LA GUARDIA AIRPORT, NEW YORK (May 15, 2008) – FlightSafety International Customers’ use of the company’s simulator training and technology reduces carbon emissions and saves energy while enhancing safety. FlightSafety’s “Green from the Beginning” campaign will be introduced at EBACE 2008.
“While the aviation industry increasingly focuses on finding effective responses to growing international concerns about climate change, FlightSafety Customers have been helping to reduce environmental impacts since the company was founded in 1951,” said Bruce Whitman, President & CEO, FlightSafety International. “Compared with training in an aircraft, simulator training avoids the burning of fuel which results in significantly less CO2 emissions.”
On average, business aircraft emit approximately 3.08 metric tons of CO2 per hour. By comparison, the energy required to operate a FlightSafety simulator results in the emission of just 0.07 metric tons of CO2 per hour. That means simulator training can reduce carbon emissions by up to 98 percent over aircraft training.
During the past 12 months, FlightSafety, the world leader in professional aviation training, has provided more than 690,000 hours of simulator training, saving millions of gallons of fuel. The fuel saved could provide a year’s worth of energy to nearly a quarter-million average U.S. households.
While training in a simulator as opposed to an aircraft reduces carbon emissions and saves energy, FlightSafety’s current generation of simulators are also among the most efficient available. These electric motion and control loading equipped devices can reduce electricity consumption by up to 85 percent compared with hydraulic motion systems.
In addition to helping reduce our reliance on petroleum products, FlightSafety’s electric motion-equipped simulators offer the highest level of aircraft fidelity, enhanced performance and increased availability due to a reduction in maintenance requirements and increased reliability. Compared with previous-generation devices, the simulators produce less heat, lower levels of ambient noise and provide a safer environment by eliminating the need for hydraulic fluids.
FlightSafety’s concern for the environment and energy savings dates to the founding of the company in 1951 and has continued through the years. FlightSafety’s Customer testimonial campaign from more than 30 years ago shows a pilot holding a lump of coal over this headline: “It takes just 16 pounds of coal to train for an hour in a Learjet 35A.” The text explains that he is referring to a FlightSafety Learjet 35A simulator. The Customer goes on to say that he derived great satisfaction knowing that his company could practice energy conservation while ensuring that its pilots maintained the highest possible proficiency.
FlightSafety International is the world’s premier aviation training organization. Over 75,000 pilots, technicians and other aviation professionals train at FlightSafety facilities each year. The company designs and manufactures full flight simulators for civil and military aircraft programs and operates the world’s largest fleet of advanced full flight simulators at 40 training locations.
