By Gidge Dady
V-22 Public Affairs

A revolutionary flight training system will soon offer the V-22 community a sophisticated level of visual training and simulation technology now found only in the commercial market.

Early next summer, the Marine Corps will take delivery of this training system which will be the first Full Flight Simulator(FFS) for the MV-22B Osprey tiltrotor aircraft.

"As an acquisition reform initiative, the FFS simulator design introduces commercial technology on an unprecedented scale and is reaping benefits in cost, schedule and performance for the V-22 operator," said Major Mitch Bauman, the V-22 training program manager.

Bauman said the system will have the equivalent of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Level D fidelity, currently provided for the major airlines while incorporating military requirements of tactical networking to train crewmembers for the combat environment. Level D is the most stringent criteria set by FAA for full flight simulators.

The FFS capitalizes on a blending of work and responsibility shared by the NAVAIR V-22 (PMA-275) and Aviation Training Systems Program Offices (PMA-205) customer, Bell Helicopter Textron Inc, and FlightSafety International. This fully integrated multi-disciplinary product team is producing the V-22 training system in a cooperative design approach that includes a unique division of work where the aircraft manufacturer (Bell-Boeing) has retained all responsibility for design and integration of the aircraft elements of the simulation. These design elements include the aero-performance model, integrated avionics system, engine models, system models, and systems integration of the simulator. FlightSafety is providing the simulator elements to include the revolutionary millennium platform, which is the heart of their Level "D", simulator.

FlightSafety also provides the motion systems, advanced concept instructor operating systems, visual system, and crew compartment shell.

The V-22 training system is scheduled to arrive on time and within budget for the mission at Marine Corps Station, New River, N.C. in December 2000. Members of the V-22 government and industry training team emphasize that the real secret of the success in the development of this system is their drive toward a common goal, "On time training for the Osprey."