This AIN editor had an opportunity to tour Emirates/CAE Flight Training Center in Dubai. I was quickly impressed not simply with the size of the center, but also the pristine nature of the entire facility, a location that appears to have thought of almost every possible customer comfort, from snacks and drinks for crewmembers, no matter when their classes might operate, to limousine services to carry customers to and from their hotels.

Because of major customer demand for services, it is not uncommon for flight crews to train at all hours of the day and night. ECFT simulators currently operate nearly 21 hours each day, seven days per week.

Sitting in the left command seat of a Hawker 800 simulator in Dubai, I was treated to a visual experience looking out the cockpit windows that truly made me feel as if I were sitting on the end of Runway 12 Right at Dubai International Airport.