the TsAGI. This company, based at Zhukovsky, some 40km outside Moscow, has inherited the expertise accumulated over decades of development of sophisticated research simulators. Having produced military simulators, it can adapt to the needs of future civil aircraft simulators.

While the earlier trend had not taken the same route as western simulator manufacturers in the development of motion platforms, there is huge exper-tise in developing software to mimic and predict advanced aerodynamics for large aircraft handling, particularly outside the normal flight envelope such as can occur during upset recovery.

Such software development was, for instance, completed for the simulator for the Sukhoi Su 33, an advanced carrier-borne fighter aircraft. A visual system with a 220x60° FoV illustrates the scale of technical competence which is avail-able. An information exchange with a western counterpart could well be very productive.


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Military technology can be adapted to the

needs of future civil aircraft simulators.

Image credit: Dinamika.

Alexander Litvinenko, director gen-eral of Dinamika, described a future pat-tern that is being explored. There is a Rus-sian national project to form a company, which encompasses both Russian state resources and other shareholders such as Dinamika. Indeed there could well be a place for international partners in such a company, which would have as its aim the eventual production of a range of training tools to support future training needs. This project has yet to gain official authorisa-tion, but the formal decision-making proc-ess is due to start in June 2009.

It is evident that there has been con-siderable movement in the sphere of civil aviation training in Russia. Some initia-tives have been taken by the state, with additional resources and fresh thinking coming from the private sector. Even a year ago there was considerable opti-mism that a whole new approach could be selected and moved forward. What is very clear is that there is a shared vision to implement training patterns tailored to present and future needs. The ques-tion remains, as it does globally, as to how much can realistically be achieved in the present economic climate.

Make no mistake, however; whenever the financial situation and the market picks up, a great deal of preparatory work has already been done to enable Russia to re-establish itself as a strong player in the aviation sector, and to match the capabili-ties of other training systems and organi-sations elsewhere. cat

1Executive Corner

NEWSCIVIL SIMULATION & TRAINING

Issue no.20 Spring/Summer 2009

one step ahead

CAE’s 5000 Series full-flight simulator celebrates impressive first year of service

IN THIS ISSUE

Executive Corner Delivering value to our customers

Feature Story CAE’s 5000 Series full-flight simulator celebrates

impressive first year of service

Technology Developments CAE Insight: The Flight Data Analysis Tool for Airlines

Industry DevelopmentsCAE works with industry stakeholders to harmonize

global helicopter FSTD criteria

Training Developments Introducing closed-loop/evidence-based

training for pilots

Global PresenceSpotlight on CAE Training and Services, Canada

Pilot Provisioning

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2 Feature Story

CAE has been serving customers in the aerospace industry for more than 60 years. We began our journey developing flight simulators and have evolved to where we are today: providing our customers with the widest array of training solutions. These solutions are more and more operationally-orientated and scenario-based in order to prepare aviation professionals to anticipate and meet the challenges of the most basic to the most complex flight and maintenance procedures.

Would it not, therefore, be beneficial if we could apply these same philosophies and best practices to the world economy we are faced with today? If we could offer scenario-based training to world leaders and bankers alike, we could perhaps simulate the complex financial markets to better understand the institutional interdependencies within our global economy and bring liquidity back into the financial markets and unclog our economy. If we could model and simulate the application of stimulus packages for government and citizens, then we could

make more informed decisions with greater benefits.

Regardless of the field or industry, training allows us to explore scenarios that are unfamiliar and untried. It brings us experience in practices and procedures that prepare us for the real world. In these turbulent and uncertain times, airlines and aircraft operators require a commitment from their partners and suppliers to help them face and respond to the challenges ahead. The price of entry for suppliers is to uncover and create value that will drive efficiency and effectiveness.

At CAE, we operate across all segments of aviation, which gives us visibility into best practices. We continue to develop cutting-edge simulation technologies, such as the CAE 5000 Series full-flight simulator, CAE True™ Environment for air traffic control simulation and CAE Insight for flight data monitoring and analysis, creating an enhanced learning environment and an opportunity for greater productivity that leads to increased effectiveness and efficiency for

our customers. We offer the industry’s most comprehensive and fully integrated suite of simulation products and training services that enables us to tailor solutions to specifically address our customers’ requirements. Couple these capabilities with the fact that we are the only “pure play” company in the simulation and training industry, and you create an environment of focus and clarity of actions.

CAE’s history and experience is unparalleled. As we look to the future, and beyond the current economic situation, we are bullish on the aerospace industry and are absolute in our commitment to lead in our areas of expertise. We will continue to leverage our global footprint, develop and deliver innovative technology and solutions, and find different applications for our products that will ultimately deliver value to our customers.

We will continue to leverage our global footprint, develop and deliver innovative technology and solutions, and find different applications for our products that will ultimately deliver value to our customers.

2 Executive Corner

Delivering value to our customers

by Jeff Roberts, Group President, Civil Products and Training & Services, CAE

3Executive Corner

It was in February 1909 when the first Canadian powered flight took to the skies over Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. A lifelong dream of inventor Alexander Graham Bell, the Silver Dart marked the birth of Canadian aviation. In the one hundred years since this milestone, the aviation industry in Canada and around the world has evolved dramatically. Today, millions of passengers commute by air all over the globe on aircraft that are piloted by men and women who are trained on the world’s most sophisticated full-flight simulators (FFS) and flight training devices, most of which are designed and manufactured by CAE.

CAE’s 5000 Series full-flight simulator celebrates impressive first year of service

In February 2009, CAE underscored its more than 60-year history in flight simulation and training by announcing that its breakthrough CAE 5000 Series FFS had surpassed 15,000 hours of training in its first full year of service. This marked a significant milestone for CAE and the 5000 Series FFS, which had only taken its place as a member of the industry’s most comprehensive and fully integrated suite of simulation products two years earlier.

Unveiled to the aviation industry on March 28th 2007 at CAE’s Montreal facility, the CAE 5000 Series FFS is the creation of several years of close collaboration with CAE’s Customer Advisory Board (CAB) and Technical Advisory Board (TAB) members, worldwide regulatory agencies and CAE’s own training instructors. With both the CAB and TAB instrumental in the design of the CAE 5000 Series, CAE engaged the customer community to research and address their training needs, industry trends and direction, and identify key design requirements. The result has been a FFS that today offers customers a flexible and modular state-of-the-art training solution while delivering enhanced efficiency and lower acquisition and operating costs.

“We are very proud of the close relationship we’ve had with customers not just in the design of the 5000 Series simulator, but in partnering to address whatever training needs a particular airline may have,” said Jeff Roberts, Group President, Civil Products and Training & Services. “CAE is unique in our ability to offer the industry’s most comprehensive portfolio of integrated simulation products, training services and support services. In addition, because simulation and training is the entire focus of CAE, our customers never have to question our ongoing commitment to innovation and serving the flight training market. With its notable ergonomic features, a standardized and modular building-block design and optimized deployment strategy, the CAE

5000 Series FFS addresses initial, recurrent, type and conversion training requirements for high-volume commercial narrow-body aircraft such as the Boeing 737 and the Airbus A320, as well as regional and business aviation training including the light jet/very light jet (LJ/VLJ) market segment. CAE paid particular attention to the instructor operating station and non-simulated area by using human factors analysis to provide a more effective working area for instructors and observers in the 5000 Series FFS.

Within the two years that have followed the launch of the CAE 5000 Series FFS, many milestones have been achieved already. One such milestone took place less than a year after its launch when the first CAE 5000 Series FFS achieved Level D certification, the highest qualification for flight simulators, by the United Kingdom’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and entered service at CAE’s Burgess Hill training centre in the U.K.

The most recent Level D qualifications include a CAE 5000 Series A320 FFS for Aeroflot Russian Airlines and a CAE 5000 Series A320 FFS for the Zhuhai Flight Training Centre (ZFTC), a joint venture between China Southern Airlines and CAE. The ZFTC A320 FFS was the first 5000 Series FFS to be certified by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC).

Feature Story 3

With the CAE 5000 Series experiencing over 15,000 hours of pilot training in its first full year of operation, CAE has had the opportunity to work closely with its customers to evaluate a range of performance measures. Some of these findings include:

Greater than 98.5 percent availability with no major equipment failures;

Between 20 and 30 percent lower operating costs due to lower power consumption, less preventative and corrective maintenance, and fewer spares;

Reduced delivery time by approximately 30 percent from contract award to ready-for-training.

“What CAE wants customers to know is that we are the company best prepared and most capable of helping any size airline address any training requirement they may have,” said Roberts. “From the industry’s most comprehensive range of simulation products to a global network of training centres and customer support solutions, CAE is the ideal partner.”

4 Feature Story

As part of CAE’s overall integration of Flightscape, CAE is integrating its simulator brief-debrief system (BDS) with Flightscape’s Insight product line to provide airlines with a best-in-class common framework for monitoring and analyzing flight data from an aircraft or a flight simulator. Flightscape’s Insight product, which is now used for aircraft flight data analysis and reporting, was initially designed to be used for accident investigation readout and analysis, including animation of flight data from the aircraft’s Flight Data Recorder. The product has since been augmented for use by airline safety departments for accident prevention as part of airline flight data monitoring (FDM) or flight operations quality assurance (FOQA) programs. The Insight product has also been used as a framework to develop airport familiarization courseware.

With the integration of Flightscape into CAE and CAE’s BDS into the Insight product line, the comprehensive product suite will now be known as CAE Insight. Airline safety and training departments will be able to use the same core technology to serve their respective needs. This has two key benefits. First, this offers economies of scale as the investment can be shared between the two groups. Second, and more importantly, information can be more easily shared between the airline safety and training departments creating a feedback loop between operations and training. In particular, this will allow the airlines to tailor their training based on objective flight data from daily operations.

CAE Insight-BDS permits continuous monitoring of the crew performance during simulator training sessions using a digital camera, while also providing a recording of audio, avionics display data and selected aircraft parameters.

In briefing mode, CAE Insight-BDS allows for the upload of flight plans and Instructor Operator Station (IOS) parameters to the full-flight simulator (FFS) to set-up the simulation session, thus saving valuable simulator time. The instructor can also play back library sessions to demonstrate pre-recorded training maneuvers and get accustomed to the FFS IOS pages. In addition, pilot crews can conduct airport familiarization training.

In debriefing mode, the instructor can play back audio, video and data of the last training session, including simulator visual display, Jeppessen charts, IOS plots, and graphic aircraft instruments. The

play back alternatives can be shown in multiple windows, which are user configurable, thus providing instructors with a valuable instructional tool.

CAE Insight-BDS leverages the rest of the CAE Insight product suite, including CAE Insight-Analysis and CAE Insight-FDM, to also offer advanced plotting as well as simulator flight data monitoring/flight operations quality assurance (S-FDM/S-FOQA) capabilities. This latter capability allows for more objective assessment of pilot performance as well as trend analysis, which can be used to improve training curricula.

CAE Insight-BDS is available for commercial, regional and business aircraft simulators. Although optimized for CAE simulators, CAE Insight-BDS can also be used on third-party simulators.

CAE Insight: The Flight Data Analysis Tool for Airlines

Technology Developments

CAE Insight-BDS (Simulator Brief-Debrief System)

Product

CAE Insight Software Solutions for Flight Data Analysis

Accident Investigation

FDM/FOQA (Aircraft)

Simulator Brief-Debrief (including

S-FDM/S-FOQA)

Flight Animation / Airport

Familiarization

Maintenance Read-out

CAE Insight-FDM (Flight Data Monitoring System)

CAE Insight-Animation (Flight Animation System)

CAE Insight-Analysis (Data Import and Plotting System)

CAE Insight-Recovery (Bit Level Editing System)

Application

4

5Executive CornerIndustry Developments

CAE works with industry stakeholders to harmonize global helicopter FSTD criteria

Touted as the largest harmonization effort ever attempted in the history of the flight simulation training industry, the RAeS Airplane IWG was closely followed in early 2007 by the kick-off of the Helicopter International Working Group (H-IWG). Recognizing the growth in the helicopter industry, the increased interest of the helicopter industry in new simulation training technology and the advent of new FSTD regulations, the goal of the H-IWG is to draft a new ICAO document for the qualification of helicopter FSTDs. In addition, the H-IWG hopes this new ICAO document will establish an international reference for the development of new FSTD regulations around the world, and facilitate mutual recognition among the 190 ICAO member states in the qualification of helicopter FSTDs.

Totaling approximately 35 international members, the H-IWG is comprised of helicopter manufacturers and operators, helicopter service clients, FSTD manufacturers and operators, training organizations, regulatory authorities and various specialists. The H-IWG is divided into two sub-working groups: the technical and training sub-working groups.

