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KF Aerospace earns defence contract

Company awarded contract to deliver and operate Bell 206 flight training device for Canada
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KF Aerospace has won a contract to build a new flight simulator for the Canadian National Defence program. - Image: Contributed

KF Aerospace—one of Kelowna’s biggest employers—has earned a $6.5 million contract from Canada’s Department of National Defence.

The contract will see KF Aerospace provide a new Bell 206 Level 7 Flight Training Device (FTD) for the federal government’s Contracted Flying Training and Support (CFTS) Program located in Southport, Manitoba.

This new program is part of a larger scope of work by KF Aerospace Defence Programs to provide the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) with primary, basic, rotary-wing, and multi-engine pilot training at CFTS until 2027.

Built by Frasca International Inc., the new Level 7 FTD will provide helicopter pilot trainees and instructors with the most up-to-date flight training simulator available. The Frasca FTD system is the first configuration of its kind in Canada, and is equipped with a 220-degree field of view visual system. The device also incorporates Frasca’s proprietary SimAssist™ software which provides varying levels of automatic instructor assistance during the earliest phases of helicopter flight training.

“We are very pleased to provide cutting edge training systems for the CFTS Program,” said Peter Fedak, site manager for the CFTS program. “Introducing devices like the new Bell 206 FTD is one example of how we’re continually honing our training system to provide exceptional service, efficiency, and throughput for our Canadian Armed Forces customer.”

The simulator will be installed at the CFTS Training Centre as part of the flight training program led by KF Aerospace Defence Programs and supported by a pan-Canadian team consisting of Bluedrop Training and Simulation, Canadian Helicopters (HNZ) Ltd., and Canadian Base Operators.

Tracy Medve, President of KF Aerospace added, “In addition to enhancing our ability to train emergency and other procedures, the new simulator will yield cost benefits as it will eliminate the need to increase our flying fleet by four aircraft. The new FTD may also be adaptable to the future rotary wing training requirements of DND’s FAcT program.”

The CFTS Program trains 100 per cent of the pilot candidates seeking to become Royal Canadian Air Force pilots.

The Bell 206 FTD will begin service with the CFTS program in April of 2018.