HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.C.R. NO.

196

TWENTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2006

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 
   


HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

supporting the concept of a public-private joint venture to develop a new advanced simulator airline training facility in hawaii.

 

WHEREAS, Hawaii is highly dependent upon air transportation, and local air carriers provide more than twelve thousand direct and indirect jobs to Hawaii residents; and

WHEREAS, in an increasingly competitive market, Hawaii's local air carriers must conduct a substantial portion of their flight training on the United States mainland because advanced training facilities do not exist in Hawaii, which increases training costs at least twenty-five percent; and

WHEREAS, there have been many attempts over the years to establish an advanced simulator training facility in Hawaii to serve the local airlines, but these attempts have proven to be not economically feasible; and

WHEREAS, now, training demands from other airlines and the training of ab initio airline cadets (those without prior experience) could make establishing an advanced simulator training center capable of training pilots, mechanics, dispatchers, and air traffic controllers an economically viable option in Hawaii; and

WHEREAS, in 2005, Airbus and Boeing sold a record number of airplanes (1,111 for Airbus and 1,005 for Boeing), with most of the new aircrafts purchased by China, India, and other Asia-Pacific countries; and

WHEREAS, the Chinese passenger market alone is expected to grow at nearly twice the pace of the United States over the next twenty years, making it the largest airline market in the world, with at least three thousand new pilots needed every year for the foreseeable future; and

WHEREAS, based on forecast aircraft sales by Boeing and Airbus, and projected pilot retirements, it is expected that more than 250,000 new private and commercial pilots will be needed in the next twenty years; and

WHEREAS, in general, countries with the greatest growth do not have the infrastructure to train new pilots, and flight schools in Australia and the United States are the top competitors to conduct ab initio pilot training for Asia-Pacific airlines; and

WHEREAS, in 1998, the University of Hawaii (UH), through Honolulu Community College (HCC), inaugurated a commercial pilot training program for new pilots, linking this program to a four-year degree program sponsored by the University of North Dakota; and

WHEREAS, due to budgetary constraints, the major factors that restrain the growth of the program are a lack of advanced training facilities and equipment, which are needed to compete with other schools throughout the United States and the Pacific Basin; and

WHEREAS, in 2004, UH entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with Alteon Training, LLC, a subsidiary of the Boeing Company, and Global Flyers Corp., an aviation consultant, to create one of the world's first vertically integrated ab initio airline pilot training centers in Hawaii; and

WHEREAS, additionally, a business plan and training strategy for the training center was completed in September 2004; and

WHEREAS, lack of funding for the UH portion of the project resulted in Alteon's withdrawal from the joint venture in 2005; and

WHEREAS, as a result, Global Flyers, through its affiliate, Global Aeronautics, LLC (a Hawaii company), has worked with a Florida-based training center, FlightSafety Academy, to develop for its Asian clients a 51-week, integrated training course that is fully focused on the needs of airline customers; and

WHEREAS, based on this model, Hawaii has an opportunity again to support a joint public-private partnership that will fund a new training center providing private and commercial pilot training, as HCC does now, with the addition of airline-oriented training for airline cadets using the most modern advanced flight simulators; and

WHEREAS, while flight schools are presently limited to conducting a maximum of approximately twenty percent of the total required flight training in simulators, new licensing rules just proposed by the United Nations International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) will, if adopted by member countries, allow up to seventy percent of this training to be done in simulators; and

WHEREAS, simulator training is the type of high technology activity the State is seeking to develop because it offers many advantages - pollution-free, noiseless, and safe; and

WHEREAS, the public-private joint venture would entail an investment of approximately $50,000,000 for a new simulator facility and $10,000,000 for general aviation training equipment, which are amounts that can be raised almost entirely in Asia; and

WHEREAS, FlightSafety International and Alteon – both worldwide providers of airline pilot training – will be invited to join in this venture; and

WHEREAS, the State for its part will provide land for the construction of the training facilities and dormitories for approximately 200 students at, in order of preference:

(1) Kalaeloa on Oahu (provided that the Navy does not reclaim the facilities);

(2) Honolulu International Airport and its surroundings on Oahu; or

(3) Kona Airport on the island of Hawaii; and

WHEREAS, to secure financing and advance the proposal in Asia, three preconditions must be met:

(1) The State shall adopt a statement or resolution supporting the concept and expressing a sincere willingness to continue this support if corresponding commitments can be obtained from private partners;

(2) The site of the training center shall be tentatively identified; and

(3) United States joint venture training partners shall enter into a Memorandum of Understanding, expressing their willingness to join the venture; and

WHEREAS, with these preconditions satisfied, Global Aeronautics LLC, which is currently under contract to FlightSafety International, will sponsor the project in the Asia-Pacific regions at its own expense, and will negotiate for needed support from training partners, such as FlightSafety, Alteon, and local Hawaii airlines; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2006, the Senate concurring, that the Legislature supports the concept of a public-private joint venture to develop a new advanced simulator airline training facility in Hawaii, and expresses a sincere willingness to continue that support if corresponding commitments can be obtained from private partners for financing and other training resources; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Governor; the President of the University of Hawaii; the President of Global Aeronautics, LLC; the President of FlightSafety International; and the President of Alteon.

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:

Advanced Flight Simulator Airline Training Facility