A representative from CAE, Stéphane Clément, P. Eng., Ph.D, is the co-chair of the H-IWG technical sub-working group, just as he was for the Airplane IWG technical sub-working group. CAE is working with the H-IWG to address the overall classification and qualification of helicopter FSTDs. The H-IWG focuses on the core flying tasks contained in civil helicopter pilot licenses and ratings rather than specialized missions, and it addresses issues such as the fidelity of motion cues, vibration cues, visual cues and ten other simulation features. The H-IWG is also catering for advances in technology wherever possible and the increasing trend towards the use of FSTDs for smaller helicopters and basic licenses and ratings.

“CAE is honored to be a member of the H-IWG and to be at the forefront in establishing a new, global framework for helicopter FSTDs”, said Stéphane Clément, Leader of Aviation Industry Regulations, CAE.

“By creating the first ICAO helicopter FSTD document, the helicopter industry will have a well-aligned, consistent approach to qualifying and using FSTDs. Standard ICAO FSTDs will have clearly defined capabilities, derived to fulfill the simulation fidelity requirements of internationally recognized pilot training, testing and checking tasks.”

The H-IWG will draft a new document, namely Volume 2 of the new ICAO 9625 Edition 3 document, and plans to submit the document to ICAO some time in 2010. It is the intent that this ICAO Advisory document will become the basis for:

• The development of an international criteria for the qualification of helicopter FSTDs;

• National Aviation Authorities’ regulations for helicopter FSTDs;• Mutual recognition worldwide.

As the civil helicopter industry hones in on reducing helicopter accident rates and drives the trend toward advancements in pilot training and safety standards through the use of FSTDs, CAE continues its commitment to innovation, efficiency and technology and its dedication to industry-wide regulatory initiatives. For all industry stakeholders involved in the harmonization of FSTD criteria, the work facilitated by the RAeS receives high praise, not only because operators will benefit from a streamlined FSTD framework and access to consistent quality training and flight simulation products worldwide, but ultimately because harmonization of FSTD criteria will enhance worldwide aviation safety.

During his address to conference attendees at the Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS) in November 2005, Dr. Edward D. Cook of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) highlighted the fact that there were no internationally accepted criteria for the classification and qualification of civil flight simulation training devices (FSTDs). This fueled a discussion during a one day RAeS conference and raised the question, “Is it time for simulator qualification standards to be updated?” The consensus answer from airlines, training centres, aircraft manufacturers, regulatory authorities, simulator manufacturers and other industry stakeholders was a resounding “Yes”.

Following the conference, the RAeS initiated the establishment of two industry-wide International Working Groups (IWG) on FSTDs- one for airplanes and the other for helicopters. The focus of both IWGs has been the need for international harmonization for the qualification of FSTDs and the development of a new system of classification, based on the pilot training, testing and checking tasks to be performed in the various pilot licenses and ratings.

In 2006, CAE joined with the other stakeholders of the Airplane IWG to begin the initial work on the airplane FSTD criteria. The goal was to update and significantly expand on the current International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Manual of Criteria for the Qualification of FSTD - Document 9625 since the existing ICAO Document 9625 referred only to the highest level of full-flight simulators for airplanes. The Airplane IWG yielded a proposed first draft of a new ICAO Airplane 9625 document, which was presented to ICAO in August 2008. This draft was subsequently reviewed by ICAO for its technical content and various editing requirements. Accordingly, a second draft was presented to ICAO in February 2009 and is now undergoing further review and editing before being issued formally by ICAO to the ICAO member states.

6 Feature StoryTraining Developments6

The challenges of pilot training in today’s global environment are many. For instance, the demographics of cadets are changing, there are more operators and more sophisticated aircraft, and despite a slight drop in the past year, the global trend suggests a continued increase in air traffic over the next 20 years. With the projected worldwide increase in demand for proficient and safe pilots, the industry is also challenged to find more efficient ways to offer best-in-class training, particularly to emerging markets. The current regulatory environment, however, was created after World War II and to this day remains based on a milestone-oriented, regulatory system of hours flown. This approach is changing, but the aviation industry needs solutions now.

One such solution exists in introducing the relatively new field of “closed-loop/evidence-based” training to emerging aviation markets. This term refers to the deliberate use of evidence and data in making decisions when designing and implementing courses of study. The design of such a revolutionary system would need to incorporate minimum attributes such as:

• Content-relevant data from flight operations quality assurance systems

• Testing and job performance measurement• Continuous evaluation of training and programs• Rigorous analysis comparing learning outcomes to efficiency and

safety• Continuous adjustments to courseware and curriculum based on

safety data

Closed-loop/evidence-based training, using the latest technology designed for aviation training, will help deliver a more efficient and safe way of producing proficient pilots in a timely manner, as well as make significant improvements to the way aviation does business. Training budgets, operational effectiveness and, ultimately, safety outcomes all have the potential for significant enhancement.

Synthetic, scenario-based flight training systems are ideally-suited to matching relevant flight telemetry and incident databases to optimal training solutions. By leveraging its vast flight training network of full-flight simulators, engineering expertise, and world-renowned state-of-the-art technology, CAE has the potential to respond quickly and effectively in delivering evidence-based pilot training, meeting the needs of emerging aviation markets.

Introducing closed-loop/evidence-based training for pilots


Training Developments6

The challenges of pilot training in today’s global environment are many. For instance, the demographics of cadets are changing, there are more operators and more sophisticated aircraft, and despite a slight drop in the past year, the global trend suggests a continued increase in air traffic over the next 20 years. With the projected worldwide increase in demand for proficient and safe pilots, the industry is also challenged to find more efficient ways to offer best-in-class training, particularly to emerging markets. The current regulatory environment, however, was created after World War II and to this day remains based on a milestone-oriented, regulatory system of hours flown. This approach is changing, but the aviation industry needs solutions now.

One such solution exists in introducing the relatively new field of “closed-loop/evidence-

based” training to emerging aviation markets. This term refers to the deliberate use of evidence and data in making decisions when designing and implementing courses of study. The design of such a revolutionary system would need to incorporate minimum attributes such as:

• Content-relevant data from flight operations quality assurance systems;

• Testing and job performance measurement• Continuous evaluation of training and

programs;• Rigorous analysis comparing learning

outcomes to efficiency and safety;• Continuous adjustments to courseware

and curriculum based on safety data.

Closed-loop/evidence-based training, using the latest technology designed for aviation training, will help deliver a more efficient and

safe way of producing proficient pilots in a timely manner, as well as make significant improvements to the way aviation does business. Training budgets, operational effectiveness and, ultimately, safety outcomes all have the potential for significant enhancement.

Synthetic, scenario-based flight training systems are ideally-suited to matching relevant flight telemetry and incident databases to optimal training solutions. By leveraging its vast flight training network of full-flight simulators, engineering expertise, and world-renowned state-of-the-art technology, CAE has the potential to respond quickly and effectively in delivering evidence-based pilot training, meeting the needs of emerging aviation markets.


7Executive CornerGlobal Presence

Spotlight on CAE Training and Services, Canada

CAE’s strength has always been its ability to provide customer-focused training that incorporates the latest technologies and tools. CAE has always maintained an innovative and entrepreneurial approach to simulation and training, with a focus on enhancing customer’s safety and efficiency.

CAE measures the operational realities facing customers constantly, as a matter of good business and to exceed their expectations. Additionally, CAE’s products and services portfolio provides optimal solutions from a 360 degree, 3D vantage point. For example, some clients only require simulation and training hardware and software products. CAE can provide that solution with its world-renowned simulation products. Others, however, are exploring different ways to focus on their core business and partnering with CAE to deliver world-class training solutions. These partnerships with CAE can have numerous forms:

• Maintenance services to maintain and manage full-flight simulators, training devices and classroom hardware and software. What’s the advantage? The latest in high efficiency and technology tools maintained to the highest quality standards;

• Service and training solutions that, in addition to maintaining all equipment, provides various levels of services such as centre management, courseware services and e-Learning, aircraft maintenance training, initial and recurrent ground school and simulator training;

• CAE also offers cabin crew training and flight data recorder optimization programs using CAE’s Flightscape products.

No company is better positioned to respond to the challenges faced by the aviation industry, and to continue training flight and ground crew to the highest standards of safety, as evidenced throughout CAE’s global training network.

Comprising training centres in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver, CAE’s training network in Canada provides customers with the very best in commercial aviation training. Offering curriculum for both pilots and aircraft maintenance technicians, the centres feature CAE’s fully integrated multi-screen CAE Simfinity™ classrooms, full-

flight simulators and flight training devices. The centres are located in close proximity to the major airports in each city, saving clients time and additional travelling expenses. Additionally, each centre is equipped with study rooms, lounges and amenities such as shuttle and concierge services that add to the overall training experience. At each centre, customers will find the same quality of instruction, service, courseware and technology that distinguishes CAE as a global leader in aviation training and services.

Keeping with CAE’s continued commitment to expand and cover all major commercial aircraft types, CAE offers the only A310 and Do328 TProp training platforms in North and South America, at its Montreal and Toronto training centres, respectively.

Touching on almost every type of mainline and regional aircraft, CAE’s reputation for high-end, full-flight simulators is world-renowned. CAE also fills practically every training subject niche, delivered by experienced instructors through traditional classroom or courseware offered on desktop computers or over the web. CAE’s training concept combines systems and practical training throughout the program, ensuring that training events are fully integrated for better learning retention and a “real-world” learning experience.

With all of these products and services at customers’ fingertips the safety continuum is assured with CAE, from cadets’ right through to the seasoned professional pilots.

CAE and Air CanadaCAE and Air Canada signed an agreement in 2007, whereby CAE became responsible for managing the simulators and training centre operations for Air Canada in its Toronto and Vancouver locations. As a result of this agreement, Air Canada is relocating its current training devices and flight training organization in Toronto to facilities adjacent to CAE Training and Services, Toronto, making it the largest training centre in Canada with 13 simulator bays.

Working together in this shared location, Air Canada and CAE are taking advantage of areas of expertise and synergies to deliver world class training, resources and programs to customers worldwide.

As everyone in the aviation industry is keenly aware, the airline business is cyclical and certainly not immune to its share of ups and downs. The economic climate confronting businesses today has challenged every industry to re-evaluate its core strengths, and the aviation industry is no exception.

8 Feature Story

CAE, St-Laurent, Quebec, Canada H4T 1G6 • [email protected] • cae.com Civil Simulation and Training News is a publication of CAE. © 2009 CAE All rights reserved. NC920 – 0401-P02

Jane Edwards, Chris Stellwag, Editors Jimmy Tigani, Graphic Design

Reader feedback and contributions welcome

Pilot provisioning is not just a trend, it’s a mustAirlines around the world currently face significant challenges on all fronts, and crew management is no exception. Globally, the industry will require more than 18,000 new pilots per year over the next 20 years according to a Boeing study. As a result, the human resource departments of airlines are trying to cope with recruitment volume and instability, in addition to fierce competition to attract qualified pilots. New airlines, which are just starting operations, also have challenges including how to quickly ramp-up pilots without sacrificing quality.

Irrelevant of the size of the operation, airlines not only need qualified pilots, but dependable ones that have profound skills and knowledge, combined with the right attitude, and that are prepared for any professional airline environment.

Traditionally, there have been four different types of trained pilots that an airline can choose from:

Airlines now have access to turnkey pilot provisioning services, which have evolved significantly over the last few years, to meet flight-crew requirements for the short- and long-term, and CAE is leading the way.

Pilot provisioning services will help address the current recruitment challenges and ensure that the solution suits the needs of the individual airlines. An airline can choose its level of involvement in the overall recruitment process and work with the pilot provisioning provider to either manage the complete training program, choose the ab-initio school or simply be involved in the selection process.

The key to coping with the numerous challenges related to finding, selecting, recruiting and training a dependable pilot is to rely on a high-quality process that starts right at the selection phase. Using solid selection tools and testing, including psychometric and psychology, at the beginning of the process can significantly reduce pilot failure rate and save the airline time and money. Another key to success stems from an ab-initio curriculum that focuses on competency-based rather than hour-based training and that goes beyond the

minimum regulatory requirements. It is useful to start the airlines indoctrination right from the first day of training and offer a learning environment that allows cadets to develop the attitudes needed to work in the professional context, using know-how from instructors with years of experience with major airlines. Through this method, new pilots are not only qualified to the highest industry standards, but they are ready to operate as professionals on an airline team.

By choosing a turnkey solution that delivers pilots that are ready for duty, a pilot provisioning service leaves airlines the time to focus on their core business.

With its pilot provisioning initiative, CAE strives to optimize airline resources to get the best cadets from ab-initio through to type-rating, while safeguarding the highest-quality standards. CAE is constantly growing its base of experienced and new pilots as part of the company’s pilot provisioning initatives. Aligning a process that is streamlined, efficient and collaborative with 60 years of experience in simulation-based training technology and an unmatched global network, CAE is committed to the success of your airline.

