Tue, Jun 06, 2006
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."
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