SimuFlite Plans Major Growth at Dallas

Backed by the financial muscle of its new owner, GE Capital Services, SimuFlite plans to build a new wing at its Dallas training center and add up to 10 new Level D simulators.

Acquisition of the Dallas-based flight training organization closes an important loop for GE, which now can offer flight instruction as well as leasing and loan financing for its business aviation customers, according to Jeff Smith, manager for corporate aircraft at GE Capital. His company is a major investor in financing and leasing business aircraft worldwide, with approximately $250 billion in assets. SimuFlite employs more than 450 people at its Dallas; Marietta, GA; and Tampa, FL, training locations. It has 17 FAA-approved Level C or higher business aircraft simulators and trains about 10,500 pilots annually.

Ground-breaking on the 130,000-square-foot wing is scheduled for the middle of 1999, according to Jeffrey Roberts, new SimuFlite president. Roberts was SimuFlite's vice-president for sales and marketing for six years. The new wing will include multimedia classrooms, briefing rooms and office space, as well as simulator bays. The addition will enlarge SimuFlite's Dallas center to 300,000 square feet. Construction work is to be completed in about a year, including expansion of dining and library facilities to accommodate the additional student load.

The expansion will support SimuFlite plans to add five new aircraft training programs by mid-2001, according to Roberts. Exact models have yet to be determined, however. The company already performs simulator training on the Cessna Citation I, II, S/II, V and III/VI; Dassault Falcon 10/100, 20 and 50; and the Gulfstream II/IIB, GIII and GIV/IVSP. It also trains for the British Aerospace Hawker 700 and Raytheon Hawker 800/1000, plus the King Air 2000. Learjet coverage includes the 24/25, 35/36 and 55. SimuFlite also covers the Canadair Challenger 601 and Israel Aircraft Industries Westwind.

Recent additions to SimuFlite's training capabilities include an upgraded Falcon 50 full-flight simulator. Its new panel features a Honeywell dual Laseref inertial reference system, single Collins attitude heading reference system and upgraded autopilot, and dual AlliedSignal Global GNS Xls flight management system.

The modernization more accurately reflects the avionics suite of Falcon 50s flying today, according to Eugene Haggerty, SimuFlite vice president training services.

Pilots training at SimuFlite's Dallas center also can attend an optional course in avoiding controlled flight into terrain (CFIT). These accidents are some of the most common in aviation, and the most preventable. The new CFIT instruction is offered as part of SimuFlite's Advanced Airmanship program. The syllabus includes a review and analysis of recent CFIT accidents and the use of the Flight Safety Foundation's CFIT Checklist as a safety tool to assess and reduce risk. The multimedia presentation is taught by an experienced business aviation instructor.

Other Advanced Airmanship courses include instruction on thunderstorms and radar, icing and deicing, global positioning system-based navigation and a Jeppesen Chart Review. The short courses are optional and can be coordinated with regular initial or recurrent training visits.

SimuFlite also has expanded its Gulfstream IV initial maintenance training course to include instruction in the installation and repair of hydraulic lines. The actual training is presented by representatives of Deutsch Metal Components/Permaswage, who will issue appropriate training cards to technicians who complete the course. SimuFlite also provides maintenance training for most Citations, Falcons, Gulfstreams, Hawkers, and Learjets at its Dallas center or at the client's location. The latter allows training tailored to the individual aircraft.

New ownership won't change SimuFlite's long-time patronage of the aviation arts. This year, it again is co-sponsoring the annual Horizons of Flight exhibition and competition. The exhibit of aviation-related artwork is displayed at SimuFlite's Dallas facility.

For flightcrew and aerospace executives with a short layover in Dallas, the Horizons of Flight exhibition is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, and from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays through December 3.

By Paul Proctor