CAE expected to cash in on new international pilot training licences
Montreal: A new international rule that allows commercial airline co-pilots to gain licences with minimal actual flying experience could be money in the bank for simulator manufacturers and pilot training firms like Canada’s CAE Inc.
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has amended its decades-old rules by adopting multi-crew pilot licences (MPL), which permit training primarily in simulators.
At the industry’s urging, the international aviation body agreed that flying solo in smaller aircraft wasn’t the most efficient and safest way to train pilots for co-pilot duties in large jets.
The new competency-based training will instead require cadets to perform specific tasks in simulators.
The potential training market for MPL alone is estimated to be worth about US$400 million, once training centres are fully up and running to train 4,000 to 5,000 cadets per year.
As a global leader in the manufacture of simulators and pilot training, Montreal-based CAE expects to cash in on a large part of that action.
Early next year, CAE will begin beta testing its MPL training program with a few students before rolling it out in 12 to 18 months, Jeff Roberts, CAE’s Innovation and Civil Training & Services president, said in an interview.
The first training will be conducted at a Global Academy location in the United States before possibly adding other sites in more remote locations.
By the time it ramps up in a few years, CAE expects to have up to 3,000 cadets per year, including those seeking MPL licences, to satisfy the growing need for pilots caused by retirements and steady production of new aircraft.
Industry estimates say 15,000 to 18,000 pilots will be required annually over the next 20 years. A large proportion will come from China, India, the Middle East and Southeast Asia.
Cadets would be qualified to co-pilot Boeing 737s and Airbus A320s in 45 weeks at a cost of $75,000 to $80,000. This compares to the current training method that takes 18 to 26 months at a cost of $90,000 to $180,000.
Students would be required to have at least 240 hours of training, with a minimum of 40 coming from actual flying. Beta testing conducted so far suggests trainees receive an average of 330 hours of training, including 70 to 100 hours in a real cockpit. The old system required 150 to 200 hours of flying.
26/11/07 The Canadian Press