UAL to provide initials skills assessment and type rating transition training at Denver facility

Eclipse Aviation Corporation has announced a strategic relationship with United Airlines to provide Eclipse pilots with the most comprehensive flight training available in general aviation.  The training program will provide the level of professional pilot training normally available only to commercial airline pilots.

The announcement evolves Eclipse's strategy for pilot training from a 100% Eclipse-developed and -delivered program to an arrangement with one of the most respected organizations in aviation training. Under the expanded program, customers will receive both their initial flight skills assessment, as well as their type rating transition training, at the United Flight Training Center (UFTC) in Denver (CO) using full motion simulators and curriculum jointly developed by Eclipse and United.  United has entered into a separate agreement with Alteon, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Boeing Company, for Alteon to provide the pilot and other instructors for the Eclipse training program.

"United's training organization has one of the best safety records in the world, and a philosophy of training that closely mirrors our own. We're delighted by their desire and ability to translate airline style training into a program appropriate for Eclipse 500 customers," said Vern Raburn, president and CEO of Eclipse Aviation.  "To partner with an organization of the caliber of United's training group will enable us to deliver the best possible training to our customers.  I couldn't be more pleased."

United is credited with developing several training innovations including Line Oriented Flight Training (LOFT) and Cockpit Resource Management (CRM) and is pioneering single-pilot cockpit resource management (SP-CRM) training for the Eclipse 500.  United is widely credited with pioneering the Flight Operations Quality Assurance (FOQA) program, now a standard for airline operations worldwide.  Throughout its 78 years of commercial aviation leadership, United has been recognized for its commitment to data-driven curriculum and courseware standards and for its deep commitment to improving aircraft human factors and better decision making in the flight environment.   UFTC conducts more than 1,400 pilot training events per month and is the world's largest training facility at 610,000 square feet.  Established in 1968, United's Denver training center hosts more than seventy-five outside customers, including pilots in the U.S. Air Force, NASA and the FAA.

"The introduction of the Eclipse 500 VLJ has ushered in a new era in personal air travel," said Captain Brad Thomann, managing director of Flight Standards & Training for United Airlines. "Applying the best of what the industry has learned over the past century of flight, we will collaborate with Eclipse on an extraordinary training process that will ensure a knowledgeable and safe transition for those who become owners of this exciting new generation of aircraft."

The Eclipse 500 training program, as recently outlined by Eclipse,  is comprised of a multi-phase curriculum, including an initial flight skills assessment and supplemental training if required, self-paced computer-based study, unexpected situations hands-on training, the type rating transition course, post-certification mentoring as well as recurrent training. Under the arrangement, the initial flight skills assessment has been expanded into a no-cost, day-long program that will gauge customers' readiness for the Eclipse 500 type transition training program.  United expects to be able to begin training operations by offering the initial flight skills assessment to Eclipse 500 customers by mid-2005, subject to regulatory approvals.   

Eclipse continues to offer an exceptional value proposition by pricing this training at a fraction of the cost compared to what current full-motion jet type rating courses are priced.  Included in the price of an Eclipse 500 aircraft, each customer will receive one set of self study training CDs, one flight skills assessment by United and one week-long type-transition course.  The sole cost to the customer will be the required upset recovery training course in an L-39 priced at a subsidized cost of $995.

Pricing for additional pilot type ratings and for recurrent training will be as follows:

• $8,449 for the type rating course that includes the pilot qualification review, flight skills assessment, self-paced study and type rating transition course
• $1,495 for the L-39 upset recovery training course
• $2,995 for recurrent training

Eclipse's training program is structured to accommodate the training needs of the wide variety of pilots that will fly the Eclipse 500.  The training program will utilize the new FAA Industry Training Standards (FITS), which closely relates to the highly successful airline Advanced Qualification Program (AQP).  Scenario based training will be used to enhance aeronautical decision making, risk management, and single pilot resource management skills for general aviation pilots.

In addition to Alteon supplying instructor pilots, Eclipse and Alteon are exploring a relationship where the global network of Alteon training centers would be used for Eclipse pilot training outside of North America.  Of the 20 locations worldwide, Alteon has 11 situated internationally in 8 different countries.  Each year Alteon provides flight crew and maintenance technician training to more than 30,000 individuals at 400 aircraft operators and MROs, from 94 different countries.

"We look forward to working with United to provide world class training for Eclipse as the Eclipse 500 leads the aviation industry into the second century of powered flight," said Pat Gaines, president of Alteon.

FMI: www.eclipseaviation.com