Flight Training Alliance Begins Pilot Training on C Series Aircraft Full-Flight Simulator

Flight Training Alliance's first full-flight simulator for Bombardier's all-new C Series aircraft was unveiled during an inauguration held in Frankfurt, Germany.

Approximately two years after the founding of the joint venture between CAE and Lufthansa Flight Training, initial training on the most recent Bombardier aircraft family will take place at the Lufthansa Flight Training Center Frankfurt. Flight Training Alliance (FTA) is Bombardier's sole Approved Training Provider (ATP) for the C Series aircraft and, as such, is the only provider of training solutions for this type of aircraft besides the manufacturer.

"We are very proud of the fact that with the launch of the simulator, Flight Training Alliance is making excellent progress," said Rainer Hiltebrand, Lufthansa Flight Training CEO. "This joint venture is the first project of this size for Lufthansa Flight Training, and we are pleased that this collaboration has developed so successfully for both partners. I would sincerely like to thank everyone involved."

"We congratulate the teams of Flight Training Alliance on this auspicious milestone and recognize their hard work and commitment to collaborating with us on the C Series aircraft training program," said Todd Young, Vice President and General Manager, Customer Services, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft. "The full-flight simulator is well positioned to help meet the training requirements of C Series aircraft operators in Europe and beyond."

The CAE-built simulator is the third of its kind worldwide. It contains a newly designed Instructor Operator Station (IOS) that is equipped with two 16:9 monitors. Bombardier's C Series aircraft differs from other types of aircraft, as all flight control systems are operated completely electrically. This means that the new FTA simulator, which is an exact replica of the actual cockpit, requires fewer mechanical components and is more reliable from a technical standpoint. The new device received EASA Level C approval on 18 August 2016. Level D approval is expected in summer 2017. The first crew to perform its training in FTA's new simulator is from Air Baltic.

FTA brings together technological expertise, experience in flight operations, and the global reach of two leading training companies: "We are proud of our joint venture and truly value the excellent collaboration between CAE and LFT," said Nick Leontidis, CAE Group President, Civil Aviation Training Solutions. "We are looking forward to a successful future providing best-in-class training to C Series aircraft operators."

FTA works closely with Bombardier, thus ensuring that the training it provides is perfectly tailored to the needs of operators of the C Series aircraft. This also guarantees that all of its training programs are on a par with the respective level of aircraft development.

Background Information for Journalists

Lufthansa Flight Training

Lufthansa Flight Training GmbH (LFT) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Deutsche Lufthansa AG and one of the leading European providers of training for pilots and flight attendants. In addition to Lufthansa itself, more than 200 other airlines benefit from LFT's experience in fields such as simulation-based training, emergency and service training, as well as e-learning. The company can draw on over half a century of training experience in collaboration with one of the largest airlines. Based on this flight-operational know-how, LFT has continuously and successfully expanded its wet training activities in recent years. Today one in three clients that use simulator training utilize wet training solutions. LFT instructors are among the most experienced in the industry. Each of the 250 trainers has logged more than 17,000 hours of flight time on average, with around 7,000 hours of that total on the type of aircraft they are responsible for at Lufthansa Flight Training. Further information can be found at www.lufthansa-flight-training.de

CAE  

CAE is a global leader in training for the civil aviation, defence and security, and healthcare markets. Backed by a 70-year record of industry firsts, we continue to help define global training standards with our innovative virtual-to-live training solutions to make flying safer, maintain defence force readiness and enhance patient safety. We have the broadest global presence in the industry, with 8,000 employees, 160 sites and training locations in over 35 countries. Each year, we train more than 120,000 civil and defence crewmembers and thousands of healthcare professionals worldwide. www.cae.com

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Bombardier andC Series  are trademarks of Bombardier Inc. or its subsidiaries.

CAE Contacts:

Hélène V. Gagnon, Vice President, Public Affairs and Global Communications,
+1-514-340-5536, [email protected]

Trade media: Frédéric Morais, Marketing Leader, Civil Aviation Training Solutions,
+1-514-506-8331, [email protected]

Lufthansa Flight Training Contact:

Uta Dressel, Head of Corporate Communications, +49-69-6967-3373, [email protected]