United Arab Emirates – Spatial Composite Solutions has successfully completed a critical Factory Acceptance Test (FAT) for Iberia, a Spain based airline. This milestone marks the final verification of a state-of-the-art “A320 family” door trainer, which will soon be delivered to Iberia’s training base at CAE in Madrid.
Source: Spatial Composite Solutions
Photo Credit: Spatial Composite Solutions
Flight Schedule Pro, the leading global flight school management software platform, announced the launch of its Next Gen suite of capabilities built to transform the way flight schools operate, offering intelligent scheduling, accelerated student graduation visibility, and billing autopilot capabilities.
The launch of Next Gen Flight Schedule Pro comes at a critical time for the aviation industry. With the global pilot shortage reaching unprecedented levels, the role of flight schools in producing qualified pilots quickly and efficiently has never been more crucial. By optimizing operations and accelerating training processes, Flight Schedule Pro’s Next Gen platform empowers flight schools to meet this growing demand, ensuring a steady pipeline of well-trained pilots to support the aviation sector’s recovery and growth.
“Next Gen Flight Schedule Pro is a critical step in flight school management technology,” said Nick Wegner, CEO of Flight Schedule Pro. “Our customers serve not only their students but also global airlines who are combatting the pilot shortage. NextGen capabilities maximize aircraft utilization, streamline student progress tracking, and automate billing and operations to strengthen the relationship between flight schools, their students, and the airlines.”
Key capabilities of Next Gen Flight Schedule Pro include:
A major focus of Flight Schedule Pro is maximizing aircraft utilization, addressing one of the most significant operational challenges faced by flight schools. By optimizing scheduling and aircraft utilization, schools can significantly increase training capacity without the substantial expense of acquiring additional aircraft, leading to improved profitability and faster student progression.
Ed Bagden, Director of Operations at LIFT Academy, shared, “Flight Schedule Pro’s Next Gen platform has been transformative for Lift. We’ve invested heavily in leveraging the data FSP provides to optimize our operations. The insights we gain allow us to make data-driven decisions, drive efficiency, maximize aircraft utilization, and graduate industry-leading pilots to join Republic Airlines.”
To ensure a smooth onboarding for new customers, Flight Schedule Pro has also launched a new white-glove, concierge implementation and support initiative. Led by Corey Knop, the newly appointed VP of Customer Experience, this program offers personalized guidance and support throughout the implementation process and beyond. “Our goal is to ensure that every flight school can fully leverage the power of our Next Gen platform to transform their operations,” said Knop. “Flight Schedule Pro is proud to have a North American team of over a dozen support and implementation staff from the aviation industry providing hands-on support and implementation every step of the way.”
Flight Schedule Pro’s Next Gen features are unlocked for all Suite subscribers, with Billing Autopilot accessible to users of FSP’s Preferred Merchant Account.
Flight Schedule Pro by the numbers
Source: Flight Schedule Pro
Photo Credit: Flight Schedule Pro
Stratus Financial LLC, a trusted consumer finance platform committed to providing student loans to aspiring student pilots at all levels of experience, announced a forward flow facility of up to $50 million from funds managed by Monachil Capital Partners LP (“Monachil”). Stratus intends to use the new financing to originate new student loans, further diversifying its existing base of capital providers. The new financing partnership includes an initial sale of Stratus’ existing portfolio of loans and will primarily support the origination of new loans.
“This level of partnership with Monachil Capital Partners represents a significant milestone in the evolution of our capital markets strategies. This partnership not only underscores the growing sophistication of our approach but also reflects our commitment to fostering institutional relationships that drive our mission forward,” said Alan Rios, Chief Investment Officer at Stratus.
“Stratus has built an impressive origination and servicing platform serving a highly-attractive niche in consumer lending. Stratus has a unique business model and generates attractive assets in an underserved market, providing much-needed solutions to consumers,” said Jacob Zeldin, Portfolio Manager at Monachil. “We believe strongly in the Company’s mission and look forward to supporting its growth plans with this new partnership.”
“This new financing agreement with Monachil Capital Partners aligns Stratus with a capital partner that shares our vision and enhances our ability to deliver impactful solutions to the aviation education market,” said Anthony Geraci, CEO and Co-Founder of Stratus. “Monachil has proven to be a valuable partner, demonstrating a deep understanding of our business and values. We are excited to build this partnership and continuing to provide our borrowers with a seamless and exceptional lending experience.”
“This new round of funding will empower more aspiring aviators to earn their wings in 2024, solidifying Stratus’ position as the premier provider of flight training financing,” said Brandon Martini, COO and Co-Founder of Stratus. The Monachil partnership supports future growth at Stratus, which since inception, has originated more than 600 loans and is currently working with more than 260 FAA-chartered flight schools throughout North America. Stratus has also been recognized for its particular focus on super-prime borrowers giving the Company an edge over other consumer finance strategies. Edgar Matthews & Co. LLC served as exclusive financial advisor to Stratus on the transaction.
