The first class of six United States Army students to go through the new Initial Entry Fixed-Wing (IEFW) course at CAE's Dothan Training Center have graduated and are now fixed-wing Army aviators.
The graduation ceremony, which included both rotary-wing and fixed-wing students, took place recently at Fort Rucker, home of the United States Army Aviation Center of Excellence (USAACE).
The six students were part of the first class ever for the Initial Entry Fixed-Wing training track course created by CAE and the U.S. Army. The new IEFW training program has been implemented so that entry-level Army students can begin their career track to fixed-wing aircraft much sooner. The course spans approximately four months and includes academic, simulator and aircraft training, including upset recovery training.
"All of us at CAE would like to congratulate the first graduating class from the new Initial Entry Fixed-Wing course," said Ray Duquette, President and General Manager, CAE USA. "We are honored to be partnering with the Army to provide a modern, flexible and cost-effective training program specifically designed to produce the next-generation fixed-wing aviators."
CAE is the prime contractor responsible for the Army Fixed-Wing Flight Training program that provides the training required to fly the Army's fleet of more than 350 fixed-wing aircraft. Training is delivered at the CAE Dothan Training Center, which officially opened in March 2017. Located at the Dothan Regional Airport, CAE and its team of industry partners provide academic (classroom), simulator and live flying training using Grob G120TP and C-12 aircraft.
CAE's Defense & Security business unit focuses on helping prepare our customers to develop and maintain the highest levels of mission readiness. We are a world-class training systems integrator offering a comprehensive portfolio of training centers, training services and simulation products across the air, land, naval and public safety market segments. We serve our global defense and security customers through regional operations in Canada; the United States/Latin America; Europe/Middle East/Africa; and Asia/Pacific, all of which leverage the full breadth of CAE's capabilities, technologies and solutions.
CAE is a global leader in training for the civil aviation, defense and security, and healthcare markets. Backed by a 70-year record of industry firsts, we continue to help define global training standards with our innovative virtual-to-live training solutions to make flying safer, maintain defense force readiness and enhance patient safety. We have the broadest global presence in the industry, with over 8,500 employees, 160 sites and training locations in over 35 countries. Each year, we train more than 120,000 civil and defense crewmembers and thousands of healthcare professionals worldwide. www.cae.com
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