Brisbane-Based Airline Academy Takes Delivery of New Simulators

The Airline Academy of Australia, based at Brisbane’s Archerfield Airport, has taken delivery of two next-generation flight training simulators, to increase its capacity to train future airline pilots on multiple aircraft types.

The US-made Redbird FMX Simulators have just been installed at AAA’s training facility and are the first Redbird devices to be CASA certified in Australia.

Each Simulator has quick-change cockpit configurations and instrument displays, enabling them to replicate every aircraft in the AAA training fleet. This includes switching from single-engine Cessna 172 trainers to twin-engine Beech King Airs, and from analogue instrument displays to new glass cockpits.

Conversion of the simulator displays and layout from one aircraft type to another takes just minutes, providing significant flexibility for the academy, which is accredited to train pilots for a range of customers including international airlines.

Allan Brooks, Chief Executive of Airline Academy of Australia, and Royal Queensland Aero Club, said the new simulators would be used to upgrade and expand the airline training capabilities of the AAA.

“These devices will replace our previous front-line simulators for general aviation pilot training, and offer significantly improved capabilities and training scenarios,” said Mr Brooks. “They will also enable us to increase significantly the amount of simulator time which we include in our core training syllabus.”

Each of the Redbird units offers a fully-enclosed cockpit, 200-degree wrap around visual displays and electronic “motion platforms” to simulate aircraft movement – a major upgrading of cockpit training simulation for general aviation.

“Our new simulators will provide a level of sophistication which previously was offered only on training devices for large jets and turboprop airliners,” Mr Brooks added. “The Redbird devices are designed to enable instructors to sit alongside students, as they would in an actual aircraft, and each includes a comprehensive database of airports and terrain, to increase realism in training and maximise experience for students.”

The new simulators include a unique USB key system, enabling instructors to authorise students to fly only those training missions applicable to their curriculum. The new simulators also store pilot information and flight history.

In addition to its four general aviation training devices, including the two new units, Airline Academy of Australia has an ongoing partnership with another Queensland company, SimJet Training Systems, enabling access to SimJet’s Boeing 737 Next Generation training simulator which is located at the Academy campus on Archerfield Airport.

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