The expansion includes room for six additional full-flight simulators and classrooms incorporating augmented and virtual reality. The Arlington expansion complements L3’s soon-to-open London Training Center that will support nearby Gatwick Airport with state-of-the-art pilot training and simulation.
“We are excited to offer this expanded multi-purpose facility to greatly enhance our training capability in Arlington,” says Lenny Genna, president of L3 Link Training & Simulation, which is part of L3’s Electronic Systems business segment.
“This is the right time for L3 to invest in the advancement of flight training for aircraft, helicopter and unmanned vehicle pilots. New training and simulation technologies, combined with a well-designed infrastructure, provide an ideal environment to deliver the best flight training experience for our customers,” continues Genna.
Regardless of an interest in unmanned or self-piloted aircraft, the aerospace industry estimates that nearly 800,000 new pilots will be needed over the next 20 years. Cost effective – read “efficient” training – will be key in meeting global demand.
So much so, that the United States Air Force started an open call for innovative, outside solutions to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of its ongoing Pilot Training Next initiative, offering portions of a $300,000-fund to companies and individuals who can offer the right set of improvements the program.
However, many major operators lack the funds to develop or procure in-house training services and flight simulators – some of which, developed and sold by L3, range in price from $1 million to $15 million.
L3 Link Training & Simulation provides platform operators and maintainers with training solutions designed to improve training effectiveness and efficiency and lower life-cycle costs in a secure cyber environment, including a full spectrum of state-of-the-art training technologies, such as high-fidelity immersive simulations and distributed academic and interactive courseware. L3 instructors teach individual courses on a wide variety of aircraft types, delivering instruction via e-learning, in the classroom, on high-fidelity simulators and in some cases in actual aircraft.
The company – which provides global intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR); communications; electronic, and network systems for military, homeland security, and commercial agencies – has delivered military and commercial training systems to customers throughout North America, Europe, Asia, the Middle East and the Pacific Rim.
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William Kucinski is content editor at SAE International, Aerospace Products Group in Warrendale, Pa. Previously, he worked as a writer at the NASA Safety Center in Cleveland, Ohio and was responsible for writing the agency’s System Failure Case Studies. His interests include 'literally anything that has to do with space,' past and present military aircraft, and propulsion technology. And also sportscars.
Contact him regarding any article or collaboration ideas by e-mail at william.kucinski@sae.org.
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