DAVID LEARMOUNT / LONDON
Deal with Switzerland-based Jet Aviation covers Boeing Business Jets and will use Next Generation 737 simulator
Emirates-CAE Flight Training in Dubai has landed a major pilot training contract from Switzerland-based aircraft management and charter company Jet Aviation. The deal covers Boeing Business Jet (BBJ) types and recurrent training using the Emirates-CAE Next Generation 737 simulator.
Canadian simulator giant CAE's senior representative in Dubai, Dave Barrett, says Emirates-CAE expects to announce two new airline customers and another business aviation customer soon on top of the seven airlines and three corporate customer/royal flights that already train there. The company also owns an Airbus Corporate Jetliner/A320 Level D simulator, and will move into its own 14-bay purpose-built centre later this year, says Barrett.
By May the company will have A330 and A340 simulators, and by mid-year simulators for the Gulfstream IV and V. Training on another, unspecified, type will soon become available, says Barrett.
He says that there is a considerable difference between airline and business aircraft pilot training because the latter often includes many of the functions that the operations department or other ground staff perform for airline pilots. Business aircraft trainee pilots at Emirates-CAE receive more instructor-led ground training than the airline students, adds Barrett.
Meanwhile, Emirates' own training organisation reveals it is studying the feasibility of setting up an ab initio pilot training school at Dubai. Emirates' flight operations director Capt Chris Knowles says that it recruits 30 cadets a year - all United Arab Emirates nationals.
At present they carry out their ab initio pilot training at Adelaide, Australia, but the airline is looking into providing training tailored to the educational and cultural needs of Muslim cadets being prepared for airline service.
Source: Flight International
