Canadian simulator specialist CAE has acquired Ottawa-based Flightscape, and plans to use the company's expertise in gathering and analysing flight-recorder data to develop more operationally oriented pilot training scenarios for customers.
The C$18 million ($16.7 million) acquisition will also expand CAE's portfolio to include products and services related to flight operations quality assurance and accident investigation. "It will help us build infrastructure such as accident investigation laboratories in emerging markets," says Jeff Roberts, group president, civil training and services.
Flightscape's safety-related customers include airlines, manufacturers and investigation authorities, and now CAE plans to apply its capabilities to the civil training market. "We will gather data to incorporate into more operationally oriented, practical training scenarios, and find ways to bring more experience to pilots as the demographics change," says Roberts.
Combining its other recent acquisitions of Engenuity Technologies, MultiGen-Paradigm and Terrex, CAE has formed an independent company, Presagis, focused on selling commercial-off-the-shelf modelling and simulation software.
"Presagis is not branded as CAE, and its independence goes much deeper," says Mark Greenley, CAE's vice-president, modelling and simulation. "It has its own sales force, engineering roadmaps and customer relationships."
Source: FlightGlobal.com
