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Aviation History
1987
1987 - 1318.PDF
SIMULATION Aer Lingus updates DUBLIN Aer Lingus' $1-5 million update of its BAe One-Eleven simulator is already paying dividends. Since the simulator resumed operations in Febru ary, a number of new custom ers have come to the Irish airline for One-Eleven train ing. Performed by Systems Designers, the update re placed the simulator's 1965- vintage analog computer with an industry-standard Gould 32/67 digital processor. New microprocessor-based control loading and a one-channel, two-window McDonnell Douglas Vital IV night/dusk visual system were added. The update was prompted by the airline's 1985 decision to hushkit its One-Elevens and keep them in service at least until the end of the 1980s. This, and the enduring popularity of the aircraft with other airlines, made it worth while to update a 20-year-old simulator. Spares were increasingly a problem, as was gaining UK Civil Aviation Authority annual approval of the ageing analog machine. "CAA approval is our licence to trade on the inter national market," says Gene Murphy, Aer Lingus' mana ger, flight simulators. The airline uses only about 10 per cent of available simulator time, and sells the rest to other One-Eleven operators in Europe and Africa. The Aer Lingus contract was Systems Designers' entree into the simulation market, and preceded its acquisition of small UK simu lator manufacturer GML. According to Murphy, the company was chosen as much for its proven systems integra tion expertise as its com petitive bid. Having acquired GML, Systems Designers is now concentrating in three areas, says Joe Anthony, flight simulation business develop ment manager—fixed-base advanced procedures trainers, classroom part-task trainers, and updates to full-flight simulators. The company has a contract to update a Linje- flyg F.28 simulator purchased from Fokker, and others are pending, says sales director Bruce Graham. The company is not yet ready to build full-flight simu lators, and is therefore not a contender to supply Aer Lin gus with the 737-300/400/500 machine which Murphy hopes to purchase. The Irish airline will receive two 737-300s this year, plus a -500 in 1990, and hopes eventually to operate a fleet of 15 -300s and -500s. This fleet size should justify the purchase of a new $6-10 million simulator, says Murphy. CAE, Rediffusion, and Singer Link-Miles have sub mitted fixed-price bids. Board approval for the purchase will be sought soon. Until the chosen simulator is delivered Aer Lingus will buy 737-300 Efis training time from Orion or British Caledonian. Aer Lingus is satisfied with its One-Eleven simulator update Thomson simulates Atlantique PARIS. ~ Thompson-CSF is to supply two Atlantique 2 flight simu lators to the French Navy. Both will be equipped with the company's Visa 4 high- resolution daylight visual system. The first simulator will be delivered in late 1989 or early 1990 to the Aeronavale base at Lann-Bihoue. A second simu lator for the anti-submarine warfare aircraft is on option. Thomson-CSF will also equip the third dome of the French Air Force's Mont de Marsan air combat simulator with its new multiple aircraft raid simulation (Mars) system. Mars laser-projects up to five high-resolution targets on to the inside of the 24ft-diameter dome. The dome will be oper ational by the end of 1988, joining two currently in use for Mirage F.l and 2000 air combat training. Mars is also being proposed for a French Air Force Mirage 2000 full- mission simulator to be installed at Orange air base. SP-X moves downrange CRAWLEY ~ A cheaper, night/dusk version of Rediffusion Simulation's fast-selling Novoview SP-X full-daylight visual system has been introduced. SP-X 200 retains the high scene content characteristic of the range-topping SP-X 500, and therefore offers significant advantages over the existing SP-l/T visual system, says Rediffusion. Cost has been reduced by removing the full-colour, full- daylight capability, and delet ing the ability to expand it into a full SP-X 500 system. Rediffusion would not reveal how much cheaper SP-X 200 is. A launch customer for the new system will be announced soon, Flight understands. The latest SP-X customer is All Nippon Airways (ANA), which has ordered a full- daylight SP-X 500 to equip a 767-300 simulator to be deliv ered by Rediffusion in June 1989. Equipped with the company's Wide panoramic display, the ANA simulator is the first to be purchased to meet Japan's new Phase III zero-flight-time training stan dards, equivalent to US Phase III. SP-X was developed in collaboration with Evans & Sutherland. So far, more than 25 systems have been sold for airline and military training. Australian selects Image LANCING Australian Airlines has chosen Singer Link-Miles' Image IV high-performance visual system for its A320 simulator on order from CAE. The four-channel, five- window, full-daylight visual system will allow the simu lator to meet Australia's Level 5 zero-flight-time training standards, equivalent to US Phase III. The $6 million simulator with its $3 million visual system will be delivered to the airline's Melbourne training centre in the middle of 1989. Australian already operates a CAE-built 737-300 simulator delivered in 1986. Australian is the fourth Image IV customer, after SAS (MD-82, and MD-82/87 simu lators), Boeing (747-400), and Qantas (747-400). It is the first to select the system for a simulator built by another manufacturer. IN BRIEF Newly formed McDonnell Aircraft Training Systems (MTS) is bidding to build V-22 Osprey simulators, having won an initial $103 million contract for the first four of up to 17 F-14D and A-6F machines for the US Navy. Existing products include AV-8B Harrier II simulators for the US Marine Corps. St Louis-based MTS currently employs more than 130 people. Switzerland has postponed plans to buy an air-combat dome simulator until the early 1990s, giving priority to a Hawk trainer simulator. FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL, 1 August 1987
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