ARINC Delivers the Next Generation of Maintenance Training Device for the C-5 Galaxy

November 21, 2006

Annapolis, Maryland—How can the U.S. Air Force provide rigorous “hands-on” maintenance training to support the all-new glass cockpits going into its fleet of C-5 Galaxy aircraft—without tying up a single plane for maintenance training?

The answer is simple—a new generation of highly realistic Maintenance Training Devices (MTDs), built exactly like a real, functioning C-5 glass cockpit. The first of this new type of MTD has just been delivered to Dover AFB, Delaware, by ARINC Engineering Services, LLC. ARINC is a subcontractor to Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company, which is installing the new glass cockpits on the Galaxy fleet under the Air Force’s Avionics Modernization Program (AMP).

Unlike typical mockups, this fully functional copy of a real C-5 glass cockpit is so true-to-life it has been called “an aircraft in an air-conditioned room.”  The first unit has been accepted for training at Dover AFB, and a second will be delivered to Travis AFB in California early in 2007.

ARINC’s design duplicates the new glass C-5 flight deck right down to the connecting wires and heating ducts. There are positions for pilot, co-pilot, and navigator, and a silhouette display simulates ailerons, elevators, stabilizer, and rudder. An instructor controls the new MTD and can realistically simulate almost 200 different maintenance actions AF personnel may face on real aircraft.

“Taking a vital military aircraft out of service to train maintenance personnel should be a last-resort option,” stated Barry Schwoerer, ARINC Engineering Services Vice President.

“ARINC can design, develop, and manufacture ultra-realistic training devices with a complete range of simulated aircraft functions—so no operational aircraft need to be taken off the line for maintenance training.”

Until recently, most maintenance training devices were little better than bench mockups, and this has meant maintenance personnel needed to be trained on real aircraft to achieve their full certification. Today, ARINC Engineering Services can build trainers enabling technicians to achieve their full certification without actual aircraft downtime.

ARINC Incorporated is the world leader in transportation communications and systems engineering. The company develops and operates communications and information processing systems and provides systems engineering and integration solutions to five key industries: airports, aviation, defense, government, and surface transportation. Founded to provide reliable and efficient radio communications for the airlines, ARINC is headquartered in Annapolis, Maryland, and operates key regional offices in London and Singapore, with over 3,200 employees worldwide. ARINC is ISO 9001:2000 certified.

Release: 06-158

Corporate Communications
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