Pan Am International Flight Academy of Miami has acquired Westwind Aviation Academy in Phoenix, specializing in ab initio (from the beginning) pilot training, and a Level D Cessna Caravan simulator to be located in its Memphis, TN, facility. Westwind was founded in 1993 and provides pilot training to some 150 pilots per year, many of whom are pursuing professional flying careers.
"We are excited to become a member of the Pan Am International team," said Westwind VP and managing director Jerry Griffin. "At Westwind, our objective is to provide career-minded students with the educational and practical experience necessary to become professional pilots. We share this objective with Pan Am International Flight Academy so, from this perspective, it's a natural fit."

The Caravan simulator will be available for pilot initial and pilot recurrent maintenance training courses this fall. Manufactured by NLX Corp--formerly INTELX--the simulator's flight data package was provided by Kohlman Systems Research. The six-axis simulator is equipped with a CAE MAXVIEW wide-angle display system enabling cross-cockpit viewing and an onboard instructor operating station. It is capable of normal, abnormal and emergency procedures.

Pan Am says it will continue to provide simulator training to commercial and regional carriers. Another subsidiary, SimCom, will service the business and general aviation sectors using a combination of fixed-base and motion simulators. SimCom will also absorb the Career Pilot Training function, the company says.