Yup, 2007 continues to have been lauded as a very good year by a number of aerospace firms... such as CAE. The company has confirmed to ANN that it has signed contracts to design and manufacture eight full-flight simulators (FFSs) and associated CAE Simfinity training devices. The contracts with Continental, US Airways, Etihad, Air Algérie and Alteon Training have a total list price value of more than C$126 million and bring the total FFS sales that CAE has announced so far in fiscal 2008 to 29.

“We are delighted that these customers have placed their trust and confidence in CAE as the industry’s premier provider of true fidelity simulation equipment to support pilot training programs,” said Marc Parent (pictured below), CAE’s Group President, Simulation Products and Military Training & Services.

“We are pleased that long-time customers Continental and US Airways have once again selected CAE. The legacy carriers in the United States are beginning to address their fleet renewal needs and we anticipate this will eventually provide CAE with more opportunities in the North American market.”

Continental Airlines

Continental Airlines has ordered a CAE 7000 Series Boeing 787 FFS and a suite of CAE Simfinity training devices. The Boeing 787 FFS for Continental is CAE’s first for a North American carrier and sixth simulator for the new Boeing 787 aircraft that CAE has been contracted to design and manufacture globally. The simulator, along with a CAE Simfinity flight training device (FTD) and CAE Simfinity virtual simulator (VSIM) for the Boeing 787 aircraft, will be delivered to Continental’s training centre in Houston in 2008.

“We look forward to adding the Boeing 787 to our fleet, and to do so we need the highest quality and highest fidelity simulators for our pilot training program,” said Captain Fred Abbott, Continental’s Vice President of Flight Operations. “For many years, CAE has been an excellent partner working with Continental’s Flight Training and Purchasing groups to deliver high quality and reliable simulation equipment. We expect this will continue as we add the Boeing 787 to our training portfolio.”

US Airways

US Airways, the fifth largest domestic airline in the United States, has ordered two CAE 7000 Series Airbus A320 FFSs, and one CAE 7000 Series Airbus A330/A340 FFS. In addition, US Airways will receive nine CAE Simfinity Integrated Procedures Trainers (IPTs) as well as CAE Simfinity VSIMs for both the A320 and A330/A340 aircraft platforms. The FFSs and IPTs will be delivered by late 2008 to US Airways training centres in either Charlotte, North Carolina or Phoenix, Arizona. The CAE 7000 Series FFSs for US Airways will all feature CAE’s next-generation visual solution, including the CAE Tropos-6000 visual system and Liquid Crystal on Silicon (LCoS) projectors. The simulators will also feature the CAE True electric motion system.

“We’re very pleased to continue our relationship with CAE and look forward to working with them to meet our training needs,” said US Airways Managing Director Flight Training and Standards Robert Skinner.

Etihad Airways

Etihad Airways, the national carrier of Abu Dhabi, has ordered a CAE 7000 Series Airbus A320 FFS as well as a CAE Simfinity Maintenance/Flight Training Device (M/FTD) that will be reconfigurable to the Airbus A320, A330, and A340 aircraft platforms. The A320 FFS for Etihad will be delivered in 2008 to Etihad’s training centre in Abu Dhabi. The simulator will feature the CAE True electric motion system and CAE’s next-generation visual solution. The CAE Simfinity M/FTD is a multi-task trainer that will be used for flight crew and maintenance training by Etihad.

Air Algérie

Air Algérie has ordered a CAE 7000 Series Boeing 737NG FFS that will be delivered to their training centre in Algiers in 2008. The simulator will feature the CAE True electric motion system and CAE’s visual system. This is CAE’s first contract with Air Algérie to provide a full-flight simulator.

Alteon Training

Alteon Training, a subsidiary of the Boeing Company, has awarded CAE a contract for two FFSs. One simulator will be a CAE 7000 Series Boeing 737NG FFS; Alteon will decide on the specific platform for the second simulator at a later date.

"This contract is the result of Boeing's commitments to Canadian business arising from the government's purchase of four C-17 aircraft. This stands as a testament to the talent and abilities of this region's businesses," said the Government of Canada. "There are many more projects to come, each with a guaranteed 100-percent return on investment and, given the extensive capacity of Canadian industry, businesses from all regions of Canada are expected to benefit."

FMI: www.cae.com