New Flight Simulator Has Selkirk Students Flying High (see video)

Thanks to the recent purchase of a French-made, state-of-the-art Alsim flight simulator, which replicates exactly the experience of piloting aircraft throughout North American airspace, Selkirk College aviation students are getting the essential skills that will help launch their high-flying careers.

Although the flight simulator came with a price tag of more than $250,000, Selkirk College chief flight instructor Ray Preston said the piece of high-tech equipment provides invaluable training to young pilots enrolled in the college's Aviation Professional Pilot program in Castlegar.

"It is an excellent value for the money," Preston said. "The simulator has 180-plus degree field of view with a visual database that includes all the terrain and airports in North America. It also has all the features of a modern airliner, including a flight director, EFIS auto pilot and GPS navigation (also known as GNSS).

"In addition to this, all flight and engine instruments are computer generated, which has two advantages. The first being that we can switch between 17 different aircraft models, each with its own unique instrument panel; and the second is that there are no moving parts, which will keep calibration and other maintenance costs down."

Selkirk College purchased the Alsim AL200 MCC as a result of new multi-pilot crew training standards established by Transport Canada, which came into effect in February 2007.

The new standards are designed to ensure pilots receive training on how to work together in a crew environment, and the training must be completed in a complex simulator with wrap-around visuals that also simulate a complex turbo-engine airplane. The Alsim not only meets those requirements, but actually exceeds them.

"And the students love it," said Preston. "Even though they have logged many hours in the Beech 95 simulator, I think the size, complexity and sophistication of the Alsim has brought home to them that they are really going to be airline pilots shortly. They take their lessons very seriously, and I guarantee that they will be ready to fly the public safely when they graduate."

Preston added that although the simulator is an amazing piece of equipment, it doesn't actually teach anything. The instructors and the aviation curriculum really set the standards for aviation training in the program. In fact, Selkirk College provides an average of 100 to 120 hours of crew training for their students -- half the time as co-pilot, half the time as captain -- which is significantly above the 16 hours required by Transport Canada.

"At Selkirk we do not charge an hourly rental fee for students who are enrolled in the Professional Pilot program," said Preston. "It is included in the course tuition fee, so students are able log in a lot of hours. Anyone who is interested in becoming a professional pilot who happens to be in the Castlegar area is welcome to stop by for a tour. We will also be announcing an open house for people to see the new simulator later this spring."

For more information about Selkirk College's Aviation Professional Pilot program, visit selkirk.ca/programs/ba/aviation/. To view a short video demonstration of the the flight simulator, visit Alsim AL200 MCC.

First published on February 12, 2008