First AgustaWestland AW189 simulator to enter service with Rotorsim next year
Above: The maiden flight of the AW189, 22 December 2011.
The CAE 3000 Series simulator will be installed at AgustaWestland's 'A. Marchetti' Training Academy in Sesto Calende, Italy and will be available for training from the third quarter 2013.
John Ponsonby, AgustaWestland's Senior Vice President Training, said: "The AW189 full flight simulator will enable us to offer type conversion, recurrent and operational role training for this new generation commercial helicopter that is already attracting significant sales around the world. We look forward to bringing this new simulator online in 2013 so our customers can benefit from the high quality of training it will provide."
The order for the CAE 3000 Series simulator was booked in CAE's third quarter of fiscal 2012 ending December 31, 2011 and was included in the value of military contracts announced by CAE on January 18, 2012. AgustaWestland and CAE have also agreed to collaborate on developing and delivering AW189 training devices globally based on market demand and requirements.
Martin Gagne, CAE's Group President, Military Products, Training and Services, said: "CAE has developed training systems for the greatest variety of helicopters, and we are pleased AgustaWestland has selected us as their partner in developing the world's first AW189 full-flight simulator.
"Together, AgustaWestland and CAE share a commitment to offering high-fidelity, mission-focused training that enhances safety, efficiency and mission readiness for civil and military helicopter operators."
The new AW189 FFS will be developed jointly by CAE and AgustaWestland and will be qualified to Level D, the highest qualification for flight simulators. The CAE 3000 Series helicopter mission simulator features unprecedented realism for helicopter-specific mission training, including offshore oil and gas producer (OGP), search and rescue, law enforcement and other types of operations. The simulator enables pilots to practice without risk challenging procedures such as low-level flight, confined area operations, autorotation and landing on platforms at sea. The AW189 FFS for Rotorsim will feature AgustaWestland-certified avionics and aircraft software combined with CAE core simulation technologies, including: CAE True six degree-of-freedom (DOF) electric motion system and high-performance vibration platform to replicate vibration cues critical to helicopter pilots; a high-fidelity CAE Medallion-6000 visual system; and a direct projection 210 degree by 80 degree extreme field-of-view dome display system.
The all new AW189 was launched in June 2011 in response to the growing market demand for a versatile, affordable, multirole helicopter in the 8-tonne class and has already achieved significant success in the market place with sales to leading operators serving the offshore oil and gas markets, including Bristow Helicopters, Weststar Aviation Services of Malaysia and Bel Air of Denmark. The twin engine AW189 helicopter is optimised for long range offshore transport and SAR missions and can carry up to 18 passengers in its large spacious cabin.
The AW189 is part of AgustaWestland's family of new generation helicopters that includes the AW169 and AW139 models. These helicopters all possess the same high performance flight characteristics and safety features whilst sharing the same common cockpit layout, design philosophy and maintenance concepts. This approach will deliver real cost savings in areas such as training, maintenance and support for existing operators of the AW139 who add AW169 and/or AW189 helicopters to their fleets.
Rotorsim was established in 2003 as a joint venture by AgustaWestland and CAE to provide classroom and synthetic training solutions for AgustaWestland AW109 and AW139 helicopter operators around the world. The Rotorsim training centre in Italy is located within the AgustaWestland 'A. Marchetti' Training Academy and already houses two CAE-built FFSs, with an additional CAE 3000 Series AW139 FFS scheduled for delivery in 2012. Rotorsim also offers NH90 training to the Netherlands and other operators, and provides training services to AgustaWestland on a CAE-built AW139 simulator located at CAE's North East Training Centre near New York City.
