SimuFlite Kicks Off New Courses Covering Maintenance, Airmanship

"Innovative new maintenance training" is being unveiled here by SimuFlite Training International. The curricula comprises comprehensive multimedia courses based on the company's new troubleshooting methodology.

Troubleshooting, SimuFlite says, is the foundation of all its new maintenance training. The new systems employ animation, video and interactivity to fully examine aircraft systems and immerse the client in realistic simulations.

"The aircraft systems are really brought to life, allowing you to see exactly how they operate," said SimuFlite maintenance training manager Mark Malkosky. "A fault can be introduced into the live schematics and it will automatically show how it affects other systems."

The courses also are designed to evolve, as SimuFlite views them as dynamic entities, ready to respond to updates in manufacturer specifications and data.

"This is a whole new generation of maintenance training," said SimuFlite president Jeff Roberts. "No other training applies more directly to the work the technician performs in the hangar."

The company is demonstrating the new courses at its Booth 7315.

SimuFlite also is offering a new "Advanced Airmanship" course that examines current and upcoming GPWS and TCAS technologies. The GPWS portion provides pilots with an awareness of the events that led to the creation and requirement for GPWS; and of the alerts, warnings and characteristics of the enhanced GPWS, including terrain database, advanced warnings and look-ahead capabilities.

The TCAS portion focuses on the history of the system and a complete overview of basic components and their operation. It also looks at the past and present problems with TCAS and what is being done about them.

SimuFlite is upgrading all its ground schools that now utilize traditional media, said managing director for communications and software Allison Blankenship. The upgrade will replace photographic slide-based programs with a new digital presentation, and will unite the firm's multimedia training programs, including those for the Challenger 601, Gulfstream IV, Hawker 800 and Hawker 1000.

"The interactive nature of the digital media will allow instructors to move to any image or even a different ground-school program with just one or two mouse-clicks," she said. SimuFlite also provides training on the Citation I/II/SII/III/V/VI, Falcon 10/20/50, Gulfstream II/IIB/III/IV, Hawker 700, King Air 200, Learjet 24/25/35/36/55, and Westwind.

By Arnold Lewis