FAIRCHILDDORNIER'S Portland, Oregon-based simulator for the 328 regional turboprop has been upgraded to Level C training standard following a five-month effort by Opinicus. The lack of a Level C simulator allowing zero flight-time training of flightdeck crews has been a major concern for operators of the 328.
Clearwater, Florida-based Opinicus says that Fairchild Dornier was in danger of losing the simulator's existing Level A certification when the company was called in to upgrade the machine, one of two manufactured by Thomson Training & Simulation.
Opinicus acquired raw flight-test data to develop the improved aerodynamic, flight-control and engine models required for Level C approval. Rather than take the simulator out of service during the upgrade, the company tested the new software off-line, running five simultaneous simulation test-loads 16h a day while training continued on the simulator.
Opinics specialises in simulator upgrades, and recently modified the avionics and navigation hardware and software in a Raytheon Beech King Air C90 simulator operated by Transport Canada.
Source: Flight International
