Mission Aviation Fellowship International (MAF) has signed a deal with European flight simulation system manufacturers Euramec to build a scalable mission training solution based on the Cessna C208B Caravan. MAF is the world's largest humanitarian air operator that collectively operates a fleet of 117 aircraft serving some 1,500 aid, development and mission organisations to bring medical care, emergency relief and long-term development to isolated communities across the globe.

Rene Don, flight simulator project lead at MAF International, says: “We are very excited and proud to officially announce our partnership with Euramec for our next-generation flight sim solution of the Cessna C208B Caravan. Investment in this simulator will also bring cost and environmental benefits because it significantly reduces the number of hours in the air during training.”

The simulator, to be based in the Netherlands, will contribute to MAF's aim of cutting carbon emissions in proportion to its flying by 30 er cent by 2035.

Euramec CEO Bert Buyle remarks: “Euramec worked out a unique concept that caters exactly to the training needs for MAF pilots. The main flight training device (FTD) comes with a high-fidelity visual system with extended vertical views to allow for maximum immersion in the uniquely tough terrain MAF pilots operate in.”

These remote areas are not readily available in legacy databases; Euramec will deliver tailor-made scenery with exact renderings of the airstrips and airfields MAF operates in.

The Euramec C208B FTD will initially be certified at EASA (European Union Aviation Safety Agency) FTD 2 level, and the device will receive a six degrees-of-freedom motion system to enhance the flying characteristics. World-class flight testing data forms the basis of the flight model. In addition to the FTD 2 level flight training device, Euramec will provide a virtual reality (VR) part-task trainer. Special features will include eye tracking and other tools, bringing advanced technology to a traditional field as flight training. Euramec partners with Multisim from the Netherlands for the VR training solution and Multisim's D-Sim and D-World software suite as an interface between the various simulator components.

The MAF International C208B Caravan flight training device is expected to be up and running at Teuge International airport by the end of 2025. A second C208B simulator platform is planned to be installed in Australia.

“The visuals of this sim will be next generation,” continues Don. “It's where the industry is going. The ground modelling is better than typical airline industry sims. MAF flies to the remotest corners of the earth, and it's important we can train our pilots for these environments. Our highest safety risk is runway collisions with animals, vehicles et cetera. The simulator will contain special animations to train for these scenarios.”

MAF International oversees programmes in Arnhem Land in Australia, Chad, Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Papua New Guinea, South Sudan, Tanzania, Timor-Leste and Uganda. Other members of the MAF global family include MAF Canada and MAF US, which also run programmes around the world.