Qantas Invests in Boeing 787-9 Flight Simulator

Qantas is investing A$23 million in a new flight simulator and other training equipment as part of the airline’s preparations for the arrival of the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.

The 787-9 simulator at Qantas’ flight training centre at Mascot in Sydney, will be used for new and recurrent training and will complement the existing Dreamliner simulator in Melbourne used by Jetstar.

“The Dreamliner represents a new chapter for Qantas and we are delighted to announce that a new state of the art flight simulator will be housed at our Mascot training centre,” said Qantas Group CEO, Alan Joyce. “Our flight training centre operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week and is overseen by a dedicated team of trainers and check captains who help ensure that Qantas pilots are among the best in the world. And from the end of next year, the centre will be used to train a new generation of Qantas pilots on the next generation aircraft.”

Qantas has previously announced plans to recruit 170 pilots between now and 2020 as part of its Dreamliner program. This is in addition to training some of its existing pilots on the new aircraft.

“The 787-9 will be the first new major aircraft type introduced into the Qantas fleet since we started flying the Airbus A380 in 2008 and provides us with the ability to replace older, less efficient aircraft and deliver potential new routes,” Mr Joyce said.

Some of the key features of the Dreamliner include reduced engine noise, a 20% reduction in emissions and fuel burn, and technology to reduce turbulence.

Qantas’ first 787-9 is expected to enter service by the end of 2017. Most pilots spend up to 24 hours a year in a simulator specific to the type of aircraft they fly as part of their ongoing training and professional development.

Pilots using the B787 simulator will be working towards their certification to fly the new aircraft, which in the case of a pilots already operating as a captain on a Boeing aircraft takes 44 hours of ‘sim time’.

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