Canada-based manufacturer's Level D system set to deliver reduction in training costs
Montreal-based Mechtronix Systems unveiled its first Level D full-flight simulator on 15 December, for launch customer China Civil Aviation Flying College (CCAFC). The Boeing 737NG simulator is scheduled for delivery to the university's training centre in Guanghan, Sichuan Province, in the first quarter.
The Ascent FFS-X is a line offull-flight simulators designed to reduce the overall cost of ownership by providing an innovative way to meet the training objectives of airlines, says Mechtronix president and chief executive Fernando Petruzziello.
He says flight crews must undergo a recurrent training programme of proficiency checks every six months that traditionally is conducted in Level D simulators, which requires crews to travel to training centres. As a result, recurrent requirements account for the bulk of an operator's training budget.
But the FFS-X allows recurrent training checks by airlines to be done in-house with Mechtronix's "Recurrent Training Machine" or non-zero flight time (ZFT) configuration, says Petruzziello. He says the simulator offers the same fidelity at half the price of a zero flight-time Level D platform and can be housed in a standard building.
Petruzziello estimates the non-ZFT market will eventually represent about 10% of the global $1 billion simulator market. "The Ascent FFS-X, especially the non-zero flight time model, represents an alternative to the existing centralised training hub approach and can significantly reduce costs associated with recurrent training," he says.
Other cost savings are realised because Mechtronix manufactures all of its simulator cockpit panels in-house. The FFS-X also uses an industrial-grade networking protocol called Canbus that eliminates most of the cabling and the need for the traditional card chassis, the company says.
The Level D machine for CCAFC uses a Redifun RasterFlite image generator and SEOS Panorama wide-angle display.
BRIAN DUNN / MONTREAL
Source: Flight International
