Three-Year Agreement Will Provide 'Ab-Initio' Training To Aspiring Pilots

The Airbus Training Center (ATC) in Miami, Florida has signed a three-year agreement with FlightSafety International to provide an integrated, “ab-initio” training solution to airline customers and aspiring pilots at FlightSafety Academy in Vero Beach, Florida. This agreement will help address the worldwide demand for new pilots. Courses and programs offered through the Airbus/FlightSafety cooperation will encompass First Officer, Multi-Crew Pilot (MPL) and specifically in North America Airline Transport Pilot-Certified Training Program (ATP-CTP).

FlightSafety and Airbus will offer candidates the opportunity to be trained in Florida, from no prior flight time all the way to a qualified A320 first officer.  FlightSafety will train candidates to be qualified pilots, while Airbus will train them to be qualified as pilots on Airbus equipment.

“We are pleased that Airbus has selected FlightSafety Academy as their premier ab-initio training partner,” said Daniel MacLellan, Vice President Operations, FlightSafety International.  “This collaboration with Airbus provides airlines with a total training solution designed to meet their future training requirements. FlightSafety Academy has provided the highest quality training to airlines around the world for over 48 years.”

“The world’s airlines already are feeling the effects of a shortage of qualified pilots,” commented Joe Houghton, Head of Flight Training at Airbus’ Training Center in Miami.  “The ability of our customers to continue growing is dependent on providing a steady stream of well-trained, qualified airline pilots.  This partnership will be one means of meeting this requirement.  Airbus’ role will be to complement FlightSafety’s initial pilot-training program and teach the specific requirements of the Airbus platform.”

FlightSafety International is the world’s premier professional aviation training company and supplier of flight simulators, visual systems and displays to commercial, government and military organizations. The company provides more than a million hours of training each year to pilots, technicians and other aviation professionals from 167 countries and independent territories. FlightSafety operates the world’s largest fleet of advanced full flight simulators at Learning Centers and training locations in the United States, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, South Africa, and the United Kingdom.

Airbus’ Miami training center is one of five Airbus facilities around the world providing training for Airbus customers’ flight and cabin crew, as well as maintenance personnel. The custom-designed, 110,000-square-foot complex has a total of six full-flight simulators, as well as cabin door and slide trainers, state-of-the-art computer-based training classrooms and six flight training devices simulating the A320, A330 and A340 aircraft. Approximately 2,000 trainees from Airbus airline operators in the U.S., Canada and Latin America take courses annually in Miami under the direction of 70 Airbus employees.

FMI: www.airbus.com, www.flightsafety.com