Type-rated pilots with experience

Type-rated pilots with no experience

CPL / MCC holders Ab-initio students

Challenges

Selection process

Quality

Refresher training

Availability

Training quality

Unsure of basic training quality

Time-consuming selection process

Flow might be insufficient to support airline growth

Long lead times

Time-consuming processes involved

Training quality

Turnkey and flexible pilot provisioning services

Four types of pilots

Airline Recruitment

Solution

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Now that you have fi nally fi n-ished converting all those old Authorware CBT programs to

Internet-friendly web-based “e-learning” modules, it is time to relax, right?

Perhaps not. Are you ready for m-learning?

The “m” is for mobile. Not your lug-gable notebook PC and a WiFi connec-tion at Starbucks. Rather, small screen devices… BlackBerry, Apple iPhone, Google’s Android, and other “smart phones” (which are really handheld com-puters) with connectivity almost any-where.

A young fl ight instructor at the Uni-versity of North Dakota with a penchant for multimedia production, Anthony Bottini, saw an opportunity in the vid-eos Millennial Generation students are downloading to their iPod or MP3 digital players.

With the encouragement of course manager Rob Clausen and Dick Schultz,

associate director of fl ight operations, Bottini produced some brief “online tel-evision” training videos and made them available to student pilots.

The concept snowballed, as often happens in North Dakota. Three years later, UND’s “AeroCasts” have been downloaded (free) from Apple’s iTunes website more than 400,000 times from literally all around the world, averaging about 200 a day. The FAA even uses some of the productions, which run from about four minutes to more than 20. There are more than 25 titles available, ranging from “Principles of Stability” basics, to the more recently released “Emergency Approach and Landing.”

The videos are a mix of original air-craft footage, close-ups of cockpit instru-ments, simulation scenarios, graphics and text overlays, fl ight instructor nar-rators, music, and plenty of Grand Forks blue sky.

The AeroCasts were originally

designed to help students prep for meet-ings with fl ight instructors, says Clausen. “It turned out that the students enjoy them. Plus, it saves them money because they’re more prepared for their fl ight training.”

Dr. Bruce Smith, Dean of the UND Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences, says the AeroCasts “reach out to people in a way like no other media has been able to.”

Bottini is now a Saab 340 pilot for the Mesaba Airlines regional, based in Min-neapolis, but continues to develop new AeroCasts. He drops into the UND cam-pus whenever possible, “fi lms everything for two solid days,” then edits the videos at his home computer or on his laptop during layovers.

The simulations in the UND videos are from Laminar Research’s X-Plane, which also sells a downloadable iPod version of its sim for only $9.99. Laminar boldly claims: “We are getting into a power and variety of fl ight simulator that is starting to rival desktop products.” Commercial airline pilots “are now using it for keep-ing up their skills to fl y more safely in the real thing,” using X-Plane on their iPhone to brush up for recurrency checks.

You can even test your A320 skills against USAirways’ Capt. Chesley Sul-lenberger, in a replication (complete with actual air traffi c control audio) of the Hudson River landing. Cost: 99 cents.

Think briefKris Rockwell, president and CEO of Hybrid Learning Systems, says train-ing developers need to think in terms of the “two-minute lesson” for m-learning applications. This is partly because of the small screens on handhelds, partly limited battery power to handle complex graph-ics fi les, and largely because of the set-tings in which Blackberries and iPhones are used – while walking, driving, and eating lunch, rather than seated in front of a desktop computer with the intent of focusing for a length of time. Rockwell prefers the term “nomadic learning” for on-the-move apps.

Handhelds are “not completely there yet” in terms of accommodating robust

Computer-based training... web-based training... and next, training in your pocket. Rick Adams looks at the trends in delivery options for learning and communications, and how some forward-thinking groups are applying them to the aviation community.

Coming Very Soon, To A Hand-Held Near You

Replication of the USAirways’ A320 Hudson

River Landing on the iPod.

Image credit: Apple/Laminar Research.



system simulations, Rockwell suggests. They might do well for displaying the action of a hydraulic pump, but may not be the best tool for navigating around the entire hydraulic system.

He suggests a three-tier approach to content for small screens: first, the root level instruction, such as “power off engine”, followed by the next tier, such as a graphic of “here’s what the center console looks like.” The third tier might be a link to an online technical manual.

For small screens, think “small shots of information rather than 45 minutes. You’re not trying to push a huge lesson down a very thin connection.”

Rockwell, who is chairman of the emerging technologies committee for the Aviation Industry CBT Committee (AICC), the training community’s lead-ing-edge technologists, says the group is looking at standards for deploying “offline” content, since the users’ con-nections may fail mid-lesson.

One likely candidate is the Darwin Information Typing Architecture (DITA), an XML-based scheme, which divides content into small, self-contained topics that can be reused by different deliv-ery mechanisms. DITA was originally

developed by IBM and is now an OASIS standard.

DIY OptionsAnother trend, considering these lean economic times, is the low-cost, do-it-yourself approach to training. Western Canadian developer Aerostudies, which claims to have created “the first com-plete online training system designed exclusively for the airline industry,” ena-bles smaller operators to “do it all them-selves using existing staff,” according to president Geoff Falconar. Perimeter Avia-

tion in Winnipeg has deployed over 100 courses in the past two years – “almost unheard of in the ‘traditional’ e-learning industry, which is overly complex and overpriced for the typical aviation work-place,” he says.

Aerostudies has also done busi-ness with Boeing and the FAA. And Air BP Aviation uses its “Ascent” system to train thousands of ground crew at FBOs across North America.

Ascent is “pure HTML” and “light-ning fast, even on dial-ups”, according to Falconar. It is also updateable at any time. Referred to as “the WestJet of e-learning”, Falconar says Aerostudies is “creating a new market of aviation com-panies that have not been using online training because it was too expensive or complicated.”

Hightop, a company led by UND adjunct Professor Steve Leon, offers an online library of more than 20 topics such as airspace and ATC procedures, wake turbulence, icing conditions, and even fatigue recognition. Leon says: “We go to great lengths to keep the courses inter-active and interesting enough that pilots want to take their recurrent or initial training online.”

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A range of lessons is available through

UND’s AeroCast training videos.

Image credit: UND.


Have you “tweeted” yet? Should be a natural for an industry based on “birds”.

The new “tweet”, though, is not the sound of a winged creature, but rather a brief text message for sharing real-time information and links with friends, col-leagues, and even total strangers with common interests.

A “tweet” is a message of 140 or fewer characters sent to your computer or mobile phone via Twitter.com, a social media website, also known as a “micro-blog”. Twitter was launched three years ago and is reported to have grown more than 1,000% last year to six million-plus users.

Cyclist Lance Armstrong “tweets” to keep his fans up-to-date with his racing and cancer research activities. For exam-ple, the day after his accident in Spain, he wrote: “At the doc’s office. I guess it wasn’t such a ‘clean’ fracture after all. Bummer.”

The US president and the UK prime minister have Twitter accounts (though it is doubtful they are sending messages without press secretary approval). The “inventor” of the Internet, Al Gore, has an account to promote his hot ideas, as do a number of celebrities, broadcast networks, and newspapers. A potential time waster for people with little better to do than “follow” the trivialities of peo-ple with large egos? Or a non-traditional communication tool for quickly updating others on helpful information?

JetBlue, Delta, Air France, and Scan-dinavian are early adopter airlines, largely using messages for customer service and marketing. Very light jet manufacturer Eclipse Aviation is on Twitter. So is the US Air Force public affairs office.

Pilots in the US Northwest can use Twitter to receive METAR weather reports for their pre-flight briefings.

AICC has started using Twitter to provide members and interested oth-ers on activities status. Some of the first reports from the scene of the USAirways Hudson River landing were tweets from eyewitnesses. Think in terms of a cell phone text message, but available to any-one on the network.

If you prefer, you can restrict an account so only approved “followers” can access messages - just pilots at your

A Primer on “Social Media”

Ph: 217-344-9200 Fax: 217-344-9207Web: www.frasca.com Email: [email protected]

“I like dealing with Frasca because they have the technical expertise andmanufacturing capabilities of a big company, combined with the flexibility ofa small entrepreneurial organization. They make a great product and giveoutstanding aftermarket support... dealing with their engineers is a greatpleasure because they're very practical - they don't always try to sell youevery new gizmo or gadget. Instead, they listen to your needs and deliver a cost-effective solution." – Patrick Corr, Bristow senior vice president,global safety, training and standard s.

At Frasca, our vision is to provide the highest quality simulators forthe aviation industry. We do thatthrough innovative engineering,quality manufacturing, excellent customer service and sound management. It's no wonder that hundreds of companies like Bristow trust Frasca for their flightsimulation needs.

To learn more about howFrasca can enhance yourflight training program,contact us today.

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Frasca Level B S92 FFS. Customer: Bristow Helicopters.

Yammer is already in use with employees

from three major airlines.

Image credit: Yammer.

airline, for example, or training center staff. Instructors could share data with their peers and maintenance staff about an issue with a simulator’s performance. Or a great idea that just came out of a classroom session.

Niche social media sites are emerg-ing for those who prefer a more defined community. Commercial, general avia-tion, and military pilots, as well as cabin crew are part of the private beta test for MyTransponder.com.

The Twitter-style site “is very specific to aviation”, notes creator Rod Rakic. “We’re not asking for your zodiac sign. We’re interested in what equipment you fly, your home base, ratings, what license you’re working toward….”

He envisions a system that can cap-ture, filter and disseminate the type of learn-by-experience “tribal knowledge” that you might typically hear in the pilot’s lounge, or in the training center cafete-ria. The difference is that the “gouge”, as pilots refer to the “inside scoop”, gets shared with a broader audience than the three other people at your table.

Rakic is a digital strategist in Chi-cago, passionate about flying since he was 16, has just received his instrument rating, and is working towards a com-mercial license with a goal of becoming a flight instructor.

After this month’s public beta launch of MyTransponder.com, his roadmap includes enabling profiles for tail num-bers so users can share vital intel on spe-cific aircraft (a concept which could also be applied to simulators and other train-ing equipment).

Like Twitter, account owners can choose to control access to profiles, so aircraft and simulator data can be restricted to those who need to know.

benefitsIf you would like some of the benefits of a social media network but with a higher degree of in-company control, there is Yammer – oft described as “Twitter for business”. Whereas Twitter’s messages tend toward the mundane or inane - “Hey, dude, I’m watching the paint dry” - a Yammer post might state, “I’m wrap-ping up the graphics for the new flight emergencies courseware.”

Yammer is exclusive to individuals with the same corporate email address. The basic service is free, but for a small per-user fee the company can apply


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additional control – for instance, admit-ting temporary “guests” such as consult-ants or vendors.

Conversely, users can restrict cer-tain information to groups of employees, such as pilots only or training ops only. Yammer messages can be viewed on the desktop, BlackBerry or iPhone.

PersonalIn addition to “conversations without meetings”, employees can post personal / professional profiles, images, files, web links, and external RSS news feeds, or tag content to create a common knowledge repository.

Some are touting Yammer as a means to slash email overload – claiming 50% and 60% reductions. Instead of the sender having to identify recipients of a mes-sage, recipients subscribe to the content they deem relevant. And they join the discussion when they wish, or become an observing “fly on the wall.” Instead of content trapped in personal emails, Yam-mer colleagues can “e-discover” useful material.

Employees at three major airlines are already using Yammer, which launched seven months ago. Yammer claims “tens of thousands” of users at small busi-nesses and Fortune 500 companies alike.

“Let your employees try this. It’s risk-free,” says Yammer CEO David Sacks. “You don’t have to wait for servers to be installed. Any employee can get the network started. If you see value, buy the administrative tools and take control of your network.”

If you are looking to connect with pro-

fessional peers in other companies, maybe re-connect with people at former organi-zations, or network for your next job, con-sider LinkedIn.com. Many perceive Linke-dIn as a site for posting your quasi-resume, and it is, but there is also value in joining the many focused interest groups, posting a comment for discussion, and receiving a stream of thoughtful responses from peo-ple you have never met.

I have joined the Aviation & Aero-space Networking Group; Aviation Train-ing; AICC; and Simulation, Visualisation and Training Systems, among others. When I am researching a feature for CAT magazine, I post the topic on LinkedIn and quickly discover new sources of knowledge to share with readers.

UPS’s Mike Mangeot says social media “offers the opportunity to have a two-way conversation with our custom-ers and groups who are interested in our business practices.”

Social media is probably the wrong term for these tools. These are not the pre-teenager exuberance of, “Look at the goofy picture of me I just posted” on MySpace or Facebook. A more accurate label is “e-collaboration”, because the information sharing has a purpose and a defined audience. They may not be wide-spread yet in the aviation training com-munity, but expect to see Twitter, Yam-mer, LinkedIn, and tailored applications like MyTransponder soon. cat

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For half a century, the smallish town of Denison (population 24,103), 75 miles north of Dal-

las on the Red River border between Texas and Oklahoma, has been little more than a footnote in the AAA travel guide. For this was the birthplace of General Dwight D. “Ike” Eisenhower, hero of the Normandy invasion and the Allied WWII victory in Europe, and 34th president of the United States during the 1950s economic boom.

