Two Denver, Colorado-based companies are moving into the training centre business, with new approaches to providing affordable access to simulators.
Training Devices International (TDI) is marketing fractional ownership of simulators. It holds letters of intent from regionals interested in buying shares in two in-production Raytheon Beech 1900s, says president Bruce Betschart.
A one-sixth share will buy a customer 1,000h of training time. There is an initial payment to acquire the share and an hourly fee to use the simulator, but the arrangement gives the airline freedom to schedule training time to meet its needs, he says.
TDI is building a Level C Beech 1900 simulator, which is expected to be completed in October and based in Denver. A Level D simulator will follow in November and is to be based close to an unnamed customer. TDI intends to establish a network of training centres, and plans an initial public offering in May to raise the funding.
Meanwhile, a Level B Beech 1900 simulator, produced by TDI and based at Denver's Centennial Airport, is being used by TechniFlite to provide training for regional airlines Air Nova, Continental Express and Great Lakes.
The simulator was intended to be mobile, but TechniFlite now plans to remove the machine from its truck to allow the motion and visual systems to be upgraded to Level C. The company also plans to acquire a Level 6 flight training device for the Beech 1900, to increase capacity.
TechniFlite says its mobile concept proved not to be suited to the regional market, but may be applied to business aircraft training. Instead of a full-flight simulator, which requires recertification after each move, a lower fidelity Level 6 flight training device would be installed in the truck.
The company is entering the business aircraft training market by buying a Level C Beech King Air C90 simulator from Japan Airlines, to be based in Denver.
Source: Flight International
