News Releases

 

14 WING GREENWOOD - Two, new, state of the art CP 140 Aurora flight simulators have been signed over to 404 Maritime Patrol Squadron from the manufacturer, CAE Canada on Nov. 2^nd.

            The Simulators, housed in the recently opened Thorney Island Simulator Building, are the first Canadian military Full Flight Simulator (FFS) and Flight Training Device (FTD) to achieve Transport Canada's highest certification of level D and level 6 respectively.   These certifications will mean that in some cases, training time spent in the simulator will be logged in as actual aircraft flying time.  This makes those simulators two extremely capable flying trainers. 

"Without the vital and sustained close collaboration between DND and CAE, this major project's objectives could not have been met, said Col. P.R. Matte, commander 14 Wing Greenwood.  "The DND and CAE teams vigorously dedicated themselves to these new simulators for over three years, with an extremely intensive eighteen-month period of acceptance trials.  This exemplary cooperation continues to this day and into the future, as the new simulators will keep up with the continuing Aurora modernisation programme."  Martin Gagné, CAE Executive Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Simulation Products and Military Training, added: "CAE is pleased to be able to provide the department of National Defence with such a capable and complex simulator system.  Canada is now in possession of the most technologically advanced P-3 airframe flight deck simulator in the world."

            While the rigours of military flying will continue to require actual aircraft in training, these new simulators will enhance the CF's ability to train Maritime Patrol aviators to a level thus far impossible, while realising critical savings in flying resources including aircraft time, parts, maintenance effort and consumables.  

            Many manoeuvres, which are too risky to perform in actual aircraft, were impossible to simulate accurately with the old Flight Deck simulator.  With the new FFS and FTD, many of these limitations have been overcome, allowing realistic training for advanced handling and procedures, in a safe environment where crews can practice without risk of injury or damage in the event of an error. 

            The new simulators are already equipped with the new flight instruments and avionic systems that are part of the modernized Aurora aircraft upgrade now in progress.  This will make the FFS and FTD a key resource in the conversion training.

            "Since 2004, DND and CAE engineers worked as a close-knit team, patiently documenting hundreds of problems and contributing countless improvements to aircraft system modelling, motion and sound tuning, and the accurate replication of flight behaviour," said Lt-Col Bill Seymour, commanding officer 404 (MP) Sqn.  "Thanks to the team of subject matter experts, instructional experts and technical experts, the new simulators achieved the coveted certification in May 2006, making them the first P3 Maritime Patrol Aircraft simulator anywhere in the world to achieve this level of fidelity. " In recent years, at least two other air forces attempted this achievement with their P-3 simulators, falling short of the requirement.  As a result of the CP140 success, other nations striving for the same goal are now consulting Canadian industry. 

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