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Bell Valencia Trains Hundreds Annually
By: Mark Huber
Caption: Bell 429 simulator at Valencia Spain logs more than 1,000 hours each year
Word Count: 217
Bell Training Academy (BTA) in Valencia, Spain, has grown to serve 200 pilots annually who spent 1,000 hours inside the BTA’s Bell 429 level-D simulator last year. BTA Valencia serves customers from around the world, offering them the option of dry leasing the simulator to use with their own instructors for training, along with ground school training and other options to match each attendee’s goals. Last year, BTA Valencia provided more than 200 hours of simulator dry leasing.
According to Bell, the simulator in Valencia has an operational efficiency of more than 99 percent and is used for the EASA-approved 429 initial course; the recurrent course, consisting of a combination of ground school and simulator time; and a performance-based navigation course that meets EASA requirements for all instrument-rated pilots.
“I really enjoy talking to the pilots to learn about their experience, not only in the simulator and during their training but also their daily activity flying different missions,” said BTA Valencia training center manager Patricia Charcos. “It’s rewarding to hear how useful the simulator training is to help pilots prepare in case of an emergency or a malfunction.”
Bell maintains training facilities in Europe, Asia, and America. More than 130,000 pilots have completed pilot or technical training at a Bell Training Academy since 1947.