Copa Airlines acquires new flight simulator

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Copa Airlines acquires new Mechtronix flight simulator

The new simulator is the third such advanced technological system that Copa Airlines' Pilot Training Center, located in Ciudad del Saber, Panama, has at its disposal.
Employs technology of Mechtronix, world leader in the manufacture of flight simulator training devices, and is complemented with a Virtual Procedure Trainer.
The number of hours available for pilot training will increase by 50% with this acquisition.

Panama, October, 13 2011 -- Copa Airlines announced that its new Boeing 737 Next Generation, advanced technology flight simulator, with which the airline will train pilots, is already in operation.

The new Mechtronix simulator contains a replica of the Boeing 737 Next Generation aircraft, which, according to the Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) of the United States, is classified as Level D, the highest ranking for a simulator in its class.

The new acquisition of the Copa Airlines Training Center, the most complete and cutting-edge pilot training center in Latin America, is added to two already existing flight simulators which are successfully operating at the center: one Boeing Level C flight simulator, and an Embraer 190 flight simulator.

"We are pleased that Copa Airlines now has at its disposal an additional flight simulator with advanced technology, which makes it one of the world's most modern. This way, we can offer our pilots the opportunity to complete all of their training locally, without the need to travel to other countries," declared Pedro Heilbron, Executive President of Copa Airlines.

“The acquisition of this third simulator is a key step in meeting the training needs of our pilots, since it will allow us to increase by 50% the available training hours," Heilbron added.

Flight simulators are cabins controlled by computers which allow the electronic movement of the cabin and imitate with great accuracy the genuine feel of an aircraft cabin, reproducing all types of events and possible actions of an aircraft in flight.

Moreover, the new Mechtronix model offers a 210-degree field of vision which is displayed on a screen, similar to the field of vision which a pilot would have from the cabin of a real airplane and which permits the pilot to see a complete panorama from one wingtip to the other.

In addition to this new advanced flight simulator, Copa Airlines also has a new Mechtronix Virtual Procedure Trainer, specifically designed for systems and procedures training, at its disposal. This device helps pilots become familiarized with an aircraft cabin, thereby optimizing the training time spent in the flight simulator.

The Copa Airlines Training Center's simulators are certified by the Civil Aeronautics Authority of Panama (AACP, according to its acronym in Spanish) for initial pilot training as well as recurrent training.