Simulation systems specialist CAE has been awarded a US Air Force contract to provide military pilot training to the Irish Air Corps over two phases.
The contract was awarded to CAE USA by the Air Force Security Assistance Training (AFSAT) Squadron, which is part of the US Air Force Air Education & Training Command (AETC).
CAE USA will be responsible for managing and delivering military pilot training to 14 Irish Air Corps students over the next 18 months.
Phase 1 training will take place in Pensacola, Florida at SkyWarrior Flight Training Inc., a small business partner subcontracted by CAE USA to provide an Air Force-approved initial flight training (IFT) program.
Following completion of the IFT program at SkyWarrior, students will progress to Phase 2 primary flight training at CAE’s Dothan Training Center in Alabama. During Phase 2 training, students will receive academic, simulator, and live-flying training in CAE-owned and operated Grob G120TP aircraft.
“We already train US Army, Navy, and Air Force pilots at the CAE Dothan Training Center so we are excited to welcome the Irish Air Corps as the first international students to our state-of-the-art training facility,” said Ray Duquette, President and General Manager, CAE USA. “Many militaries around the world may be looking for initial and primary pilot training options and leveraging our existing infrastructure and syllabus can be a cost-effective alternative to establishing a homegrown pilot training program.”
Upon arrival at the CAE Dothan Training Center, Irish Air Corps student pilots will begin training leveraging the CAE Trax Academy pilot training continuum. Academic training starts in one of the digital classrooms at the training facility as the students learn procedures and fundamentals. They will then progress to practicing in the interactive CAE Sprint Virtual Reality (VR) immersive training device simulating the Grob G120TP aircraft. Students will then demonstrate proficiency in a high-fidelity Grob G120TP flight training device (FTD), a Federal Aviation Administration Level 6-equivalent FTD. Finally, live-flying training will be delivered in the CAE-owned and operated Grob G120TP aircraft, a two-seat single-engine trainer aircraft ideal for primary military pilot training, aerobatics, and introduction to digital avionics and a glass cockpit.
The Dothan Training Center, which opened in 2017, is the home of US Army fixed-wing flight training. In addition, the US Air Force and US Navy/Marine Corps use the training center for C-12/King Air academic and simulator training, and US Customs and Border Protection is expected to leverage the Dothan Training Center under a recent contract awarded to CAE USA.
