The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) has put into service an Airbus A320 Full Flight Simulator (FFS), ordered from Thales, at the new extension of the Hua-Ou Aviation Training Centre, a joint-venture between Airbus and the China Aviation Supplies Holding Company (CAS) in Beijing.

A ceremony was held on 24th March at the training centre to celebrate the opening of the new extension and the new simulator’s entry into service.

Raymond Lim, General Manager of Hua-Ou Aviation Training & Support Centre, and Captain Jiang Huaiyu, Director General of Flight Standards Department of CAAC, signed a cooperation agreement on the operation of the new simulator and an A320 configured Thales Formation System Trainer (TFST). The FFS and TFST are owned by CAAC and will be operated by Hua-Ou. This is the first time CAAC has purchased its own FFS. The new device will become a reference standard for the training of CAAC inspectors. Those inspectors are responsible for verifying that all A320 FFS in use throughout the Chinese aviation industry meet all regulatory standards necessary to provide pilot training at the required level.

Hua-Ou’s new extension includes four new classrooms, a structural training workshop, a new simulator bay and a new cabin trainer hall. The new facilities will host 20 per cent more pilot trainees and 33 per cent more engineering (mechanics) trainees each year, increasing the centre’s total capacity by 25 per cent.

“Safety has always been our top priority and qualified pilots and engineers are key to ensuring safety in air traffic. The Hua-Ou Aviation Training Centre has played an important role in the training of qualified pilots, engineers and crew members for China. We firmly believe that the experts of the training centre will make full use of the training facilities to contribute even more to air transportation safety,” said Li Jian, Vice Minister of CAAC.

“As a shareholder of the Hua-Ou Aviation Training Centre, CAS will increase its cooperation with Airbus to further develop the centre and to enhance its training capacity,” said Li Hai, President of CAS and Chairman of the Hua-Ou Aviation Training and Support Centre.

“We are proud that CAAC has chosen the Hua-Ou Aviation Training Centre as a base for its first simulator. It highlights their trust in our expertise and professionalism. Through this project, CAAC and Hua-Ou have set a new cooperation mode. The expansion of the training centre and the addition of new training facilities will allow us to better answer the need for training of our customers and Airbus aircraft operators in China,” said Pierre Steffen, Airbus China Senior Vice President Customer Services and Internal Operations.

The Hua-Ou Aviation Training Centre was opened in 1997. In April 2006, China Aviation Supplies Holding Company (CAS) and Airbus announced the renewal of their contract for two more decades for the Training and Support Centre.

Notes to editors:

About Hua-Ou Aviation Training Centre
Opened in 1997, the Hua-Ou Aviation Training Centre is part of the Airbus global training network. The centre is able to provide Airbus aircraft operators with customized training programs for flight crews, mechanics, operation engineers, as well as cabin crews.

Since it received the first group of pilot trainees in October 1997, the training centre has provided training programs for people from more than 30 airlines. Over 17,000 registered trainees have been trained, including pilots, maintenance engineers and cabin attendants.

Now that the new A320 Full Flight Simulator (FFS) has been put into service, Hua-Ou is equipped with three full flight simulators, two for the single-aisle A320 Family and the other for the long range A330/A340. A new CAE 7000 Series Airbus A330/340 convertible Full Flight Simulator will be in operation at the training centre by the end of the year to replace the current A330/A340 simulator.

About the new FFS and TFST
The new Full Flight Simulator and the A320 configured Thales Formation Systems Trainer (TFST) conform to Airbus A320 Standard 1.5.0, Level D. The FFS is based on the Thales C2000X system, which uses the latest state-of-the-art proven technology, and will be equipped with the CFM 56-5B4 engine, a substitute for the IAE V2527-A5 engine. It will also have a Flight Crew Debrief System and a Forward Facing Instructor Operating Station.

The Motion System selected is the new revolutionary Thales eM2K 6-degree of freedom electric motion system, using hydraulic mass compensation and transmission, which removes the requirements for a Hydraulic Power Unit and the associated piping and facilities requirements such as chilled water. Using the system reduces the energy operating costs by around 80 per cent of that incurred for traditional hydraulic motion systems and it uses 90 per cent less oil.