The US Federal Aviation Administration has granted provisional approval for Boeing Training & Flight Services' type-rating training course for pilots preparing to fly its new 787.
According to the approval, pilots can transition to the new aircraft in between five and 20 days, depending on their experience and type ratings already held.
Boeing says it has worked hard to ensure that the commonalities between the 777 and 787 are such that 777 pilots can qualify with a five-day differences course.
Boeing's training company, formerly Alteon, is working with the FAA to obtain provisional approval for the simulators and training devices. When this has been done, formal pilot training will begin. The company says that the provisional designation will be removed once the 787 has been fully certificated.
"Gaining FAA approval for our courses is a significant milestone as we ramp up to the start of flight training," says Mark Albert, director of simulator services and the 787 training programme at Boeing Training & Flight Services. "It validates our approach to provide world-class training solutions at great value for the 787 Dreamliner."
The company says that local FAA offices will approve individual operator training courses.
Boeing says that the 787 pilot training programme uses a suite of training devices including a desktop simulation station, a flight training device and finally a full-flight simulator. "The Training & Flight Services team stands ready to provide best-in-class 787 pilot training," says the company's chief customer officer Roei Ganzarski.
"Our global network of campuses allows our customers to train where they want, when they want."
Boeing currently has eight 787 training suites at five Boeing Training & Flight Services locations, including Gatwick, Seattle, Shanghai, Singapore and Tokyo.
Source: Flight International
