“So, do you know what kind of plane that is?” I asked my old mate Glen from Imagio, who then had great fun in ‘not so gently’ telling me what a ‘girl’ I was for asking such a stupid question.
Glen is a flying enthusiast of note and a staunch supporter of the Algoa Flying Club, one of South Africa’s longest established flying schools.
My final blapse of the conversation was when I substituted ‘stimulator’ for ‘simulator’ when we were discussing the Algoa Flying Club’s new toy. (Note to self: stick to sailing!)
The Algoa Flight Centre (AFC), situated at the Port Elizabeth Airport, is the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SA CAA) accredited flight training division of the Algoa Flying Club and now boasts a state-of-the art Elite Evolution S812 FNPT II flight simulator to help train its students. The AFC Elite FNPT II is the first one to be installed in South Africa.
The AFC was established in 1956 and takes pride in setting a high standard of flight training from PPL to Professional Pilot with Instrument Rating.
AFC has always strived to be ahead in terms of training requirements and to this end spent over a year researching the market for the ideal flight simulator to meet today’s high certification standards – the SA CAA is in the process of raising the benchmark for simulator qualification to be fully in line with European JAA/EASA standards.
The Elite S812 fully complies with all the standards for JAA/EASA FNPT II qualification and thus is one of the very few simulators in South Africa that will totally comply with the new SA CAA requirements. (JAA – Joint Aviation Authority, EASA – European Aviation Safety Agency, FNPT – Flight and Navigation Procedures Trainer)
AFC has a fleet of eight Cessna aircraft plus a Beech BE58 Baron for multi-engine training and the new Elite S812 has been specially configured for easy conversion between the BE58 and the Cessna C172RG Cutlass advanced single engine aircraft, both aircraft forming part of the actual fleet AFC uses for training.
“Our choice thus ensures an excellent transfer of learning from the simulated platform to the real aircraft. The incorporation of a sophisticated dynamic control load system ensures a control response and feel that is as close to the real thing as possible. The simulator will allow up to half the conversion time to a multi-engine instrument rating, with more efficiency and greater attention to training in emergencies than can ever be possible in a real aircraft,” said AFC’s chief flying instructor, Dave Perelson, who is a Grade 1 DFE with 45 years flying experience.
“Whilst my extensive research into the simulator market proved that the S812 met every expectation the flight school had set, a major factor in making the choice was the quick response and excellent follow up by Elite to every query. The detailed, prompt and personalised quotation made the final decision an easy one,” he said.
It isn’t just the software of the new Elite S812 that changes when moving from one aircraft type to the other – the whole of the simulator panel and all controls change too.
The S812 has been built to meet and exceed the requirements of the JAR FSTD A regulations for a FNPT II device and can be used not only for single and twin engine training but also for instrument revalidations and recency requirements.
It features custom-built scenery of Port Elizabeth Airport and the surrounding area, and a 3-channel external visual system. The flight instructor can provide infinitely variable weather conditions and the ability to carry out approaches to a number of other South African airports.
Located at Port Elizabeth Airport on South Africa’s south east coast, the Algoa Flight Centre is owned an operated by the Algoa Flying Club as a not-for-profit organisation and is a South African CAA accredited PPL test centre.
It offers flight training from the complete novice to the Commercial Pilot’s Licence and on up to Airline Transport Pilot’s Licence revalidations.
Skip past the image of the AFC‘s brand spanking new toy below to see that I was correct when I told Glen that the plane I had recently flown in was white, with two engines and red stripes!
Alan Straton
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