ALVA Announces New Sponsors
ALVA Press release: “ALVA (Aer Lingus Virtual Airline) are delighted to introduce their new partnership for 2012. Atlantic AirVenture in Shannon is a unique place dedicated to promoting aviation in all forms. They provide and help interested people to access information on a wide range aviation careers, they hold youth summer aviation school, future pilot courses and work with primary and post primary schools, scout groups and general public to possibly inspire the next generation of aviators. ALVA will be organising frequent visits to the facility though out the year for their members Simulator.
The 737-800 NG simulator is equipped with an instructor station and uses an interface which allows easy and fast access to an extensive range of environment, position, altitude and failure situations, giving maximum time and focus on the individuals training needs. There simulator has been used for a variety of aviation training tasks while remaining an uncertified device, including: flight deck familiarization; systems training; engineering training; interview preparation and assessment ; jet orientation courses; pre-type rating and recurrent training.
The web site www.atlanticairventure.com.
Flying In Ireland Magazine were recently invited to visit the Shannon Flight Sim Centre which is located at Atlantic AirVenture Shannon. Readers may recall that we reviewed this simulator a number of years ago but it has since moved to this fantastic new location and has undergone a number of improvements including a new instructor station, improved handling characteristics and associated new briefing rooms.
They spoke to Jane Magill and Thomas Richter, from Atlantic AirVenture about the new improved simulator and its aims and objectives. The simulator caters for a number of roles – procedural trainer for professional pilots, interview and simulator assessment practice for newly qualified pilots, and introductory lessons for members of the public.
Although the simulator is not certified, it is a fully functional Boeing 737 simulator so it is perfect for simulator assessment practice for pilots in advance of an interview. AirVenture can provide fully qualified current airline pilots to instruct and prepare the student for an interview. This includes a full preflight briefing in the spacious and well equipped briefing rooms. These are equipped with cockpit mock-ups, posters and white boards to make sure all students are fully briefed and ready before entering the sim. Once inside, the instructor can run a number of common flight profiles that are usually flown during an assessment. The software has been heavily modified by Thomas which allows the instructor a lot of control over the the aircraft systems and allows very realistic scenarios to be flown and practiced. The interface is powered by Project Magenta and this has been tweaked and improved to provide superior handling and realistic system logic. Thomas has integrated his TSR B737 software (Systems Logic and EICAS) which gives facility to demonstrate specific system failures and indications that are not available with Project Magenta.
The systems in this simulator are and exact replica of the real aircraft. It includes a fully functioning autopilot with VNAV and LNAV capability, full flight director and autotrottle system, a range of EFIS displays, full FMC, full NAV and airport database, and fully functioning overhead panel.
We sat in for a quick flight for a demonstration of the failures that can be demonstrated. Thomas preselected a number of failures from the instructor panel and then hopped into the Captains seat for take-off. The failures can be entered with preselected conditions allowing the instructor more time to engage with the student. For example an engine failure can be pre-programmed to occur at V1 or rotation, the aircraft could depressurise at a given altitude, or various other system failures at other phases of the flight. Of course the instructor also has full control over the weather conditions and can select all different conditions depending on the type of flight being flown.
The simulator is also available to students as a 737NG procedural trainer. This can be useful for cadets before they start a type rating or as additional training for those who may have been away from the flight deck for a while. Its also available to pilots to keep them current on jet aircraft while they apply for jobs. And at a fraction of the price of a full motion simulator, it is cost effective too. The facility is also used by Shannon Aerospace and Air Atlanta MRO’S in Shannon for Engine Run training, and FAS aircraft technician trainees are regular visitors.
Atlantic AirVenture also offer introductory flights to members of the public to give them a taste of flying an airliner!
In addition to pilots and members of the public, Atlantic AirVenture also offer a number of courses to organisations within the aviation industry. They recently provided a course for Air Traffic Controllers at Shannon. This was an opportunity to show the controllers what goes on within the cockpit and the type of actions and procedures that take place during emergencies. This course was well received by the controllers and has now become an integral part of their training and recurrent modules.
On behalf of ALVA we would like to welcome Atlantic AirAdventures and thank them for their generosity. We look forward to meeting up for the simulation sessions in the next couple of months.
Shaun Brown
CEO
www.alvirtual.net
