Story ID: 611FrascaFINAL
Frasca Simulators Help Train China’s Pilots
By: Matt Thurber
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Word Count: 255
For flight academies training the next crop of Chinese pilots, a flight simulator or training device can make the training process much more efficient and effective. Simulator manufacturer Frasca International is here at ABACE 2012 (Booth H509) to promote simulators and flight-training devices for flight-training organizations, and to add to the more than 20 Frasca devices already in use in China.

The next five to 10 years will see rapid growth of aviation in China, said Niu Tao, Frasca’s chief representative for China. Tao is based in Frasca’s office in Beijing. “We need more pilots,” he said, implying that the country will need thousands more pilots than the approximately 1,000 per year that flight schools in China currently train. “If you have a commercial license,” he added, “it’s very easy to find a job here.”

What makes Frasca unique as a simulator manufacturer is that it makes everything from small flight-training devices that replicate single-engine piston-powered airplanes and helicopters, to full-motion level-D-qualified simulators for larger aircraft. In fact, Frasca will deliver a Beechcraft King Air 90 full-motion simulator with Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 avionics to a Chinese training academy this year. “We can provide a very good solution to the customer,” Tao said.

Frasca’s TruFlite simulators can also be converted among different aircraft types; for example, from single-engine to twin-engine. The company’s simulators also replicate different types of avionics, including Garmin 430 and G1000 systems. In addition, its TruVision wraparound visual display offers a field-of-view of 180 to 220 degrees.