Then in mid-January this year, Deni-son celebrated its second hometown hero – Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, the pilot in command who saved his entire crew and passengers of USAirways 1549 with the remarkable water landing in the Hudson River.

Sullenberger’s passion for fl ying was stimulated as a young teenager in the 1960s, watching US Air Force F-102 Delta Daggers at Denison’s Perrin AFB. During that era the 4780th Air Defense Training Wing boasted the largest fl eet of Convair F-102 interceptor aircraft anywhere.

In fact, Perrin Field was the fi rst Army Air Field basic fl ying training school to

become operational after the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941.

Chuck Stone, a pilot instructor trainee at Perrin during the Korean War, fondly recalled the Link “Blue Box” trainers there: “Whenever there was a trainer open and time permitted, I was sitting in that box recalling and honing my instrument fl y-ing procedures. The sound of the dots and dashes from fl ying the beam would ring in my ears as I fell asleep at night.”

Now, Perrin – rechristened the North Texas Regional airport (GYI) - is showing signs of once again becoming a vibrant airfi eld, thanks to the 9,000-foot con-crete runway that the Air Force ceded to Grayson County. Just as Judge Jake Loy lobbied Washington to build the origi-nal Perrin, West Point graduate County Judge Drue Byrnum is leading the effort to redevelop the airport to attract busi-ness to the largely rural region. MD Heli-copters, for example, has been contem-plating relocating there from Arizona. Indeed, there are even suggestions that Denison could someday become the site of a third major airport in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex as the northern suburbs continue to sprawl. (Ironic, considering

that the USAF closed Perrin in 1971, in part, because it was considered too close to the busy air routes feeding the then-new DFW International airport.)

The latest part of the Denison resur-gence is a pioneering air traffi c control (ATC) training program initiated by L-3 Communications’ Link Simulation & Training, the progeny of the Blue Box inventors, whose headquarters is just south of DFW in Arlington, Texas.

The Link ATC Academy promises to graduate FAA-qualifi ed controllers in only 10 months, compared with the tra-ditional route of a two-year or four-year college plus the FAA Academy 16-week program in Oklahoma City. The Link program should help fast-track students into an FAA job and on the path to the median US $117,240 annual salary.

Cost of the 10 months in Denison is $41,000 per student.

As you would expect, the Link ATC Academy incorporates training in a high-fi delity simulator, the same Adacel Max-Sim tower simulators used at the FAA Academy and several of the 31 schools in the Collegiate Training Initiative (CTI). A June 2008 FAA report indicates that

Tower training is a rarity for new recruits to air traffi c control. But that is planned at the Link ATC Academy, which will fast-track students through the rigorous program and into a job in just 10 months, writes Rick Adams.

Cleared For Takeoff: Link’s New Tower–Based ATC Academy

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simulators “are a valuable training tool”. It took 60% fewer days for developmental controllers to complete ground control training at the Miami tower, and at Chi-cago O’Hare, 42% fewer days as a result of simulator training.

What is unique at Denison is on-the-job (OJT) training in an operational ATC tower. Only two CTI schools, Middle Georgia College and Community College of Beaver County (Pennsylvania), offer in-tower practice.

“Tower training was added to our program to produce a more qualified controller and a better candidate for employment with the FAA,” explains Carl Wilson, director, advanced education and training solutions, for Link. “The nor-mal CTI facilities only produce controller trainees. This puts the onus of training responsibility on FAA facilities, which are least able to allocate adequate man-ning to accomplish the training because of the controller shortage.”

StrikeThe shortage stems from the air traffic controller strike nearly three decades ago in 1981 when President Ronald Reagan fired 10,000 controllers. With mandatory

retirement from the high-stress role set at age 56, the FAA is hiring new control-lers at a high tempo – 5,000 over the past three years, 2,000 more expected in fis-cal 2009, and 17,000 across the next 10 years. (The total controller workforce is currently about 15,000.)

More than 20 new classes have been added to the FAA Academy to accom-modate growing enrollment. As many as 50% arrive from degree-granting colleges, an additional 33% from the military. The remainder gets in via a relatively new off-the-street (OTS) recruitment in which can-didates go directly to Oklahoma City after passing various tests and interviews.

Upon graduation from Oklahoma City, new FAA “developmental air traffic control specialists” begin OJT en route or terminal training at their assigned locations. Generally, it takes new con-trollers two to four years to complete all requirements to become certified pro-fessional controllers (CPC).

Link personnel actually operate the ATC tower at Denison, which re-opened last June. After the initial four months of full-time academic and simulator instruction, students begin daily climb-ing the 115 steps to the top of the tower

for six months of hands-on training in “pushing tin.”

Is there sufficient traffic at a general aviation airport to keep students busy? Scott James, curriculum / courseware manager for the Link ATC Academy, says it has been soliciting area flight schools and the Joint Reserve Base (JRB) in Fort Worth to make use of the Denison runway and “drum up the traffic count.” The JRB is home to F-16s, F/A-18s, and C-130s. Marine Corps V-22 tilt-rotors have touched down at Denison, as well as Army helicopters transiting to Fort Hood in central Texas.

North Texas Regional airport was also host to two stages of the 2008 United States National Aerobatic Championships with thousands of take-offs and landings.

The launch class for Link started in late January, and once in full gear it expects to accommodate up to 120 stu-dents a year at Denison. Wilson says they are investigating other potential Category 1 towers around the country. A “classic example” is Merced, California; the city inherited Castle AFB (at one time a major site for Link B-52 simulators), and hopes to leverage its runways into con-crete business development. cat

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This is never going to catch on,” an executive at Redifon stated. Not quite at the level of

the infamous “Man was not meant to fl y” quote, perhaps, but clearly shortsighted about the potential for computer-gener-ated imagery (CGI).

It was the early 1970s and civil fl ight simulators of the era used modelboard visual systems – a toy train-style 2000:1 scale model of a generic 8nm by 5nm area with generic buildings and trees and a generic airfi eld in the middle. A closed circuit television (CCTV) camera, mounted on a gantry, hovered over the board and used a special optical probe (which allowed for pitch, roll, and rota-tion) to capture rather restricted fi eld-of-view images, which were then projected on a fl at screen mounted in front of the fl ight simulator cockpit.

“The big downside of modelboards was their sheer physical size. They were 40 feet long and 15 feet wide. And they required huge amounts of light, about 140kW,” says Andy Ramsden, then a jun-ior engineer at Redifon and now prod-ucts manager for commercial systems for Rockwell Collins. (Redifon was the UK predecessor to Rediffusion, now part of Thales Training & Simulation.)

The term “computer graphics” origi-nated in the aviation community in 1960, with Verne Hudson and William Fet-ter of Boeing, and General Electric had applied an early checkerboard pattern ground plane CGI system for the space program.

In 1972, McDonnell Douglas FAA-certifi ed a commercial simulator for Pacifi c Southwest Airlines using its Vir-tual Image Takeoff and Landing (VITAL

II) to produce light patterns on an airport night scene. A key advantage of CGI was the ability to represent specifi c airfi elds. “When Redifon saw that, some of them realized the possible uses of this newfan-gled stuff,” Ramsden recollects.

Utah-based Evans & Sutherland “was hawking an idea for a CGI-based prod-uct, but no one had taken them up on it. They were a research organization and didn’t have the funds or the facilities to start a production stream.” (See “Seedbed of CGI” on page 32.)

This was the 1973 origin of a long partnership between E&S and Redifon, and their successors, E&S developed and manufactured Novoview computer-generated imagery systems, and Redifon (later Rediffusion) sold them to the com-mercial fl ight training market.

“They weren’t computers as we know them today,” explains Ramsden. E&S used a Texas Instruments TI-980 minicomputer with 16k of memory and purpose-built graphics hardware. (The text fi le for this article alone is nearly three times larger than 16K.) McDonnell Douglas used Digital Equipment PDP-11s with similar capability.

E&S had recruited three key engi-neers from GE: Rod Rougelot, Bob Schu-macker, and Ed Wild. A driving force on the Redifon side in the UK was Stuart Anderson, head of visual engineering, who came to Redifon with the acquisi-tion of Air Trainers Ltd.

The fi rst image generators were cal-ligraphic-based “stroke writing”, which enabled a superior reproduction of light-points, compared to a raster scan. “Cal-ligraphic was the only way to create intense, small, well-behaved light points. There was no other way of doing it. Raster light points were too large and not intense enough,” Ramsden notes.

The early night-only scenes produced only lightpoints, capable of showing directional lights, fl ashing beacons, run-way illuminators, and vertical approach slope indicators. “There was no runway surface.” For a horizon effect, a calli-graphic light point was “dragged across for a raster-style glow.”

Images were displayed on a cathode

Continuing his exploration of the evolution of simulators, Rick Adams highlights more seminal developments in the rise of the technology, which elevated its value in the training arena, including the supersonic era and the emergence of David Evans and Ivan Sutherland.

History of Civil Simulation II:

Coming Of Age With PCs

The British Airways Concorde simulator

with the 1989 visual system upgrade.

Image credit: British Airways.

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reservation in 1960 - 16 years before the fi rst passenger fl ight on January 21, 1976. The obvious appeal was the ability to fl y between London and New York in three-and-a-half hours, rather than eight hours on conventional aircraft.

By the time BA Capt. Les Brodie landed G-BOAF for its last time on November 26, 2003, an estimated 2.5 mil-lion passengers had fl own aboard Con-corde over the course of 17 years and about 50,000 fl ights.

The two Concorde trainers entered service in 1975, the BA device at Filton and the Air France sim at Paris. They each cost about £3m. The initial visual systems were modelboards of a sin-gle airport and were not upgraded until 1989, when another £3m was spent. Two-thirds of that investment was for an E&S/


Ramsden recalls, “no one was buying another rigid modelboard.”

Supersonic SimIn a Solomonic-type decision, British Aer-ospace declined to choose between the two prominent UK simulator manufac-turers at the time, so the fl ight simulator for the supersonic Concorde was a joint Redifon/Singer Link-Miles endeavor. Air France had no such divided loyalties – its trainer was built by Le Matériel Télépho-nique (later acquired by Thomson, now Thales).

Development of the world’s most successful faster-than-sound commer-cial jet took two decades. The British and French started working separately in 1956 and joined forces in 1962. British Air-ways actually accepted its fi rst Concorde

ray tube (CRT) – an invention dating to 1885, passed through a beamsplitter and viewed by the pilot from a mirror mounted in front of the display screen. “While the quality of the displays was quite acceptable, there were limits to the size of the scene,” says longtime Qantas simulation director, Ray Page. To improve the pilot’s fi eld of view, the Australian air-line installed a six-window, six-channel system on some devices.

The Arab oil embargo of 1974 trig-gered a no-fuel-required fl ight simulator boom, and by 1977 the E&S/Redifon SP1 had achieved FAA certifi cation. A year later Singer-Link’s Digital Image Genera-tor, or DIG, was developed.

The fi rst E&S/Redifon computer-generated visual simulators were sold to Dutch airline KLM. “Two years later,”

Adobe, Atari, Netscape, Pixar Animation, Silicon Graph-ics... All have Utah roots. To the civil aviation training commu-nity, none is more signifi cant than Evans & Sutherland (E&S).

Nebraska-born Ivan Sutherland earned his bachelor’s degree from Carnegie, his master’s from Caltech, and his PhD at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. At MIT’s Lin-coln Labs he was exposed to the 320Kb TX-2 computer, which incorporated a 9” CRT display, a light-pen and an interface. Sutherland’s 1963 dissertation created a computer-draw-ing device, Sketchpad, and earned him the unoffi cial title of the “grandfather of interactive computer graphics.”

The pioneering hardware-software combination enabled users to draw points, perfect lines, corners, joints, and circular arcs, as well as specify relation-ships among the segments and arcs. Figures could be built up from combi-nations of elements and shapes, then copied, moved, rotated or resized. Sketchpad also included the fi rst clipping algorithm, preventing the display of parts of the object whose coordinates fall outside the window. Sutherland’s breakthrough concepts included memory structures to store objects, “rubber-banding” of lines, zoom in and out – in effect, the fi rst graphical user inter-face (GUI).

Salt Lake City-born David Evans returned in 1966 to the University of Utah, from where he had received his PhD, to start the school’s computer science department. He was particularly interested in using computers to produce visual images, since humans use sight as a primary means of interacting.

Evans convinced Sutherland, who was at Harvard at the time, to join him in Utah in 1967. The University had a con-tract from the US Department of Defense’s Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) to develop a simulator. A year later the duo founded E&S with funds from employees, friends, and a little help from the Rockefeller-family connected Venrock investors.

