FlightSafety Simulators Head for Certification

FlightSafety International is installing a new Bell 412 full-flight simulator at its Fort Worth Learning Center this week.

The training specialist has other advanced simulators coming on line or in production, too. A Learjet 45 simulator is nearing certification at the FSI Tucson Learning Center and a Falcon 50EX is being delivered to Teterboro, close to the Dassault Falcon Jet headquarters in New Jersey. A second Citation X simulator, to be delivered to FSI's Toledo center, is in the final phases of production.

Elsewhere a Cessna Citation Bravo simulator at New York City's La Guardia Airport is now certificated to Level D. The unit includes ChromaView panoramic display and bright day visual environment. It also has a computer-driven, multi-screen touch-command instructor panel. In Paris, a second Falcon 2000 gained Level D certification in August; at the same time, the French civil aviation authority and the German authorities re-certificated a Falcon 50 simulator after it had been upgraded with a new ChromaView visual system and panoramic display.

FlightSafety says it will gain FAR Part 142 certification at its Le Bourget facility outside Paris this week as well. The Le Bourget center is said to be the largest training facility outside the U.S. to obtain Part 142 approval.

In other news, FlightSafety said it was expanding its Tulsa facility by adding thousands of square feet for manufacturing and assembly of a long list of simulators. The expansion will be complete by year-end.