Mubadala Aerospace, through its subsidiary HorizonFlight Academy (Horizon), along with Abu Dhabi Aviation (ADA) will establish an advanced flight training facility dedicated to serve global commercial and defense customers.

Mubadala made the announcement at the Dubai Airshow, saying that it had signed a contract with CAE for the purchase of a CAE 3000 Series full-flight simulator (FFS) representing the AgustaWestland AW139 helicopter to be owned and operated by JV. The joint venture is subject to any required antitrust and other regulatory approvals.

“Mubadala Aerospace is at the forefront of creating a local and international aerospace industry in the UAE and surrounding regions built on mutually beneficial partnerships,” said Homaid Al Shemmari, executive director, Mubadala Aerospace. “Thisjoint venture between Mubadala and ADA will bring together over 40 years of combined aircraft operating and training expertise and will capitalise on the significant projected global aircraft fleet growth in the coming years in both the commercial and defense markets.”

“This will require well-trained, highly-skilled pilots and through ADA and Horizon we aim to set the benchmark for pilot training in the Middle East. The AW139 simulator from CAE will play a key role in delivering the highest-quality helicopter training,” he added.

Nader Ahmed Mohammed Al Hammadi, chairman of ADA, said: “ADA is the largest commercial helicopter operator in the Middle East and we are delighted to be partnering with Mubadala Aerospace to develop additional training capabilities for the region.  Both ADA and Mubadala have a long-term commitment to the aerospace industry, and this JV and the purchase of this simulator will ensure that our dedication to the highest standards of safety, quality and efficiency will continue.”

Captain Michael Burke, director of training for ADA, said: “To ensure the highest level of training, state-of-the-art technology and facilities are essential and the JV’s investment in the 3000 Series is evidence to our focus on providing unparalleled training efficacy for our AW139 aircrews.”

Bruno Spagnolini, CEO of AgustaWestland, said: “AgustaWestland is very pleased to support this new joint venture and looks forward to working closely with CAE in the development of the new AW139 simulator for Horizon. We are also looking forward to extending our working relationship with ADA, Mubadala and the JV as an AgustaWestland authorised training centre to support type conversion, recurrent and operational role training for our AW139 customers from the Middle East.”

The CAE 3000 Series helicopter simulator features unprecedented realism for helicopter-specific mission training, including offshore oil and gas producer (OGP), law enforcement, corporate VIP and other operations. 

The simulator enables pilots to practice challenging procedures without risk such as low-level flight, confined area operations, autorotation and landing on platforms at sea.

The AW139 FFS for Horizon and ADA will feature the CAE True six degree-of-freedom (DOF) electric motion system as well as high-performance vibration platform to replicate vibration cues critical to helicopter pilots and extensive input from AgustaWestland to ensure full compatibility with the aircraft configuration.

The simulator will also feature the high-fidelity CAE Tropos-6000 visual system and a direct projection 210 degree by 80 degree field-of-view dome display system. The CAE 3000 Series AW139 simulator will be delivered in 2013 to Horizon and ADA. – TradeArabia News Service