Alaska Airlines is having a cabin simulator built from the front section of an ex-Air Canada Boeing 737-200 to provide a more realistic environment to train pilots and flight attendants for emergencies.
Purchased from an aircraft junkyard in Arizona, the -200 fuselage is being refurbished by Canadian firm Camtech Industries with 54 seats, bulkheads, side panels and other equipment salvaged from the 737-400 that Alaska recently converted into a freighter as well as parts from a retired -200, says the carrier in a message to employees.
Scheduled to be delivered in fourth quarter, the cabin simulator will be housed in a 370m2 (4,000ft2) bay with 7.5m (25ft) high ceilings under construction at the carrier’s flight operations and training center in Seattle.
It will be used for initial and recurrent flight attendant and pilot training, and will allow both groups to train together.
“We’ll be able to simulate a cabin fire, complete with smoke, plunge the cabin into total darkness and practice evacuating passengers out both sides of an aircraft - all things we can’t do today,” says Alaska managing director of inflight services Jeff Butler.
“When a trainee looks out the window of the trainer to check for fire before opening an emergency exit, they’ll see the orange glow of flames instead of an instructor yelling fire. The added realism should get trainees’ adrenalin pumping and greatly enhance the level of training we provide our employees.” He adds: “It will look like a new 737 aircraft when it’s done.”
Much of the training that is currently conducted on real aircraft now, including emergency evacuation slide drills, will move to the new simulator.
The airline also says it is considering several options for its existing cabin door trainer. Among them is setting up a satellite training facility in Anchorage, Alaska provided space can be found.
Purchased from an aircraft junkyard in Arizona, the -200 fuselage is being refurbished by Canadian firm Camtech Industries with 54 seats, bulkheads, side panels and other equipment salvaged from the 737-400 that Alaska recently converted into a freighter as well as parts from a retired -200, says the carrier in a message to employees.
Scheduled to be delivered in fourth quarter, the cabin simulator will be housed in a 370m2 (4,000ft2) bay with 7.5m (25ft) high ceilings under construction at the carrier’s flight operations and training center in Seattle.
It will be used for initial and recurrent flight attendant and pilot training, and will allow both groups to train together.
“We’ll be able to simulate a cabin fire, complete with smoke, plunge the cabin into total darkness and practice evacuating passengers out both sides of an aircraft - all things we can’t do today,” says Alaska managing director of inflight services Jeff Butler.
“When a trainee looks out the window of the trainer to check for fire before opening an emergency exit, they’ll see the orange glow of flames instead of an instructor yelling fire. The added realism should get trainees’ adrenalin pumping and greatly enhance the level of training we provide our employees.” He adds: “It will look like a new 737 aircraft when it’s done.”
Much of the training that is currently conducted on real aircraft now, including emergency evacuation slide drills, will move to the new simulator.
The airline also says it is considering several options for its existing cabin door trainer. Among them is setting up a satellite training facility in Anchorage, Alaska provided space can be found.
Source: FlightGlobal.com
