Press Release

Issued by Elite Simulation Solutions.

March 11, 2013

Sharp Airlines, Australia's fastest growing regional airline, has ordered an Elite Simulation Solutions simulator to boost its first officer training programme – the longest established airline cadet programme in that country. Elite is a world leader in the design and manufacture of flight simulators powered by PCs.

The Elite iGATE S523 device will be located at Sharp's headquarters at Hamilton, Victoria. It can be quickly and easily converted to various single and twin engine aircraft configurations, including the Cessna C172 and Piper Seneca operated by Sharp, and has been specially purchased to benefit the airline's MCC (Multi Crew Conversion) training component.

Sharp's First Officer training programme, which has been running for well over 20 years, guarantees students 750 hours aeronautical experience and a 12-month cadetship on successful completion.

Elite will build into the iGATE S523 a newly developed cost-effective Dynamic Control Loading (DCL) system that increases or decreases forces on the yoke, depending on airspeed and atmospheric pressure settings.

The S623 will also have a 3-channel LED TV visual system featuring Lockheed Martin Prepar3D visuals, an original Garmin GNS430 GPS, and a navigation and visual database covering all of Australia with a specific high resolution inset for Hamilton Airport.

Sharp Airlines was established in 1990 and operates regular airline services from Hamilton, Adelaide, Essendon (Melbourne) and Launceston, having routes throughout South Australia, Victoria and Tasmania.

It has a very strong presence in FIFO (Fly-In, Fly-Out) services to remote locations for the mining, shipping, oil exploration and construction industries and for emergency services, and uses six Metroliner twin turbines for most of this work as the aircraft is ideally suited to these types of operations.

Sharp also operates passenger charter services for corporate, business and government clients, freight services running from carrying legal documents, commercial shellfish and 2,000kg of mining equipment, and also aerial photography and surveying, fire and whale spotting, wildlife surveys, plantation surveys and emergency services support.

Sharp's Director and Chief Pilot Malcolm Sharp, said the decision to purchase Elite equipment was an easy one: "We have been reviewing and trialling a wide range of synthetic trainers and the Elite system was an almost perfect match for our requirements. Along with this, having an agent locally in Melbourne, Victoria, was a big advantage."

The sale was handled by Elite's agent in Australasia, Simflight Pty Ltd, of Frankston Heights, Victoria.