Simulator has pilots on a high

Flying Officer Stephen Gibbins and Flight Lieutenant Lukasz Wijacha with the new C17 flight simulator at RAAF Base Amberley.

Rob Williams

AUSTRALIA’S first C-17 flight simulator has arrived at RAAF Base Amberley, providing incredible life-like graphics to help pilots train for future missions.

The simulator not only has models of Amberley and Ipswich but it also simulates places in Afghanistan, America and, importantly for this region, the Pacific Islands which are often visited by C-17s for aid relief.

The Full Motion Flight Simulator and Loadmaster Simulator were welcomed to Amberley by senior Australian Defence personnel, United States Air Force, RAAF No 36 Squadron members and local Federal MP Shayne Neumann.

The simulator is the first of its kind outside the United States and will enable RAAF No 36 Squadron to undertake vital training without the need to utilise valuable C-17 flying time.

C-17 project director Captain Andrew Doyle said the simulator’s capabilities were amazing.

Cpt Doyle said it took a qualified pilot 100 hours of training in the simulator to be ready for real practice flights.