Textron’s TRU Simulation + Training took another step toward becoming the next major player in the aviation training market, landing a contract to provide a suite of training products for Boeing’s new 777X.
The 10-year agreement calls for TRU Simulation + Training to work alongside Boeing in the development of simulators and training suite. TRU will build an engineering development trainer that will be used to help craft the training curriculum, along with Boeing 777X full flight simulators and high-fidelity flat panel classroom trainers.
“It’s basically Boeing choosing true to design, develop and manufacture not just the full simulator but also the complete training suite that they will be deploying in their training centers around the world to support the training of new pilots or pilots that are transitioning to the 777X as the aircraft is entering service,” said George Karam, v-p and GM of TRU’s Air Transport Simulation division, adding that is “putting a lot of faith and trust in Tru.”
The number of simulators and exact locations involved are yet unknown; that will depend on Boeing’s customer requirements. But TRU Simulation + Training does know that the simulators will be installed at Boeing centers and Karam listed Miami as a possibility. The timing of delivery of the initial trainers is anticipated as the aircraft enters service, which is scheduled for late 2019.
TRU Simulation + Training isn’t providing a potential value of the contract. But company executives underscore the importance of the contract win. “It’s significant on multiple levels. It sets the stage of what’s going to be happening in the future both from a technology perspective and looking at our capability to provide the level of quality they are looking for in an industry segment where there’s going to be tremendous growth,” said TRU Simulation + Training president and CEO Ian Walsh.
Also importantly, the contract furthers TRU Simulation + Training’s relationship with Boeing. “Boeing is a very important customer. To be recognized by them and to be selected by them is huge,” Walsh said, adding, “[The 777X] obviously is the next big program for them. In light of this market, there’s a lot of completion out there.”
Less than two years ago, TRU Simulation + Training won a contract to develop the training suit for the Boeing 737 Max. That contract currently is calling for the delivery of four simulators. TRU Simulation + Training is beginning factory acceptance on the initial trainers with the Boeing team, and the first trainer is slated to be “ready-for-training” in first quarter of 2017.
It is that work that helped lead to the current contract, Boeing executives said.
“Clearly they have embraced innovation and are reshaping the industry,” said Sherry Carbary, v-p of Boeing Flight Services. “TRU’s work on the Boeing 737 Max training suite and their technical capabilities convinced us they are the right partner to develop the training suite for Boeing’s next-generation twin-engine jet.” The company also builds 737-700 and -800 trainers.
The Boeing work is one of several recent wins for the growing training specialist. It also recently announced an agreement with Latin America-based Avianca for an Airbus A320neo full-flight simulator and flat-panel trainer that will be installed in the third quarter at the carrier’s new training center in Bogota, Colombia. TRU Simulation + Training further recently installed an A320 FFS X full-flight simulator at Ansett Aviation Asia’s new training center in Taipei, marking the first of its type in Taiwan.
These deals build on TRU Simulation +Training’s growing foothold in a market that has traditionally been dominated by companies such as FlightSafety International and CAE.
The contracts are “a huge validation of our company today under the Textron umbrella, which is relatively new,” he added. “People know the existing competitors out there and now people are recognizing that there are a lot of opportunities to partner with a company like TRU.”
Textron, which had purchased Florida-based simulator manufacturer Opinicus in November 2013 and then Montreal-based Mechtronix two months later, formed TRU Simulation + Training by combining the two companies with a portion of its former AAI Logistics and Technical Services division. Textron grew the business further and extended its reach into the business aviation real with the 2014 acquisition of ProFlight, a Carlsbad, Calif.-based Cessna CitationJet and Conquest training provider.
While TRU Simulation + Training is still considered a young company, its base companies each brought 25 years of experience in the training market. The combined business now encompasses air transport, business and military simulation, mission and maintenance training, along with training centers and services. It also counts ATR, Bell and Cessna among the OEMs that it has worked with on training programs.
“Going forward you are really going to see Tru come on for all the right reasons,” Walsh said, adding the company is growing as it strives to demonstrate that it can delivery of technology, customer service and life-cycle requirements. He adds the contract demonstrates “who TRU is today and where our legacy was in the past and where we’re headed as a company.”
