Flight Training Facilities

Flight Training Academies | Flight Simulators | Flight Training Centers

MEP Design and Engineering for Flight Training Facilities

When you think of aviation, you might picture a bird in the sky—yet much of the critical work happens right here on the ground. Flight training facilities play a vital role in supporting airlines. They provide the ongoing education and training of pilots, officers, and support personnel, ensuring smooth airline operations.

RWB Consulting Engineers delivers mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) engineering design for flight training facilities worldwide. Since our founding in 1986, we have maintained a strong focus on aviation and aeronautics. In fact, one of our core specialties is designing and engineering flight training academies. Because facilities that house flight simulators contain complex, mission-critical systems, they require expertise unique to the airline industry.

Over the past decade alone, we have completed more than 40 flight training building projects. In addition, we have helped install over 100 simulator bays for clients across the globe. Whether constructing brand-new facilities or designing additions and renovations to active buildings, we bring proven experience and precision to every project.

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American Airlines FTA | Fort Worth, TX

American Airlines Flight Training Academy

RWB has partnered with American Airlines on multiple flight training academy projects, including additions, expansions, and renovations to their facilities.

Because American Airlines operates a diverse fleet, their flight training facilities must accommodate simulators for all types of aircraft. This variety is essential to support their wide-ranging flight operations—from regional routes to long-haul flights. Moreover, pilots must complete rigorous continuing education on the simulators for every aircraft they are certified to fly.

As a result, American Airlines continuously updates its flight training centers. When a particular aircraft make or model retires, the corresponding simulator is removed. At the same time, new simulators are added to match incoming aircraft. This ongoing balance ensures that training spaces and travel demands align efficiently.

From an MEP design perspective, we recognize the importance of keeping American Airlines’ training facilities fully operational. Since 1986, the airline has trusted RWB to design its flight training academy and many supporting structures, including the central utility plant that powers the complex.

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Helisim North American Regional Training Center

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Completed in May 2020, the Helisim Flight Training Center opened in Grand Prairie, Texas, as a 20,000-square-foot design/build project. This state-of-the-art facility houses three Full Flight Simulator (FFS) devices for the latest Airbus helicopter models.

The building includes dedicated spaces for pilot instruction, debriefing, cockpit and equipment storage, and offices for staff. Notably, this is Helisim’s first training facility in North America.

Helisim’s helicopter training facility plays a critical role for pilots preparing to fly the newest aircraft models. Pilots must complete a required number of instruction hours on these simulators before operating actual aircraft, in addition to ongoing FAA-mandated training. Furthermore, Helisim’s conveniently located center near Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport supports efficient access for trainees across the region.

Southwest Airlines Flight Training Center | Dallas, TX

Southwest Airlines Wings and Flight Training Center

One of our hallmark projects is with Southwest Airlines. The immense Southwest Airlines corporate campus sits next to Dallas Love Field (DAL) airport in Dallas, TX. RWB contributed to several portions of this major development, including the 425,000-square-foot, six-story Wings Office Building and the central utility plant.

We provided MEP design for phase one of the $154M Flight Training Center, which houses 18 state-of-the-art CAE Boeing 737 Flight Simulators. Because Southwest Airlines operates almost exclusively Boeing 737 aircraft, the center is dedicated to that model. Phase two will add eight more simulators, bringing the total to 26. To protect these valuable assets, the facility was designed and built to withstand an F4 tornado.

The SWA Flight Training Center includes simulators, briefing rooms, conference rooms, and virtual training rooms, along with classrooms of various sizes for traditional learning before and after hands-on exercises. To protect Southwest’s investment, we designed extensive system redundancies to prevent disruptions, ensuring training remains on schedule.

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MEP Design and Engineering Challenges for Flight Training Centers

Alongside other building design professionals, we tackle the unique challenges that mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems present in flight training facilities.

Operational Needs for Flight Simulation Bays
Heat generation

Providing enough cooling to offset the heat generated from the simulation cockpits, with continuous 24/7 operation.

Ensure successful simulator operation

Power, airflow, and ventilation to the cabins of the simulators, particularly considering the extreme movement, rotation, and vibration a simulator may experience. Careful routing of electrical components, particularly around the simulators.

Electrical / IT /Data

Flight simulators require dedicated data rooms for the enormous amount of data transfer to operate. The network must be capable of transmitting high-speed data and synchronizing the video between simulator and instructor viewing rooms. Cooling and power for data rooms is mission-critical. We pay extra close attention to the temperature and relative humidity in these spaces to ensure continuous operation.
Designing to Protect Flight Training Equipment
Fire protection design

Our design for fire protection must be meticulous. In the event of a false alarm, water damage from fire sprinklers could be a multi-million-dollar loss. RWB is committed to protecting the investment of flight training facility owners with a thorough and precise design.

Maximum security

Flight training facilities are high-security areas. We design the MEP system for maximum security in accordance with the owner’s requirements. One example is the implementation of sound breaks within the ductwork to ensure no one can listen in on private conversations.
Comfort: Balancing the Needs of Pilots, Crew, and Building Staff
Comfort cooling for high-stress environments

Certification- and recertification- for pilots can be extremely stressful. Although we would normally design spaces such as briefing and debriefing rooms for temperatures around 70-74F, our experience has shown that is not cool enough. We ensure our designs for flight training facilities can accommodate the comfort needs of pilots and support staff taking part in these demanding exercises.

Comfort for staff

Besides the pilots and Office areas for the FTA technicians and training support personnel

Flight Training Facility Space Programming

Simulation facilities deliver an immersive aviation training experience for pilots. Since flight simulators can cost $15–25 million each, they provide real-time, high-fidelity, full-mission training with unmatched precision. Because of this realism, simulators are essential for effective pilot training and licensure.

Aeronautical simulators play a vital role in both commercial transport and general aviation. Within flight training centers, you’ll find specialized spaces such as computer rooms, academic instruction areas, demonstration rooms, equipment support spaces, staff offices, secure entrances, instructor offices, briefing and debriefing rooms, simulator pods or bays, and classrooms. Together, these spaces create a comprehensive environment that supports every stage of pilot training.

Simulator Equipment Experience

RWB has designed several thousand square feet of flight training facilities, working with all makes, models, and types of flight simulators. In recent years, we have collaborated on projects featuring simulators from CAE, L3, Boeing, Airbus, FlightSafety, and others. In addition to commercial airplane simulators, we have engineered facilities for helicopters, private aircraft, submarines, and tanks.

As simulation technology has evolved, training academies now have more options than ever. These range from highly realistic full-flight simulators (FFS) for immersive training to virtual reality simulators capable of housing multiple aircraft simulations within one device. We have worked with every option in between. Furthermore, we are familiar with the different modes of simulator operation, including hydraulic and electronic systems.

Our expertise extends to full crew training. For example, we have designed MEP systems for facilities with fuselage trainers and pools that simulate water landings. This experience covers:

Fixed bay training simulators
Fuselage training simulations
Virtual reality (VR) training simulators
Emergency procedure training areas
Emergency water evacuation and procedure simulators, including pools and natatoriums