SimCom Training Centers has signed an agreement with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries to extend the provision of Mu-2 twin-turboprop pilot simulator training for another 10 years. SimCom had originally taken over Mu-2 training from FlightSafety International in 2001.
By June 2012 SimCom, will have upgraded its second Mu-2 simulator to level 5, which increases the trainer's ability to provide training to the higher Federal Aviation Administration SFAR 108 standards. SimCom chief operating officer Tracy Brennan said: "Now, more Mu-2 owners will be attracted to simulator training, which we believe is the best and most effective kind of aircraft training," because of the ability to practice drills that would be too dangerous to perform in the real aircraft.
In a separate move, SimCom is improving and expanding simulator training options for Twin Commander pilots. It already offers a fixed-base flight training device and classroom training, and has now acquired two motion simulators for the Twin Commander 690 series and 1000 JetProp from FlightSafety, and expects FAA approval for associated courses soon. Twin Commander Aircraft president Matt Isley comments: "Excellent training can be done in the aircraft by qualified and experienced instructors, but it is not possible to replicate and practice to proficiency the types of emergency situations that can be experienced in the simulator."
Source: Flight Daily News