E&S went on to develop Novoview, the SP series, ESIG series, and most recently the EP series of progressively more sophisticated image generators, as well as displays and visual system tools.

Some of the important computer graphics concepts to have evolved from the Utah group include: rendering, z-buffer, texture mapping, antialiasing, phong and gourard shading, atmos-pheric effects, hidden surfaces, geom-etry engines, head-mounted displays, motion capture, and many others.

In 1996, David Evans and Ivan Sutherland received the Price Waterhouse Information Technology Leadership Award for Lifetime Achievement at the annual Computer World Smithsonian Awards ceremony. Dr. Evans passed away in 1998. Dr. Sutherland, now 70, is a Vice President and Fellow at Sun Microsystems and a visiting scholar at California-Berkeley.

E&S continues as a business today, focused on digital planetariums and digital cinemas. The fl ight simulation por-tion of the company was sold in 2006 to Rockwell Collins. It estimates 80% of the world’s commercial airline pilots have trained using E&S visual systems.

Seedbed of CGI - Utah

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“Almost every infl uential person in the modern computer-graphics community either passed through the University of Utah, or came into contact with it in some way.”

– Robert Rivlin, “The algorithmic image: graphic visions of the computer age.”

Ivan Sutherland & David Evans

Rediffusion SP-X 500 computer-gener-ated imagery system with a 165-degree WIDE panoramic display, enabling pilots to train take-offs and landings at the mul-tiple, specific airfields where Concorde flew (such as London Heathrow, Paris de Gaulle, New York JFK, Washington Dulles, Bahrain, Singapore, and Rio de Janeiro). The balance of the budget was for an extra computer, which increased processing speed and improved motion system response time.

The simulators handled check flights and conversions. Instructors could pro-gram fuel and passenger loads, daylight or night, weather variations, and an assortment of system or hardware fail-ures and emergencies: failure of the fly-by-wire flight controls, failure of the auto-trim system (which shunted fuel around 13 tanks), pressurization failure followed by emergency descent, or a cockpit fire.

Derek Britton, BA simulator man-ager, related that simulated engine fires “tended to” occur at or shortly before the point of no return on takeoff, V1. The training curriculum incorporated 76 sim hours, 19 sessions at four hours each.

Within the next few months the curious public will have opportunity to experience the Concorde cockpit. The British Airways flight simulator cockpit was decommissioned by Rotran in 2004 and moved to the Brooklands Museum in Weybridge, UK. Museum volunteers in collaboration with the University of Sur-rey and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council are restor-ing it there for static display. A Microsoft Flight Simulator visual and a large display screen are being fitted. XPI Simulation is providing new interface components for the visual and some of the original instru-mentation. Many of the controls, throt-tles, switches, pedals, the nose and visor lever, and even the famous machmeter will be operational. Anticipated unveiling is this month, 40 years since Concorde’s first flight in the UK.

Airbus and a consortium of local avi-ation groups have similar plans to display the Air France Concorde simulator along-side historic aircraft at Toulouse, begin-ning 2010.

DebutThe largest central computer yet devised for a jetliner – Honeywell’s AIMS (Airplane Information Management System) made its debut on the B777 in 1995, five years

after the announcement of the launch sale to United Airlines. Two AIMS boxes handled the six primary flight and naviga-tion displays; the AIMS also incorporated a central maintenance reports function.

Honeywell’s massive effort on the “Triple Seven” involved over 550 software developers. The Ada-language code ran to 613,000 lines, and with redundancy required 46,191 kilobytes (Kb) of disk space and 10,732Kb of random-access memory (RAM). A multiprocessor, rack-mounted system, the AIMS replaced many of the line-replaceable units (LRU) and reduced hardware and software redundancy. Former Honeywell engineer, Jeff Greeson, said: “Putting all the functions in one box was a jump ahead in technology.”

At that juncture most simulators used simulated aircraft avionics hardware, which led to supply issues (especially with a new aircraft) and the expense and space requirements of integrating the two AIMS cabinets and replicating the aircraft bus structure. Manufacturers also needed to add “sim specific” functional-ity and devise solutions for lower-order training devices.

Honeywell, together with United and simulator vendors Thompson Training & Simulation (now Thales) and CAE, cre-ated a re-host solution. Software loads from the AIMS host environment were re-targeted to a simulator computer – reducing space, maintenance issues and cost. The approach also provided a viable path for applying the software to flight training devices (FTD).

United is reported to have negotiated a US$100,000 licensing fee for simulating the B777 AIMS (about $140,000 in today’s dollars).

According to Dave Hill, Honeywell Platform Director, Boeing Business Team, who performed as Honeywell System Integration Engineer for the B777 AIMS program between 1991 and 1995,“This was the beginning of providing an option for air transport full flight simulators to move away from using aircraft avi-onics hardware with their aircraft bus structures, to software-based solutions hosted on commercial computers run-ning standard operating systems. With the power of the PC increasing and the price of those computers decreasing, the simulator industry was now able to cre-ate viable, accurate full flight simulators that were more cost effective to build and operate.” cat


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The scene was set through an interactive interview with a distinguished panel of key

players from the industry, compris-ing airlines, aircraft manufacturers and industry experts. The snapshot they portrayed of the present state of the industry pulled no punches, highlight-ing the challenges of economic down-turn and the consequent uncertainty of demand.

The point made was that this crisis is different from others, affecting as it does the entire global economy across all business sectors and geographical borders. Crucially it was also made clear that there will be a recovery, although at what point in time and to what levels are still diffi cult to predict. What this does, however, is emphasise that new business models need to be assessed and adopted, not only to work through the present cri-sis, but also to prepare for the upturn and beyond.

ResponseAfter 18 months of customer research the Thales response to these new condi-tions, dubbed “The New Reality”, was the second and main launch of the day. Tra-ditionally Thales has been a supplier of training equipment and in the civil fi eld at least, has not supplied additional support for training packages. Having consulted and listened to the industry, it perceived the need to supply a range of options for customers, based on four themes.

The overreaching drive in each one is to emphasise partnership and close working relationships with the customer. The aim is to provide a tailor-made solution for the implementation of inte-grated training packages, which have a profi table commercial outcome by sup-plying appropriate training equipment and, fi nally, providing complete support. Thales aims to furnish all of its custom-ers’ needs up to, but not including, actual delivery of training.

The third launch of the day, and the most spectacular, was the announce-ment of the new top-end Flight Simula-tion and Training Device (FSTD). Seiz-ing the opportunity of aligning with the proposed new ICAO matrix of simulator capabilities, of which the top designated level is 7, the new Thales system is called “RealitySeven” (or, for fans of Top Gear, “the Stig”). Once again the research has paid off, and the key to this system is fl ex-ibility to match clients’ needs. The whole concept is to have a modular device based on standardised components, which can be shaped to an initial specifi cation and subsequently be easily adapted to the evolving needs of the client.

ComponentsThere are three main components: the motion platform is the recently devel-oped EM2K electrically actuated system. The separate aircraft module will have a specifi c-to-type cockpit with appropri-

Steve Grinham, Thales vice president and managing director of the company’s Training & Simulation Business, recently launched a trio of initiatives in a single day. There was an introduction for customers and the press to the Thales facility, newly built at Crawley, UK, which regroups a scattering of legacy sites. The event brought with it an opportunity to announce an entirely new approach to the civil training business, writes Chris Long.

The New Reality – The Thales View Of The Future

Thales announced its new top-end simulator - RealitySeven.

Image credits: Thales.


ate control loading and system software. Finally the visual system will comprise the new ThalesView system, technology that has successfully transferred from the military training world.

The Thales air traffic environment training tool, called Thales Traffic, is also an option, which can be fitted to this and earlier FFS devices. The obvious advan-tage for training organisations is that changes to a FFS can be made relatively simply (target time for insertion of a dif-ferent aircraft type is 72 hours).

An airline can switch types using the same simulator bay infrastructure by simply keeping the motion platform and inserting a different aircraft module. The suitable combination of these units can also answer training needs for the ICAO MPL programmes, with different levels of sophistication specified for each phase.

Using open architecture hardware Thales has designed-in the flexibility to adapt to new technology and aircraft types, even to the extent of building an 11-ft diameter visual array, which will eventually manage the installation of a visual FoV of up to 225°x65°. This will be of particular relevance for future military transport aircraft.

Strategy director of Thales’s training and simulation business, Mark Drans-field, explains: “Thales is further enhanc-ing its products and services to help its clients meet their business objectives. This is not just about providing new products, it’s about devising new sup-port services, outsourcing solutions and financing options – indeed developing a new way of serving our customers’ chal-lenging business requirements beyond today.”

The industry’s response to this development might best be judged from

comments made by customers at the event in Crawley. Alain Brault, director of Training Simulation Support Depart-ment (GO5) at Airbus, was impressed: “I have been to many Thales customer events but nothing like this,” he said. “It is unusual for the industry to be able to meet and talk at such a high level, and that was particularly good.”

The “reveal” was unexpected, although not totally so, as Brault explained that the simulator on display would soon be making its way to Airbus’s training facility in Miami. “It’s futuristic, it’s good-looking, and we’re feeling very excited about it,” he said. Airbus has ordered six of the new simulators: three for Miami and three for Toulouse.

Nick Ross, who presented the event, said that the message was complicated to deliver, but that was a good thing: “It means people want to know more and so the dialogue can begin, and that has to be positive.”

Indeed the message appeared to have already been getting through. I heard one senior executive from a major airline say, “now I’ve seen this, Thales is the new Rolls Royce”. It doesn’t get bet-ter than that. cat

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The 787 program and Alteon, the training business unit within Boeing Commercial

Airplanes, have been hard at work together to revolutionize 787 training to produce the best-qualifi ed mechanics, pilots and fl ight attendants. The training program is much different from those of the past. One key objective is to repli-cate the airplane in the classroom and bring digital, performance-based data to customers. All phases of 787 training use simulation, which allows students to practice on the same tools they will actually use on the airplane. What fol-lows is a look at the various elements of 787 training.

MaintenanceA mechanic’s main troubleshooting tool is a laptop computer. The Mainte-nance Performance Toolbox, an online repository, provides the mechanic with the real-time maintenance information

needed to maintain and repair the air-plane. Unlike previous training programs, which used data intended just for train-ing, maintenance training courses for the 787 will link to actual support data in the Maintenance Performance Toolbox.

“Part of training is becoming com-fortable with the airplane’s trouble-shooting tools,” said Jeff Haber, man-ager of 787 maintenance training.

Using interactive 3-D models, each student can walk around the airplane virtually, collect the tools needed and walk step-by-step through the trouble-shooting process. With the laptop and access to the Maintenance Performance Toolbox, the mechanic practices the same skills in the classroom that he or she will use on the job.

“The maintenance laptop picks up fault codes that tell the mechanic what is wrong with the airplane - much like a car mechanic working on a modern engine,” said German Rangel, main-

tenance training simulation lead. “Through simulation, students can cor-rect the fault in exactly the same way they would in the fi eld.”

Flight TrainingComputer-based training allows stu-dents to gain practical airplane systems knowledge using high-tech desktop simulation tools. They can then integrate this systems and procedures knowledge within the fl ight deck environment through the 787 fl ight training device. The FTD provides fl ight crews with the same airplane systems and interfaces as a full-fl ight simulator, including elec-tronic fl ight bags and head-up displays for both pilots.

The B787 Dreamliner makes its fi rst fl ight this year, marking a historical and technological milestone in aviation. Equally important, though often overlooked, is the complex training that comes with the airplane. Tom Brabant of Boeing/Alteon Communications provides a taster.

Raising The Bar In Jetliner Performance And Training

The FTD provides fl ight crews with the

same airplane systems and interfaces as a

full-fl ight simulator.

Image credit: Alteon.


This makes the FTD ideal for instrument and airplane system familiarization and procedure proficiency. It also provides a smooth transition to the 787 full-motion, full-visual simulator, which allows pilots to become proficient in maneuvers and airplane handling characteristics, including take-offs, approaches and landings.

The 787 training program is designed to expediently transi-tion crews that fly other Boeing airplanes. The high degree of commonality between the 787 and the 777 allows “differences” training from one model to the other in only five days without the use of a full-flight simulator. Commonality between other Boe-ing models and the 787 builds on the success of the shortened transition and rating courses, which reduce transition time for pilots because tasks common among models do not have to be relearned. As a result, non-777 pilots can be trained to the 787 in as few as 13 days. The 787 transition course for pilots previously flying non-Boeing models takes 20 days, which is one day less than previous similar courses required.

“These reduced training times result in cost savings for Boe-ing and for our customers by reducing training costs and limiting the time their pilots are away from their home base,” said Don Reiter, manager, 787 training.

