One of the best kept secrets in Canadian aviation has been the phenomenal national and international growth of Canada’s CAE Inc. It is a major Canadian story of triumph....

Canadian Aviation Electronics Ltd. (CAE) was founded in 1947 by RCAF Group Captain Ken Patrick (Ret.). With continued expansion and growth, a corporate structure evolved into CAE Inc., today respected globally as an all-Canadian electronics company that innovatively conceives and designs, among other matters, aeronautical apparatus for flight simulation.
 

1.  CAE’s MAXVUE™ visual flight simulator contains an exact replica of all the hardware of an actual plane cockpit, including the seats of the Captain and First Officers. As many as 600 “faults” can be simulated to test the skills of pilots. These include engine out on flight take-off, engine fires, loss of hydraulics, and lightning strikes. This view demonstrates the simulated cockpit of a China Airlines (Taiwan) MD-11. [Photo, C.A. Barbier inc., courtesy CAE Inc.]  2.  Early in its history, CAE Inc. determined that flight simulation technology had only limited application for domestic markets. But it quickly learned that simulation had widespread application! One use was the development of simulated control systems, especially for nuclear power stations. This view shows the Bruce Nuclear Power Station Simulator used by Ontario Hydro to train operators for nuclear reactor power plants. [Photo, C.A. Barbier Inc., courtesy CAE Inc.]

Almost from the outset, flight simulation was at the heart of the company’s research. It all began by developing aircrew training devices for aspiring young pilots. While these cockpit layouts served a familiarization role, they were far removed from the ideal flight trainer.

The next step in the flight training curriculum progressed to the full flight simulator cockpit. Such a device artificially yet accurately duplicated the complete flight pattern of the aircraft and all its systems.

The simulator cockpit, to this day, contains an accurate replication of all the hardware of the actual plane, including flight controls, all instruments, radio, lighting, and windscreen vision. Not the least are the seats of the Captain and First Officers which are the exact simulation of the real thing. Movement of the cockpit comes from a motion system to provide six degrees of freedom including roll, pitch and yaw for all movements the aircrew might expect in flight including landing bumps.

The instructor has for his use a number of “faults” or “events” which he can create at any time to assess the capability of pilots to recover from unwanted incidents that might occur during actual flight. These include: a) engine out on take-off; b) engine fires; c) loss of hydraulics; and d) undercarriage glitches and electrical faults including those induced by lightning strikes. All simulated incidents are accompanied by realistic sounds and noises.

As many as 600 “faults” can be simulated at will to test the capable skills of pilots at any level of competence.

The above features did not evolve easily. Early flight simulators for the CF-100 and the F-104 fighter aircraft made valiant attempts to simulate flight. Management quickly realized, however, that to meet customers’ demanding expectations and to expand into a dynamic international market, aggressive research and development had to become a key feature of company policy.

Early in the growth of the company, the Chairman of the Board and ongoing Chief Executive Officers established strategic operating principles that successfully guided the company forward enabling it to become internationally competitive in two related fields: a) simulation for flight training applications; and b) systems for the control of complex processes.

Advanced facilities were built, expanded, and/or acquired. CAE Elektronik Gmbh., Stolberg, Germany, was established as a subsidiary company in the early 1960s. It has operated successfully in full support of mission simulators and training devices for both the German Navy and Air Force. More recently, effective acquisitions of companies made in the U.S., U.K., and Australia have strongly positioned the company to develop flight simulators and control systems in each of these export markets.

CAE has consistently placed great emphasis on its human resources. More than half the work force have recognized engineering, scientific or technical backgrounds. All are dedicated to pushing the leading-edge in its specialized technology fields. To support this objective, financial commitment averaging 21 percent of revenue is expended annually on Research and Development (R&D). A further 5 percent of revenue is annually spent on capital expenditures for new facilities, advanced machine tools and the latest in computer and software technology.
 

In the late 1940s and throughout the 1950s, RCAF Group Captain Ken Patrick was the Imaginative leader of Canadian Aviation Electronics of Montreal.  His pioneering development of the flight simulator for the training of pilots for jet aircraft has made CAE Inc. the world leader today in the design, manufacture and development of flight simulation technology.  [Photo, courtesy CAE Inc.]

In the early days, commercial flight simulator prospects had great appeal. It was also considered inadvisable to depend too heavily on the military market. This decision proved correct. After KLM (The Netherlands) and Swissair placed with CAE Inc. orders for DC-8 and DC-9 flight simulators, a flow of orders followed from Canada, the U.S.A., the U.K., Spain, France, Scandinavia, Germany, Morocco, Yugoslavia, and India. More recently, flight simulator orders have come from the Pacific and Pacific Rim countries including Air New Zealand, the first, as well as Australia, Japan, Singapore, Korea, Indonesia, Cathay Pacific (Hong Kong), and China Airlines.

