Indra delivers iCAT flight trainers for the Airbus A320 to Beijing Capital Airlines

Indra has completed the development of the iCAT, a new training system for pilots of the Airbus A320. The first two units of this training solution have been delivered to Beijing Capital Airlines. These systems will be installed at the training centers owned by the Chinese airline in Beijing and Hainan Island, in which pilots from around the world are trained.

In 2012, Indra delivered two full flight simulators (FFS) of the A320, which is one of the most-used medium-range airliners in the world, to the company.

After these first deliveries, the airline asked Indra to develop this new flight trainer, which is a system that complements the simulators and provides high training capacity at very low cost.

The technology and consulting multinational has incorporated the same simulation software (reproduced by the aircraft flight pattern) in the iCAT as that used by full flight simulators. As a result the trainer is extremely realistic and is very much like a level D simulator, the highest possible category for a civil simulator, but available at a very competitive cost.

The main difference between the iCAT compared to full simulators is that they are not mounted on a moving platform, they use flat screens instead of a projection system and the aircraft controls are not real but simulated on touchscreens.

The only physical systems incorporated in the trainers include flight controls and engine controls, the Flight Control Unit (FCU) and the MCDU, the communications device in which the pilot enters data. These features reduce development and maintenance costs.

The two iCATs enable pilots to clock up a greater number of flight hours before moving on to train in the simulator. This helps them to first familiarize themselves with the aircraft and later get the most out of the FFS.

The iCATs reproduce any fault that may occur with the aircraft and make it possible to complete the training of all normal and emergency procedures included in the airplane flight manual. They also incorporate an extensive database of airports from around the world and more specifically in China, with it being possible to practice landings and takeoffs in all of them in any weather, day or night.

Finally, the iCAT offers the added advantage of being configurable. This means that it may be adapted by introducing appropriate changes and flight patterns to reproduce the flight of other aircrafts as required.

Indra simulators in Asia

Indra is one of the biggest simulator manufacturers worldwide, having delivered 200 simulators in 23 countries to over 50 clients. The company has achieved a strong position in the Asian market in recent years with this business activity.

In addition to the systems delivered to Beijing Capital Airlines, Indra was the first company to introduce a flight simulator for a helicopter on Chinese soil. The company installed an EC225 helicopter simulator in the Airbus training center in Beijing and later introduced a second unit in the pilot training center in Malaysia. Furthermore, it has recently delivered an EC135 helicopter simulator in Japan.

Indra

Indra has been active in China since 1997 and has had a subsidiary in Beijing since 2002, from which it leads its expansion in the Asia-Pacific region. The projects undertaken by the company in China include those relating to air traffic control, simulation, traffic control systems for highways and tunnels, rail access control and security systems.

Indra, chaired by Javier Monzón, is one of the world's largest consultancy and technology multinationals, a leader in Europe and Latin America and is expanding in other emerging economies. Innovation is the cornerstone of its business, which is highly focussed on the customer and on sustainability. The multinational is one of the leaders in its sector in Europe in terms of investment in R&D and innovation, having invested more than €570M in the last three years. With sales approaching €3,000 million, it employs 42,000 professional and has customers in 138 countries.