FSC, Higher Power Aviation To Handle Flight Training
Less than two months after Eclipse Aviation announced the termination of its original
training partnership with United Airlines, the very-light-jet
manufacturer says it has finalized its team of partners who will
train Eclipse 500 pilots.
The company tells ANN it has entered new partnerships with
Flight Simulation Company (FSC) of The Netherlands, and Higher
Power Aviation, Inc. of Dallas-Fort Worth, TX. These organizations
will join simulator manufacturer OPINICUS Corporation of Lutz, FL
in working with Eclipse to deliver the training curriculum that was
approved by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) earlier this
year.
FSC, recognized for its pilot training and simulator center
management expertise in Europe, will provide Eclipse’s
FAA-approved course content and oversee Eclipse Aviation’s
overall Eclipse 500 pilot training program. While FSC will begin
training Eclipse pilots with a focus on North America and Western
Europe, the company's agreement with Eclipse supports the potential
expansion of Eclipse training to other geographic regions.
Under its FAR Part 142 certificate, HPA's flight instructors and
training personnel will conduct FAA approved flight training and
administer the Eclipse 500 type rating curriculum in the United
States. HPA -- which provides jet crew training for the
Boeing 737 Legacy, Classic, and New Generation (B737NG), plus the
Boeing 727, 757, 767, DC-9 and MD-80 -- is an approved FAA Part 142
training center for airlines, corporate flight departments,
government and military agencies, and individuals.
"We take our responsibility to train our customer pilots very
seriously," said Eclipse president and CEO Vern Raburn. "We have
assembled an outstanding team of experienced instructors and
administrators to deliver our FAA-approved, scenario-based training
curriculum to our customers. We look forward to joining forces with
these respected organizations to create an entirely new generation
of safe and highly-proficient jet pilots."
The Eclipse 500 training program is comprised of a multi-phase
curriculum, codeveloped with United Airlines, including an initial
flight skills assessment and supplemental training if required,
self-paced computer-based study, emergency situation training, a
type rating transition course, post-certification mentoring as well
as recurrent training. The training curriculum was developed using
Line Oriented Flight Training (LOFT) and Flight Operations Quality
Assurance (FOQA) principles, which are considered airline
standards.
In addition, Eclipse 500 training is accepted by the
FAA/Industry Training Standards (FITS), which emphasizes
scenario-based training that focuses on real-life situations.