Particularly gratifying is not only the mix of prominent international airlines but the variety of new types such as Boeing’s B737-700, the B757/B767, andB777 as well as Airbus types such as the A340, A330, and the A320/A321 (as flown by Air Canada).

Unquestionably CAE has made itself the world leader in commercial flight simulators and flight training devices with a combined international market share of 48 percent in 1996. This triumph has also made Canada the world leader in flight simulation technology.

Diversification of product line is ongoing at CAE. The MAXVUE™ visual flight system found ready acceptance in the commercial field with 13 systems sold in 1995. Since its introduction, five years ago, an astounding 45 orders representing 46 percent of the world commercial flight simulator visual system market has been acquired.

The application of MAXVUE™ for military uses such as the helicopter flight simulator and training systems has proved successful. It gave the helicopter pilot a realistic field-of-view in addition to other CAE technology which provides excellent aerodynamic responses for the pilot. Significant military orders resulted : the Royal Malaysian Air Force – MIG-29 full mission simulator; the British Royal Navy – Merlin and Lynx helicopter, full mission simulators; the Australian Army – Black Hawk helicopter, full mission simulators; the Royal Australian Navy – AP-3C operations mission simulator; the Royal Australian Air Force – Airlift B707 and C-130J, full mission simulators; the British Army and Royal Air Force – Rapier air defence, missile training system; the German Military – update on seven TORNADO full mission simulators; the Austrian Army – battlefield simulators for its training academics.

Impressive sales of INFRONT (artillery simulators) and INTEREST (Target Recognition Trainer) have continued strong with a large 400 computer-based station being ordered for the U.K. Ministry of Defence. INFRONT artillery simulators have recently been ordered by the Royal Netherlands Navy bringing total sales to 200 systems in 28 countries worldwide.

Most industrial companies are wary of one-product enterprises. Of equal concern is a limited domestic market. Economic cycles often inflict devastating results. CAE met these challenges by creating almost unlimited uses for the application of simulation. It innovatively positioned itself propitiously for future growth by acquisitions in the U.K. and Australia and made noteworthy market penetrations, as well, in the Pacific and Pacific Rim countries.

Control Systems were not new to CAE. It had established itself by supplying control systems and training simulators for nuclear reactors to Ontario Hydro and New Brunswick’s Point Le Preau nuclear reactor power plants. It is much too late to prevent an accident if operators are not well-trained and a system is not in place to take corrective action. Similarly, large electric utilities must be equipped with control systems capable of making power diversions to prevent “brown-outs” and “black-outs” when problems arise. Some countries ordering energy control systems include: Canada – Hydro Québec, Ontario Hydro, New Brunswick Power, Hydro Mississauga, and Scarborough Public Utilities; U.S.A. – Boston Edison, Hawaii Electric, and Houston Lighting & Power Co.; China – energy management systems for Power Dispatching Centers of Northwest, Ningxia, and Gansu; Australia – Queensland, distribution management and energy management systems; Korea – Korea Electric Power Corp., a full scope training simulator for the WOLSONG nuclear power plant; Venezuela – Electricidad de Caracas, distribution management and energy management systems; Egypt – Alexandria and Canal Zone, distribution management systems.

CAE celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1997. This world-respected, all Canadian business establishment continues to demonstrate its dominant position in the commercial flight simulator field, recently winning 8 of 10 flight simulators and 5 training systems contracts: China Airlines – an Airbus A300-600R full flight simulator with MAXVUE™ visual, a flight training device for the A300, and a Boeing 747-400 full flight simulator with MAXVUE™; Korean Airlines – a Boeing 777 full flight simulator; Cathay Pacific (Hong Kong) – an A340/A300 Airbus simulator with MAXVUE™; The Boeing Co. – upgrading existing simulators to full flight B737-700; Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) v a full flight B737-700 with MAXVUE™, making a total of five simulators purchased by SAS; Lufthansa Airlines – an A321 full-flight simulator. After 50 years, CAE has clearly established itself the world leader in the design and production of commercial full flight simulators, flight training devices and visual systems. Likewise it has captured much of the military markets for simulators, visual systems, and training systems such as procedural trainers. Energy control and distribution systems for utilities are quickly coming to the fore.

To achieve this unique position in the hi-tech world, many “hall-marks” have surfaced: a solid management team skillful in setting objectives, risk taking, while operating within strict financial controls; human resources heavily weighted technically; a significant annual commitment to Research & Development (21 percent of revenue); modern facilities and equipment; significant imports of “high tech” equipment; a solid partner in an expanding world.

Unquestionably CAE Inc. is ready for the twenty-first century. It has proven itself as a significant world-leader advanced technology company with sound, sustainable development ahead.

Joe Morley