OREANDA-NEWS. On January 28, 2007 as part of an integrated program to develop its flight crew training system, S7 Airlines has acquired and is now using it at the S7 Training Center a new M/FTD (Maintenance Flight Training Device)procedural trainer, which is designed to train crews on Airbus A320 aircraft. The new trainer, priced at about $1 million, makes it possible to train pilots using the most modern methods, reported the press-centre of S7 Airlines.

“S7 Airlines’ priority is to improve the process of training flight crews as one of the main components of ensuring flight safety. This trainer will make it possible to substantially improve the process of training pilots on modern Airbus A320 aircraft. This is especially pressing for us because this particular type of aircraft will be the basis of S7 Airlines’ fleet in the future (it also includes the modifications A318, A319 and A321). Crews being trained at S7 Training have already begun training in test mode,” said Oleg Vasiliev, Director of S7 Training.

The new equipment allows pilots to complete about 30% of their trainer training at S7 Training rather than abroad. Moreover, pilots can more than double their training time, which has a positive effect on training effectiveness.

The M/FTD trainer’s software is similar to that of an integrated trainer*. The trainer is intended to give pilots the practical skills needed to use the airplane’s systems and practice in following the necessary standard procedures during all stages of flight, including modeling of non-routine situations.

The trainer was launched in late 2007. The modification is currently the most modern one of its kind in Russia. It was acquired directly from the French manufacturer ECA-Faros, which installed the trainer and trained the engineering and technical team of S7 Training, which will be using this equipment in the future.

In early 2007 the first piece of equipment intended for trainer training of flight crews, called FMGS (Flight Management and Guidance System), was acquired for S7 Training. The FMGS makes it possible to map the flight route and model situations associated with the use of the flight deck computer of the Airbus A320 series.