Sims Will Support 10-Plane Training Fleet

Following several months of in-house flight testing and data gathering, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, FL is the first sponsor to receive FAA Level 6 qualification for its two Frasca DA-42 Flight Training Devices.

The Frasca-built FTDs, which include a 220-degree spherical visual system, were delivered and placed into service in January 2008; only 10 months elapsed from receipt of contract to FAA qualification.

The new FTDs will supplement the fleet of 10 Diamond DA-42 Twin Star aircraft recently delivered to the Daytona Beach campus. The Twin Star meets all requirements for designation as a technically advanced aircraft and includes a Garmin G1000 avionics suite, two Jet-A-burning Thielert-built powerplants, and a Bendix/King KAP140 autopilot.

Level 6 ground and flight performance data for the FTDs were collected by Embry-Riddle’s College of Aviation instructors and staff in cooperation with faculty and students from the College of Engineering. This process, under the leadership of Dr. Tim Brady, dean of the College of Aviation, included over 100 hours of flight time in a Diamond DA-42 Twin Star with numerous sensors attached to the experimental platform to collect engine, airframe, and performance data.

"These new FTDs have some significant improvements over the Seminole FTD they replace," said Frank Ayers, chairman of the Flight Department at Embry-Riddle’s Daytona Beach campus. “They include visible and working engine nacelles, wings, control surfaces, and propellers. I’ve flown the FTD on a single engine with the second propeller wind milling and it is quite realistic."

The ground and flight data that simulate the aircraft’s characteristics were developed and then provided to Frasca for modeling. More than 105 different maneuvers, many beyond Level 6, were conducted in the test aircraft. Embry-Riddle has retained ownership of the 2.23 gigabytes of DA-42 data to support the future sale and distribution of the enhanced data package to additional sponsors.

Using the simulator instead of the aircraft results in fuel-emission savings and reduced carbon emissions. Simulators are also safer for flight training and do not add to congested skies, officials note.

FMI: www.frasca.com, www.embryriddle.edu