Cabin Safety TrainingEarlier this year, Boeing received FAA provisional accept-ance on the cabin safety training program for the 787. The two-day training course, designed by Boeing cabin safety experts with input from airlines and industry, provides 787 customers with a framework to customize their own cabin safety programs.

The program outlines the basic processes and guidelines flight and cabin crew must follow when operating the 787. The course includes training in airplane familiarization, light-ing and communication, doors, slides, evacuation, water and waste systems, and special features. The course also includes training with a hands-on cabin door device.

According to Brad Becker, manager, cabin safety training, every airline is required to get approval of its own cabin safety training programs. The Boeing program is the baseline for customers and provides the framework they can use to cus-tomize their own plans.

“Each airline will customize where to store equipment, which

attendants are in charge of emergency exits, which attendants make the announcements and what specific procedures need to be followed,” Becker said.

Training consists of one day in a formal classroom setting and one day performing evaluations in a realistic environment using a cabin door device.

Training Through AlteonAlteon will have 787 training suites located around the world. Each suite includes an FFS and a host of flight training equip-ment, maintenance training tools and a hands-on door trainer device. Alteon’s strategy of providing training campuses close to customers’ home bases reduces airlines’ training-related costs such as travel and crew downtime.

Operators that buy the 787 can choose from a selection of training options that give them more flexibility than ever. Each customer receives training points, or credits, that can be redeemed for various Alteon training services.

In addition, 787 training is environmentally progressive. Dig-ital, web-managed training and the use of personal computers for learning and even note-taking means reduced waste, energy and costs for customers and Boeing.

“Our goal is to make carriers’ transition to the 787 as easy as possible,” said Reiter. “The digital technology and commonality of this airplane allow for equally remarkable training solutions that will truly provide value to our customers.” cat

www.aerosociety.com/conference

Spring 2009 Flight Simulation ConferenceFlight Simulation: Towards the Edge of the Envelope

As the aviation industry grows, the demands on safety throughout the operational envelope of aircraft also increase. Flight simulation today is primarily concerned with reproducing normal fl ight regimes. However, aircrew preparedness also requires being ready to deal with uncommon situations.

This Conference will bring together the users and developers of fl ight simulators and will aim to identify the training needs, technical solutions, and regulatory challenges as simulation pushes the boundaries of virtual training, research and testing.

Wednesday 3 – Thursday 4 June 2009No.4 Hamilton Place, London W1J 7BQ, UK

Sponsored by:

425_RAeS_CPAG_QPA_Flight_sim_HRF1 1 24/2/09 11:30:44

The FFS will allow pilots to become proficient in maneuvers and

airplane handling characteristics.

Image credit: Alteon.

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UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Minister for Trade and Investment Lord Davies launched a new export trade initiative during a visit to Manchester based specialist training and education systems provider EDM.

The ministers met with more than 100 of UK northwest region’s largest business exporters during the visit to EDM’s facility, where high-tech simula-tion systems are developed.

The £3.5m “Gateway to Global Growth” initiative will support the export efforts of innovative small and medium enterprises (SME), through UK Trade & Investment services and access to spe-cialist third parties. It will begin in April with around 1,250 companies who are

Edited by Fiona Greenyer.

For daily breaking S&T news - go to www.halldale.com.

Seen&Heard

UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown at EDM’s

Manchester facility.

Image Credit: EDM.

expected to go through the programme in 2009/10.

Managing director of EDM, Kevin Bird, expressed delight that his com-pany was selected to host the visit, dur-ing which such an important program aimed at boosting exports was formally launched. He said: “Exports account for around 60% or our turnover, so are vital to us – as they are for the products and services of many other businesses both in the northwest region and the UK at large. We have, with UK Trade & Invest-ment assistance, won major contracts in the US, with Continental Airlines and Delta Air Lines, along with signifi -cant contracts in China and the Middle East.”

MPL STUDENTS GET CASA CERTIFICATESSix cadet pilots from China Eastern and Xiamen Airlines have completed MPL (multi-crew pilot license) training with Alteon in Australia and have been given their licenses by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) of Australia. They were part of an Alteon beta test of its MPL program, which was completed in November 2008. The pilots returned to China soon after graduation and have started their new careers as fi rst offi cers with their airlines.

SAFTE FTDEmbry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) and Frasca International have unveiled the fi rst integrated fl ight train-ing device (FTD) with virtual air traffi c control commands, said to give student pilots more realistic training.

Designed for general aviation pilot training, the product, called Synthetic Automated Flight Training Environment (SAFTE) with Virtual Air Traffi c (VAT) was demonstrated at Embry-Riddle’s National Training Aircraft Symposium in March.

SAFTE/VAT features simulated fl ight plans with voice recognition technology to deliver a real world fl ight experience, allowing the student pilot to “fl y” in a particular situation or air space, and receive specifi c commands from the

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virtual air traffic controller. The technol-ogy enables the flight instructor to focus on teaching rather than role-playing and better trains the student through repeti-tive, learned behaviors in scenario-based situations.

Embry-Riddle uses FTD training exclusively in its FAA Part 141/142 approved flight training curricula. “Fra-sca has worked with varied special requirements over the years to develop an array of tools that enhance the simula-tor environment,” said John Frasca, vice president of Frasca International.

“The SAFTE/VAT product puts those tools under singular control to give the instructor more opportunity to be an instructor – and the University more con-trol over standardization. In yet another productive collaboration with Embry-Riddle, we have identified a reliable source for curriculum development that complements the powerful tools avail-able on our products.”

Embry-Riddle will be the first beta test user (not for student training) of SAFTE with VAT in its aviation labs to finalize the product before commercial availability through Frasca, which is anticipated around Q4 2009.

CEET FOR SINGAPORERP Aero Systems has been awarded a contract by Singapore Airlines to build and install an A380/B777 cabin emer-gency evacuation trainer (CEET) at the airline’s training centre in Singapore.

The trainer will consist of a B777 flight deck, a B777 cabin section and an A380 cabin section. Each section will have two fully functional doors equipped with RP’s latest electronic control sys-tem, training slides, automatic oxygen mask re-stow facility and communica-tion systems. A faithful replication of the cabin interior will include galleys, monu-ments, lavatories and functional FAPs. A comprehensive instructor’s station will allow malfunctions, smoke and fire effects to be selected.

The program will be completed in May 2010 and will maintain Singapore Airlines’ high safety training standards with the use of current equipment.

IBA COURSES FOR DOWNTURNIn response to current market conditions, the International Bureau of Aviation (IBA Group) has launched a programme of training courses, specifically designed to

help businesses cope and flourish in the difficult times.

In order to educate and inform in these “sink or swim” times, IBA has tai-lored its latest training programme to meet the requirements of a wide selec-tion of aviation businesses.

For banks, financiers and lessors, IBA is offering a range of courses focus-ing on technical issues, asset manage-ment, inspections, audits and condi-tions. Regulatory courses also form a large part of the programme, with semi-nars covering continuing airworthiness management, safety management sys-tems, EASA regulations and engineer licensing.

IBA is also offering courses on dif-ferent elements of aircraft maintenance, dangerous goods, security and first aid, as well as a selection of theory and practical courses designed for cabin crew.

IBA can design bespoke courses, customised to the individual needs of a specific organisation.

ATMS TO REPLACE CREWQUALAQT Solutions has won an AirNet Sys-tems contract to license its Aviation Training Management System (ATMS) to replace CrewQual and its in-house systems. This project supports the train-ing of pilots, maintenance and customer service personnel for AirNet.

In 23 business days AQT Solutions installed the software, converted all its data from CrewQual and in-house built systems to ATMS, trained staff, and Air-Net went live with the system.

The reason to move off CrewQual was the increasing price for limited functionality. AirNet had never used eLearning but with the implementa-tion of ATMS, created its first hazard-ous materials eLearning module, which can be taken 24/7 over the Internet via ATMS Web.

ATMS is an enterprise-wide, inte-grated system that manages training programs for all flight operations per-sonnel requiring qualification-based, periodic training. The system is used to build training curriculums, man-age training requests, plan courses, administer records, schedule training, collect results, update qualifications, and provide reporting and analysis capabilities.

LFT’S MUNICH SIM CENTRE OPENSCommercial pilots can now train at Lufthansa’s hub in southern Germany. The Lufthansa Flight Training Centre, which opened at Munich airport in October 2008, has expanded and now includes a simulator centre.

From now on, Swiss AviationTraining (SAT) will operate its own cockpit simulator for training pilots to fly the Embraer E190/195 family. A second LFT simulator for the A320 will begin operation in the coming weeks. In the course of this year, LFT will add an A330/340 simulator to its training programme.

“We have taken this step in response to the growing demand from our customers at our Munich base,” said Florian Hamm, chief executive officer of LFT. “Training at the local level means lower travel expenses for airlines and thus greater cost efficiency.”

With the commissioning of the new Embraer E190/195 flight simulator, SAT is stepping up its activities in Europe. SAT, a sub-sidiary of SWISS International Air Lines, is the preferred training provider for Embraer in Europe, Middle East and Africa and has developed a corresponding training programme in collaboration with the Brazilian OEM.

ALTEON INSTALLS NEW 747 SIMAlteon has installed a new B747-400 Level D simulator with a 180deg. visual view at its Seattle training center. The device features a more reliable re-hosted flight management computer (FMC) to ensure less downtime for maintenance and less crew interruption for customers.

Alteon also recently completed a visual upgrade on its B767 simulator in Seattle to an EP-1000, which has daylight visuals and a 3D training environment draped with continuous texture.

MINT CONDITIONINGThirty-six attendees from 10 customer companies and five conti-nents made their way to northern Germany for the first MINT UCON 2009. From March 17-18, MINT invited its customers to benchmark, network and learn. Two additional training days provided even more insight and an opportunity to exchange experiences.

MINT puts a high emphasis on team working with its cus-tomers on product strategy and enabling users to get the most out of software applications. A diverse agenda containing prod-uct roadmap discussions, workshops, functionality kiosks and customer presentations was geared at customers to take home new ideas and inputs for their usage of MINT TMS or the MINT MRO solutions.

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BANGALORE TRAINING CENTRE OPENCAE has begun pilot training at its centre in Bangalore where A320 and B737 Level D full flight simulators (FFS) are now fully operational and certified by India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The six-bay centre is close to the newly opened Bangalore International airport at Devanahalli. While training has started in the simulator bay, construction on the remainder of the centre is now being completed.

The centre is the first independent training base in India and customers include local carriers Kingfisher Airlines, Indigo and Spicejet. New customers, including commercial pilots of the Indian Air Force as well as Go Air, have also started train-ing there.

RC-1 AATD DELIVERYELITE Simulation Solutions has delivered an RC-1 advanced aviation training device (AATD) to Sky Chiefs Aviation of Gaines-ville, Florida. Ryan Foote, Sky Chiefs Aviation’s owner, said: “This simulator uses the latest hardware and software simulation tech-nology and will allow Sky Chiefs Aviation to significantly reduce training costs for students while greatly improving learning effectiveness and safety.”

Sky Chiefs Aviation partnered with Gainesville, Florida-based SandJuice, to bring this simulator technology to Gainesville. The simulator is categorized as an advanced aviation training device (AATD) by FAA, which allows pilots to log simulator time for their pilot ratings.

TECHNICAL EDUCATIONSingapore Technologies Aerospace (ST Aerospace) and the Insti-tute of Technical Education (ITE) have signed a memorandum of understanding to cooperate in the enhancement of training of students in the National Institute of Technical Education Certifi-cate (NITEC) in Aerospace Technology, and the NITEC in Aero-space Avionics courses.

This MOU, which runs over five years, includes setting up an aircraft airframe workshop at ITE, offering scholarships to stu-dents, providing on-job attachment for ITE staff and knowledge sharing, and developing joint certification courses. It is estimated that the program will benefit around 400 students in the two courses annually.


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“With this collaboration we can look forward to attract more secondary school leavers to consider a career in the aero-space industry, and to provide ITE stu-dents with invaluable opportunities to acquire hands-on experience at ST Aero-space’s state-of-the-art facilities,” said Bruce Poh, director and CEO, ITE.

TRANSPAC AVIATION WEBSITETransPac Aviation Academy in Phoenix, Arizona, has unveiled its new website in conjunction with the recent enhance-ments to its professional pilot training programs and plans for further expan-sion. TransPacAviationAcademy.com gives insight into the details of the academy’s training programs, facilities and career opportunities.

The new website provides future students and certified flight instruc-tors with detailed information about its FAA approved programs and courses, and facilities and aircraft. It is part of a coordinated transformation of TransPac Aviation Academy.

Formerly known as Pan Am Interna-tional Flight Academy, TransPac Avia-tion Academy is enhancing instruction, increasing the breadth of training pro-grams, adding 18 new instructors, and forging stronger relationships with high schools and colleges nationwide and with airlines globally.