About Monachil
Founded in 2019, Monachil Capital Partners LP is a Greenwich, CT based private credit manager focused on opportunistic investing. The firm specializes in providing bespoke funding to global lending and tech-enabled platforms that operate in the alternative lending space and are participating in the disintermediation of the traditional banking complex. Monachil leverages proprietary technology to create an interface with borrowers’ platforms, enabling the consumption of real-time data and allowing for the active management of inherent risks.
About Stratus Financial
Founded in 2020 by FAA Certified Flight and Ground Instructors who are passionate about helping others achieve their dreams of flight, Stratus is a consumer finance platform providing flexible and innovative educational funding solutions to students pursuing aviation education and training. Stratus is fully geared to marry Student Success and School Success with several programs designed for Flight Schools, by Flight Schools and is on a mission to help aspiring pilots achieve their flight dreams as swiftly as possible through hassle-free flight school loan programs.
Source: Stratus Financial
Photo Credit: Stratus Financial
Ontario, Canada – Canadian flight training device manufacturer Flightdeck Solutions Ltd. (FDS) has shared that its Airbus A320 manufactured device at Ohio based Sinclair Community College has done its maiden flight. Former pilots and Sinclair Community College professors Michael Wright and Greg Gorniak demonstrated the new simulator’s features on its first flight, showing how it will benefit pilot training.
Source: Flightdeck Solutions
Photo Credit: Flightdeck Solutions (shown as meta image)
13 August 2024, London – After three years, the Flight Simulation Conference will be hosted again this October at the Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS) in London. Due to the pandemic, the yearly conference had to be postponed a few times. The two-day conference will cover pressing simulation topics like regulation, the use of AI, and digital twins. The full conference schedule for 22 and 23 October is now available, and ticket sales have started.
This year’s keynote session is particularly significant, as we’ll be discussing the latest updates to EASA Certification Specification for Flight Simulation Training Devices (CS-FSTD) and a revised Part ORA/ARA that will significantly impact how flight simulators can be qualified for training. These latest regulations are partly based on ICAO 9625, originally conceived and championed by the RAeS Flight Simulation Specialist Group (FSG). The conference will provide briefings from the people directly involved in producing these new regulations with an opportunity to ask questions and better understand their content and impact.
The first day will also include a session on Virtual Test Environments and Digital Twins, where experts will discuss the design and maintenance of effective test environments. The session will also cover the principles and practices of Certification by Simulation, discussing what can be achieved through simulation and the limits of its applicability. Participants will present case studies from current projects that use virtual and hybrid testing methods.
The second day will begin with a session on the Use of AI and Data in Pilot Training. This session will discuss how data can be used to assess airmanship, with case studies illustrating the benefits and challenges of pilot training tools. It will also cover real-world training examples where AI is employed, such as SATCE, and the latest research on using AI entities in military training. The session will explore how AI-powered adaptive learning can be integrated into pilot training programs.
The final session will focus on new developments in Modelling and Simulation. It will examine how virtual, augmented, and mixed reality technologies (VR/AR/MR), along with commercial off-the-shelf equipment and gaming platforms like Unreal, are transforming the way simulations are created. The session will also look at how simulation is used to integrate AR and AI into the flightdeck, considering the potential impact of these technologies on pilot training. There will be examples of various studies and pilot training programs that utilize VR and MR in civil aviation pilot training.
More than thirty presentations are scheduled from professionals working at companies like Leonardo, Thales, and CAE.
Edwin A. Link Named Lecture
The first day of the conference will end with the Edwin A. Link Named Lecture, starting at 6 p.m. Edwin Link created the first flight simulator and championed the technology before, during, and after the Second World War. This year’s lecture will be delivered by Group Captain Ruari Henderson-Begg, the first Chief Modelling and Simulation Officer for the RAF. Following the lecture, there will be a networking reception.
For more information on speakers, schedule and registration, visit the Society’s website.
About the Flight Simulation Group
The Flight Simulation Group (FSG) is a specialist division of the Royal Aeronautical Society focused on designing, manufacturing, installing, and operating simulation equipment and synthetic environments. They address the economic and human factors impacting the use of simulators for research, development, and training of civil and military flight crews.
The FSG has a significant international presence and keeps up to date with global flight simulation requirements, including those set by national and multinational civil regulatory authorities. They support the flight simulation industry and its workforce through a comprehensive program of activities to educate, inform, inspire, and promote flight simulation.
Source: Royal Aeronautical Society
Gobal pilot training solution provider CAE has shared the on-schedule arrival of a new Bombardier 6500 full-flight simulator (FFS) at its Dothan Training Center in Alabama. This successful milestone for the High Accuracy Detection and Exploitation System (HADES) is a collaborative effort between CAE’s Defense & Security and Civil Aviation teams. With training set to begin in October 2024, the CAE 7000XR FFS will support the U.S. Army G-2 Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) Task Force and the Intelligence and Security Command (INSCOM) by providing timely, relevant, and accurate intelligence to tactical, operational, and strategic commanders.
Back in August 2023 CAE announced that CAE Defense & Security had been awarded a contract from Leidos on the Department of Defense’s Sentinel task order for a dedicated Full Flight Simulator (FFS) in the Bombardier Global 6000/6500 configuration at the Dothan Training Center to support the High Accuracy Detection and Exploitation System (HADES).
Source: CAE USA
