Mechtronix Systems announced Tuesday the company has been granted regulatory authority qualification for its full-flight simulator, the FFS X(TM) Non Zero Flight Time(TM) (NZFT(TM)), which was delivered to Copa Airlines of Panama in January 2006.

The evaluation of the device was conducted jointly by the FAA and the Autoridad Aeronautica Civil (AAC) of Panama. Both authorities found the sim to be in full compliance, and was deemed to far exceed the standards of FAA AC120-40C level B specifications.

In fact, the qualification includes added capabilities -- such as providing Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) information, as well as low-visibility CAT III and Wind Shear training.

Copa Airlines is deploying the simulator for its recurrent training program.

"This new simulator is a breath of fresh air in the flight simulator market and excels at meeting our needs," said Captain Larry Ganse, Senior Vice President of Operations, Copa Airlines. "Our pilots will be able to complete 80 percent of their basic training and 100 percent of their recurrent training without leaving the country. By meeting FAA standards, this is further validation that our decision to buy and deploy the Ascent® FFS X NZFT was a wise one."

Both agencies also ruled the Mechtronix NZFT flight simulator exceeded the minimal requirements of a Level B sim... and Mechtronix says the sim could be qualified for higher levels such as C or D should a customer request the upgrade.

"Mechtronix is pleased to have received such a qualification enabling an airline to carry out full recurrent training with the FFS X NZFT," said Xavier Herve, President of Mechtronix Systems. "We are extremely proud that the vision of our team has taken full form as Copa's unit is the first of many on order. The NZFT is now an established business reality in aviation training worldwide. This achievement further confirms that our products not only meet a higher quality standard than required, but also continue to exceed the expectations of our customers."

FMI: www.mechtronix.com, www.copaair.com