The Aviation Program at Utah State University, part of the College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences, Logan, will soon be adding a Frasca RTD (Reconfigurable Training Device) to their training program. The RTD simulates the university’s fleet of Diamond DA40 aircraft including Garmin G1000 NXi avionics and will feature a single channel visual display system with Frasca’s TruVision Global visual system. Utah State University holds the highest FAA flight training approval of part 141. The RTD will allow a portion of the required flight time to be replaced with simulator hours. Utah State will take delivery of the first DA40 RTD built by Frasca. Other aircraft models available on the RTD include the Cessna 172, Piper Archer and Piper Seminole.
“Utah State University Aviation is pleased to announce the acquisition of the Frasca RTD. The simulator is a mock-up of the university’s fleet aircraft, the Diamond DA40, which will assist student pilots at the airport. The simulator will put student pilots in a familiar setting (the cockpit) while also putting them in unfamiliar situations including excessive crosswinds on landing, complex instrument approach procedures, and crisis situations such as simulated engine failure during a flight. This new simulator will allow student pilots to learn, perform tasks, and procedures they could execute in real aircraft without endangering themselves or the aircraft. This training will build a trigger point so if they did encounter issues in real life they will have a accurate experience to draw from.” – Aaron Dyches, Utah State University Director of Flight Operations /Chief Flight Instructor
The Frasca RTD is an FAA-approved Advanced Aviation Training Device (AATD). It features Frasca’s advanced aerodynamic software using flight test data, a browser/web-based instructor station, and convincing out-the-window visual graphics for a realistic flying experience. Designed to be robust for reliability and ease of maintenance, the RTD is easily reconfigurable between different aircraft models. A key feature is real Garmin G1000 NXi software, which provides realistic simulation and an accurate training experience.
The G1000 NXi software also enables the Frasca RTD to include Garmin’s newest features: Synthetic Vision Technology with its 3-dimensional ‘pathway’ view, terrain awareness and warning system and easily updatable navigation databases.