RECORD NUMBER OF QUALIFICATIONSIn January 2009, Diamond Simulation attained a record number of success-ful certifications of its DA42 NG train-ing devices. In the course of the month, five devices of this type were qualified as FNPT II by the aviation authorities of New Zealand, Austria and Romania.

In New Zealand, the British CAA qualified two devices. The FNPTs had received beforehand a temporary approval since the customer involved runs two devices of the same type in England, for which the CAA had already found a high quality standard on their qualification.

UFA EXPANSIONUFA, a leading provider of air traffic control simulation technologies, has announced that its wholly owned sub-sidiary ATCSim is expanding its office in Mainz, Germany. Because of continuing

growth and the anticipated increase in staff, ATCSim has relocated to new, larger office space in Mainz. The new office location continues to support the DFS Deutsche Flugsicherung and other Euro-pean customers.

LUXAIR’S FIRST DASH8-Q400 CBTAvsoft has deployed the first copy of its new Dash8-Q400 computer based train-ing courseware to LuxAir, whose main base is Luxembourg-Findel International airport.

In addition to the Dash8-Q400 pilot CBT, LuxAir asked if Avsoft could create simultaneously a Dash8-Q400 mainte-nance CBT. More in-depth and techni-cal than the Dash8-Q400 pilot CBT, the maintenance counterpart delves into details not found in typical pilot training manuals.

CFM56 TRAINING CENTERCFM International (CFM) has signed a memorandum of agreement with GMR Hyderabad International Airport Limited. GHIAL and CFM will develop a new CFM56 maintenance train-ing center at Rajiv Ghandi airport in Hyderabad.

The training center is expected to mirror CFM facilities currently operating in France, US and China, and will initially provide advanced courses in line main-tenance and inspection of CFM56-5B and CFM56-7B engines, which power the majority of the A320 family and all B737s. The center’s planned location is in an economic zone at the airport, which is dedicated to maintenance, repair and overhaul.

“In 2007 we made a commitment to our Indian airline customers to build a new maintenance training school in country to help support the growing avi-ation industry,” said Eric Bachelet, presi-dent and CEO of CFM. “We are pleased to take this very important step in ful-filling that commitment and are looking forward to developing a long and fruitful relationship with GMR.”

“Hyderabad is ideally located for attracting airline mechanics and engi-neers from India and South Asia,” said Paul-Andre Chevrin, CFM International vice president for India. “Once the facil-ity is fully operational, it will be capable of training up to 500 engineers each year.”

The AgystaWestland AW109 Power.

Image credit: AgustaWestland.

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SANAC APPROVAL FOR AGUSTAWESTLANDAgustaWestland has announced that the AW109 Power Level D FFS based at the Alessandro Marchetti Training Academy in Sesto Calende, Italy, has received Brazilian Agência Nacional de Aviação Civil (ANAC) approval.

“The approval… is an important achievement and reflects our commitment to providing local authority approved training facilities and courses to our growing number of customers in Bra-zil,” said John Ponsonby, AgustaWestland senior vice president training. He added, “Brazilian AW109 Power operators can now train at AgustaWestland with the full confidence and approval of ANAC and we will continue to invest in training and support services, to ensure we deliver the best quality training for our customers.”

MPL COURSEFlybe, Europe’s largest regional airline, and Flight Training Europe (FTE), have announced details of their joint offering of a multi-crew pilot licence (MPL) course. The course, which will be the first MPL conducted under the UK CAA, will begin June 26, 2009 and will take the initial six students with little or no fly-ing experience direct to the flight decks of Flybe’s Bombardier Dash8-Q400.

The course will be conducted at FTE’s facility in southern Spain using Warrior and Seneca aircraft, with the simulation parts of the training conducted on FTE’s Mechtronix FFT-X FSTD. The plan is for the last simulation phase of training to be conducted by Flybe at FlightSafety International’s Farnborough, UK facility, although Flybe aims to have its own training academy opened by mid 2010. The MPL course runs for 60 training weeks.

FTE has worked closely with Flybe’s head of crew training,


Brian Watt, to develop a course that meets both regulatory and Flybe’s own stringent training requirements. Flybe’s chief pilot, Ian Baston, said the airline views MPL as an innovative and effi-cient means of preparing young people for their role as an airline pilot.

Despite this being the first UK course, the company is con-fident that a proven quality training provider such as FTE will ensure that the end result will satisfy Flybe’s ongoing need for highly competent pilots. As an added incentive to potential suitable students to join this program, Flybe will offer financial assistance as part of its long running partially sponsored training program.

HELICOPTER LEARNING CENTERSimulator-based helicopter pilot training has begun at Flight-Safety International’s newest learning center in Lafayette, Louisiana.

The center has a fully qualified Level D Sikorsky S-76C+/C++ simulator, engineered and built by FlightSafety. The simulator features electric motion and control loading and the company’s advanced VITAL visual system.

“These groundbreaking Level 7 FTDs represent a significant advance in training technology,” said George Ferito, director Rotorcraft Business Development for FlightSafety. “They more closely resemble a full flight simulator without the motion base than they do earlier-generation FTDs. They enable us to provide high-quality, comprehensive and cost-effective mission-specific training on a wide variety of twin and single-engine aircraft types.”

ASCENT FLIGHT TRAINERMechtronix Systems has announced the purchase by the GGIFA International Aviation College of an Ascent Flight Trainer, con-figured as a single engine piston Cessna 172R equipped with Garmin 1000 avionics for its new training facility in Bintulu Sarawak, Malaysia. The academy plans to use the FNPT to pro-vide commercial pilot license, instrument rating, and visual flight rules courses to both local and international students.

“We look forward to taking delivery of the Mechtronix sim-ulator and see this key purchase as a way to provide the best training in Asia with modern state-of-the-art technology,” said

www.aerosociety.com/conference

Tuesday 23 – Wednesday 24 June 2009No.4 Hamilton Place, London W1J 7BQ, UK

Sponsored by:

The Annual International Training Conference in 2009 will form a major part of the Royal Aeronautical Society’s celebrations to mark the Handley Page centenary. It seeks to examine the challenges in ensuring that engineers working in the aviation industry are best prepared and equipped for careers extending over the next 50 years and beyond.

The strategic challenges in education and training will be examined from the differing perspectives of manufacturers, operators, regulators, technologists, academia and young professionals who have recently entered the aviation industry.

Annual International Training ConferenceCelebrating the Handley Page Centenary: 100 Years of Education in Aeronautics – Time for a Change?

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Mr. Dato Morshidi Abdul Rahman, presi-dent of GGIFA International Aviation College. “The Ascent flight trainer will help us optimize our training curriculum and support our expansion plan.”

The training academy plans to deploy the unit in spring of 2009 while seeking qualification with the Depart-ment of Civil Aviation (DCA) under JAR FSTD A FNPT II.

CAE 5000 SERIES SIMULATOR – ONE YEAR OF TRAININGCAE has announced that its 5000 Series FFS, which launched in March 2007 and entered service a year ago, has sur-passed 15,000 collective hours of train-ing in its first year of service.

The company also announced that a CAE 5000 series A320 FFS for Aero-flot Russian Airlines, as well as a 5000 Series A320 FFS for the Zhuhai Flight Training Centre in China, have recently achieved Level D certification. The Zhuhai Flight Training Centre, a joint venture of China Southern Airlines and CAE, had its first 5000 Series FFS cer-tified by the Civil Aviation Administra-tion of China (CAAC). In addition, two 5000 Series B737NG FFSs for Ryanair have recently been qualified, which Ryanair will use specifically for recur-rent training.

More than 30 5000 Series FFSs are either in-service or scheduled to enter service this year.

FSETA UPDATESince the launch of the Flight Simula-tion Engineer & Technician Association (FSETA) at the 2008 FSEMC in Utah, there have been over 100 completed surveys worldwide. Significant data on the cur-rent education, age and skill demograph-ics within the simulation industry have been recorded and will be presented to the industry at FSEMC 2009.

Feedback from surveys, meetings, presentations and emails received to date from various segments of the indus-try is very favourable to the concept of a single, independent accrediting body, and that this type of global association is well overdue for the simulation industry.

Based on the feedback from opera-tional centers, surveys and leaders in the simulation industry, there have been two changes in how the FSETA will accredit technical staff.

The first is the development of eight

“technical levels” and three “manage-ment levels”. The technical levels were chosen as opposed to defining what a technician or engineer level in this industry should be. The levels will take into consideration the individual’s cur-rent employment position, education level attained, time spent within the industry and skills learned, rather than label members as either a “simulation technician” or “simulation engineer”. This change is a significant advance-ment that will ensure FSETA recogni-tion and acceptance worldwide.

The second change is to identify specialisation categories within vari-ous levels, such as those who are highly experienced in visuals, motion, software areas etc. These specialisations will be a sub-category to the primary level, where, in some cases, individuals with signifi-cant experience will hold more than one sub-category.

The result of these two changes will now include all simulation industry technicians and engineers irrespective of country, employer, specialty, device manufacturer and local labour laws or employment regulations.

NEW SIM FOR HUA-OU AVIATIONThe Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) has put into service an A320 FFS ordered from Thales, at the new extension of the Hua-Ou Aviation Training Centre, a joint venture between Airbus and China Aviation Supplies Hold-ing Company (CAS) in Beijing.

Raymond Lim, general manager of Hua-Ou Aviation Training & Sup-port Centre, and Captain Jiang Huaiyu, director general of the flight standards department of CAAC, signed a cooper-ation agreement on the operation of the new simulator and an A320 configured Thales formation system trainer (TFST). The FFS and TFST are owned by CAAC and will be operated by Hua-Ou. This is the first time CAAC has bought its own FFS. The device will become a reference standard for training CAAC inspectors.

Hua-Ou’s new extension includes four new classrooms, a structural train-ing workshop, a simulator bay and a cabin trainer hall. The facilities will host 20% more pilot trainees and 33% more mechanics trainees each year, increasing total capacity by 25%.

LEASE AGREEMENTAeroTurbine, Miami, has signed an agreement with aviation maintenance company Aveos, for an initial period of five years. Under this non-exclusive agreement, AeroTurbine will supply Aveos with certain engine and airframe components. Initially, AeroTurbine will acquire and lease certain Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 rotables to Aveos. Aero-Turbine will also lease additional inven-tory to Aveos to augment its current inventory. Aveos is authorized to posi-tion the material at various locations around the world to meet its customer needs.

AeroTurbine and Aveos have also signed a five-year agreement under which Aveos will support AeroTurbine with engine repairs and overhaul for the CFM56-2/3 & -5 engine types.

ONLINE PRIVATE PILOT TRAININGJeppesen has announced the release of its new private pilot online course. The entire course was built from the ground up using engaging, interactive content to maximize learner retention. Jeppesen incorporated direct customer feedback and decades of experience in aviation courseware to create the comprehensive online private pilot training course.

“The… course fully prepares students to take the FAA written knowledge exam. Additionally, it provides detailed flight and animated maneuvers lessons that can be used effectively by both students and flight instructors. Since the course was developed using Jeppesen’s award-winning private pilot textbook content, students have the option of purchasing a

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textbook that parallels the online course,” said Kert Thielen, Jeppesen’s manager of aviation training services and aviation courseware development.

Jeppesen is offering three versions of the course: 1) a Part 61 enhanced ground school, maneuvers, and test prepara-tion; 2) a Part 61 with stage exams and flight lessons; 3) a Part 141 with stage exams and flight lessons. This version is designed for flight schools and universi-ties to meet the more stringent FAR 141 requirements and includes all ground, maneuvers and flight lessons.

This course is the first in a series of online courses that Jeppesen will release. Future releases will include a sport pilot online course and an instrument pilot online course.

BEST FOR LEEDS BRADFORDLeeds Bradford International Airport (LBIA) has chosen a Micro Nav BEST Radar and Tower ATC simulator to sup-port its training programmes.

The BEST package has been spe-cially designed for airport applications. It includes controller and pseudo-pilot workstations, radio and telephone communications, accurate airspace databases, student exercises and user training.

The simulator will be used for a range of training, including initial, on-job and refresher. In addition it will be used for practical aspects of training controllers in the revised air traffic services outside controlled airspace procedures.


A screen shot from Jeppesen’s online

private pilot course.

Image Credit: Jeppesen.

Steve Grinham has been appointed managing director of Thales train-ing and simulation business. He will be responsible for driving the renewed international strategy in both the civil and the military envi-ronments. Steve will also be looking to build upon the recent partnership agreement signed between Thales and Advanced Electronics Com-pany (AEC), to form a new company to manufacture simulators in Saudi Arabia.

CPaT has appointed Cindy Kirk as project manager. In this new posi-tion, she will oversee a team of graphic artists and developers to ensure that every CBT/WBT prod-uct CPaT develops continues to be instructionally and technologically sound. Cindy brings to CPaT an impressive contribution of organiza-tion, communication and manage-ment skills, as well as enthusiasm and a strong sense of initiative and management.

