Jacksonville University will land a state-of-the-art simulator this summer to give students their first realistic, fully operational training in flying passenger jets.
The $500,000 Level-5 Bombardier CRJ-700 Flight Training Device is the first passenger jet simulator of its kind available at a higher education institution in Northeast Florida, according to Juan Merkt, director of JU’s Davis Aviation Center.
JU reports that the simulator training will improve students’ career chances and help them reach Federal Aviation Administration compliance sooner.
The university has entered into an agreement with Aerosim Technologies to build the device, which includes full hardware and a replica of a cockpit. It will be housed in the Davis Aviation Center in the Davis College of Business.
The simulator also will help students in the school’s Air Traffic Control program, and will be made available to the public for training, including for residents who want to overcome a fear of flying, according to JU.
Features of the fixed-based device include an integrated flight and navigation management system with displays, aircraft systems and flight controls with full flight capabilities, a 220-degree wraparound visual display providing a realistic view of the environment and simulated malfunctions for emergency or non-normal procedure training.