Ed Buckley has joined FlightSafety International’s courseware sup-port department as manager, Stra-tegic Planning & Support. “We are delighted that Ed has joined the courseware support team,” said Jon Pollack, director, Courseware Sup-port, FlightSafety International. “His contribution and extensive back-ground in project, supply chain and logistics management and corpo-rate shared services will help us to continue to provide industry leading training programs.”

Ariel Landau has been named eLearning Operations Manager at FlightSafety International. The company offers a wide variety of self-paced eLearning courses includ-ing aircraft operations, systems, avionics, management and safety systems. Ariel joined FlightSafety’s eLearning Operations team in April 2006 as marketing manager and was named acting operations manager in June 2008.

Arrivals & Departures

CPaT ASSISTS KENT STATE UNICPaT has announced the addition of its B777 and ERJ 145 fl ight training programs to Kent State University in Ohio.

“While the economic impact of web-based training on air-lines can be measured in millions of dollars, the impact on indi-vidual fl ight students is much more personal,” said Dr. Edward John Overchuk, Assistant Professor of Aeronautical Studies. “Making affordable resources, content, and services of these state-of-the-art programs available to college students world-wide will help fi ll the quickly emptying pool of potential airline pilots.”

CPaT currently supplies Kent State University with its B737 Classic, B737NG, B757, B767, A320, MD80 and ETOPS fl ight train-ing programs.

EASA TRAINING CERTIFICATIONThe European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has certifi ed Rockwell Collins as a Part 147 maintenance training organiza-tion. Courses are available at the company’s Reading, England location.

“As an EASA Part-147 approved training organization, we have the capability to provide avionics maintenance classes to support our customers’ continuing requirements for EASA approved type training. This new offering enhances our capa-bilities to deliver total training solutions for our customers world-wide,” said Ken Schreder, vice president and general manager, simulation and training solutions for Rockwell Collins.

The approval covers avionics maintenance classes, also known as B2 type training courses, for select Rockwell Collins Pro Line avionics equipped aircraft. The fi rst course, available now, is a Hawker Beechcraft King Air 300 series Pro Line 21 class.

LEVEL D CERTIFICATIONSim-Industries has announced that it has received Level D cer-tifi cation under both FAA and JAA regulatory bodies for its Boe-ing 737-800 full fl ight simulator located at Aeroservice Aviation Center in Miami. Earlier this year this simulator was already Level D certifi ed by the Dutch JAA in Miami under the latest JAA FSTD A Level D regulation.

“We are very pleased with Aeroservice’s decision to acquire our high fi delity Boeing 737-800 full fl ight simulator as our fi rst training centre in the United States,” said Frank Uit den Bogaard, CEO of Sim-Industries. “With this combined JAA and FAA certifi cation, we have been able to demonstrate that our simulators comply with the most stringent regula-tions worldwide.”


A330-200 6 Korean Air

ATR 42-600 2 Royal Air Maroc ATR 72-600 6 (2 options) Royal Air Maroc

CS100 60 (30 options) Lufthansa/Swiss CS100 3 Lease Corp International CS300 17 (20 options) Lease Corp International

Commercial Aircraft Sales February 18 to March 31, 2009

Aircraft type Number Operator/Buyer

GET TO KNOW THE AVIATION INDUSTRY CBT COMMITTEE – AICC

What is the AICC?The AICC is an inter-national association of technology-based training profession-

als that creates guidelines for the aviation industry in the development, delivery and evaluation of training technologies. The main objectives of AIC are to set guidelines, which promote effi cient development and delivery of training media, which enables interoperability and provides an open forum for the discussion of train-ing technologies.

How can the AICC help me?The AICC develops guidelines and recommendations (AGR) for common technology-based training problems such as integrating course materials with learning man-agement systems (LMS). You can interact with aviation industry training experts, including aircraft manufactur-ers, and let your voice help defi ne the standards for training. If you use, develop, buy, sell, or maintain train-ing for aviation, the AICC can help you.

Join the AICC.AICC members include airframe manufacturers, aviation trainers, government/regulatory agencies, software ven-dors and course developers. Your membership in AICC enables you to attend all meetings and participate/vote on guidelines, as well as to access all AICC projects. Your organization can join by completing an online mem-bership application available on the AICC.org website.

Attend or present at a meeting.AICC holds three meetings annually – typically two in North American and one in Europe. During AICC meet-ings subcommittees review progress on important train-ing initiatives, and solicit inputs from attendees. Airlines, researchers and vendors also present case studies and product information. Meeting fees are waived for pre-senters and presentation suggestions or requests can be sent to: [email protected].

Openness.AICC documents, reports and discussion forums are available free from the website. AICC supports open col-laboration and for a small meeting fee non-members can participate in any AICC meeting.

Learn more.Visit the AICC website at www.aicc.org. The AICC also maintains online groups at Facebook (http://www.aicc.org/facebook), Twitter (http://twitter.com/AICC), and LinkedIn (http://www.aicc.org/linkedin).

Our contact information is: www.aicc.org, email: [email protected], phone: +1 253 218 1408.

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S Calendar

28-30 April 2009WATS 2009 - World Aviation Training Conference &TradeshowRosen Shingle Creek ResortOrlando, Florida, USAwww.halldale.com/WATS

7-10 September 2009APATS 2009 - Asia PacificAirline Training Symposium@ Asian AerospaceAsia World ExpoHong Kongwww.halldale.com/APATSAA

10-11 November 2009EATS 2009 - European Airline Training SymposiumClarion Congress HotelPrague, Czech Republicwww.halldale.com/EATS

3-4 June 2009RAeS Spring 2009 Flight Simulation ConferenceLondon, UKwww.raes.org.uk/conference

15-21 June 2009Paris Air ShowLe Bourget, Francewww.paris-air-show.com

18-23 August 2009 MAKS 2009Moscow, Russiawww.airshow.ru

20-22 October 2009NBAA 62nd Annual Meeting & ConventionOrlando, Florida, USAwww.nbaa.org

AdvERTiSiNg CoNTACTS

Business Manager:Jeremy Humphreys[t] +44 (0)1252 532009[e] [email protected]

Business Manager, North America:Mary Bellini Brown[t] +1 703 421 3709[e] [email protected]

Index of Ads

2FlyPlaneswww.2plyplanes.com 33

ACS Hydraulicswww.acshydraulics.com 15

Adacelwww.adacel.com 17

Aerosim Technologieswww.aerosim.com 39, 41 & 43

Air Francewww.airfrance-flight-acad.com 13

Alteonwww.alteontraining.com IFC

APATS@Asian Aerospace 2009 www.halldale.com/APATSAA IBC

Aveoswww.aveos.com 21

AXiS Flight Training Systemswww.axis-simulations.at 26

CAEwww.cae.com OBC

CAE Newsletterwww.cae.com Centre Spread

dAE Flight Academywww.daeflightacademy.com 14

delta Air Lineswww.delta.com 8 & 9

Equipe Simulationwww.equipe-simulation.com 30

ETSAwww.etsaweb.org 35

FlightSafety internationalwww.flightsafety.com 6

Frasca internationalwww.frasca.com 27

industrial Smoke and Mirrorswww.industrialsmokeandmirrors.com 18

infoWERK Multimediawww.infowerk.at 40

RAES Conferences www.aerosociety.com/conference 37 & 42

Rockwell Collinswww.rockwellcollins.com 3

Sim-industrieswww.sim-industries.com 19

Thaleswww.thalesgroup.com 4

Transaswww.transas.com 23


C$714 MILLION INVESTMENTCAE is to invest up to C$714 million in Project Falcon, a research and develop-ment (R&D) program that will span five years. The goal of Project Falcon is to expand CAE’s current modelling and simulation technologies, develop new ones and increase its capabilities beyond training into other areas of the aerospace and defence market, such as analysis and operations.

Project Falcon will focus on applying investments into six main technology thrusts. Among these will be the devel-opment of an augmented visionics sys-tem. CAE will expand its research and development initiatives in its traditional training markets, including simulation and modelling for new types of aircraft, unmanned vehicles and replacement models for current aircraft.

Through the course of the program, approximately 1,000 jobs will be created or maintained. CAE will carry out Project Falcon in Canada, utilizing its R&D labo-ratories, and test and integration facili-ties in Montreal. CAE’s highly skilled workforce will continue to partner with universities and key research organiza-tions in Canada, as well as innovative and medium-sized suppliers across the country.

PRE-VOCATIONAL TRAININGAfter 10 months of study, 17 modules and 1,200 hours of explorations into the aircraft maintenance industry, Kan-gan Batman TAFE students Frank Nalej and Kristian Mix are taking the next step with Australia’s most recognised airline. When they completed the Avia-tion Industry Training Centre’s (AITC) Aircraft Maintenance Pre-Vocational training course at the end of last year, Frank and Kristian were offered appren-ticeships with Qantas.

Designed to provide students with a sound overview of the aviation main-tenance industry with multiple path-ways into three technical areas – avi-onics, mechanical and structures – the AITC course is a great introduction to a rewarding career.

As a mature-age student returning to study, Frank was sure a career in avia-tion was out of reach, having spent most of his working life as a motor mechanic. “This course has given me a completely new start in a career that I dreamed of doing when I was young,” he said.

Kangan Batman TAFE’s Aircraft Maintenance Pre-Vocational Course takes 10 months to complete and can lead to a range of employment options in the aerospace industry. cat

8-9 September, 2009AsiaWorld-Expo,

Hong Kong, SAR China

www.halldale.com/apatsAA

EXH I B I T I ON BOOTHS STILLAVA I LABLE !

Organised by:

APATS Returns to Hong KongThe Asia Pacific Airline Training Symposium (APATS) will

once again be taking place in Hong Kong, along side Asian

Aerospace 2009 – the leading Asian airline exhibition. APATS

will provide a focus for all airline trainers who attend the AA

Expo with the APATS exhibits and conference located in a

prime position in the centre of the main exhibition hall.

APATS will deliver a focused, executive level treatment of Asia-

Pacific airline training and simulation issues. Speakers from

across the region will address the following principle drivers

during the conference:

• Day 1 - New Aviation Technology and Challenges in Training

• Day 2 - Taking a System Approach on Safety Oversight

Whether you’re looking to buy, sell, or just learn about the

newest training technologies and methods in this growing

market, APATS is a must-attend conference and tradeshow.

For further information and secure on-line registration, please

visit: www.halldale.com/apatsAA

Exhibition space and sponsorship opportunities are still

available. To exhibit in the dedicated training pavilion within

Asian Aerospace (7-10 Sept.) please contact:

RoW - Jeremy Humphreys USA - Andy Smith

Tel: +44 (0)1252 532009 Tel: 407 322 5605

Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected]

Sponsored by

8-9 September, 2009AsiaWorld-Expo,

Hong Kong, SAR China

www.halldale.com/apatsAA

EXH I B I T I ON BOOTHS STILLAVA I LABLE !

Organised by:

APATS Returns to Hong KongThe Asia Pacific Airline Training Symposium (APATS) will

once again be taking place in Hong Kong, along side Asian

Aerospace 2009 – the leading Asian airline exhibition. APATS

will provide a focus for all airline trainers who attend the AA

Expo with the APATS exhibits and conference located in a

prime position in the centre of the main exhibition hall.

APATS will deliver a focused, executive level treatment of Asia-

Pacific airline training and simulation issues. Speakers from

across the region will address the following principle drivers

during the conference:

• Day 1 - New Aviation Technology and Challenges in Training

• Day 2 - Taking a System Approach on Safety Oversight

Whether you’re looking to buy, sell, or just learn about the

newest training technologies and methods in this growing

market, APATS is a must-attend conference and tradeshow.

For further information and secure on-line registration, please

visit: www.halldale.com/apatsAA

Exhibition space and sponsorship opportunities are still

available. To exhibit in the dedicated training pavilion within

Asian Aerospace (7-10 Sept.) please contact:

RoW - Jeremy Humphreys USA - Andy Smith

Tel: +44 (0)1252 532009 Tel: 407 322 5605

Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected]

Sponsored by

one step ahead

AC

063a

CAE offers the industry’s most complete and comprehensive portfolio of integrated simulation products designed to enhance safety and operational efficiency. Our entire product line is based on the same true fidelity simulation software, thus ensuring consistent quality and fidelity throughout the training curriculum. From CAE Simfinity™ desktop trainers and flight training devices to our industry benchmark CAE 7000 and 5000 Series full-flight simulators, CAE’s experience and technology leadership is evidenced throughout our simulation product portfolio. No other company listens more closely to customers and then designs simulation products to help you stay one step ahead.

safety

cae.com

CAE Simfinity IPT CAE 7000 Series FFSCAE 5000 Series FFS

Documents

CAT Magazine - Issue 2/2009