Pennant International

The GenFly Generic Flying Controls Trainer is an aircraft maintenance training rig developed in the late twentieth century for the Royal Air Force, for use in training airframe mechanics and technicians, particularly in maintenance activities involving flying controls and aircraft hydraulics.[3]

The GenFly project began as a requirement to replace old hydraulics training rigs at the Airframe Training Squadron, RAF Cosford, UK and at the Engineer Officer Training School, RAF Cranwell. The historical solution of using retired airframes was no longer practical, as modern fleets were reduced in size. Also, some of the tasks undertaken by initial trainees had been inherently hazardous in untrained hands, and a more benign environment was required. A system based on the AMST McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II training rig was rejected as too restrictive and not reflective of the full RAF airframe training syllabus. An invitation to tender to the GenFly specification was released in 1998 and the contract was awarded to Pennant Training Systems Limited in 1999.

The GenFly training rig mechanically represents a skeletal airframe with its mechanical and hydraulic systems exposed. All system elements are lifelike dummies, wired back to a main computer system which models their behaviour. The computer system can detect whether the parts are connected up correctly and can simulate a range of fault conditions.

The system is intended to train maintenance staff in how electrical and hydraulic faults can be manifested in complex aircraft systems and to enable fault diagnosis techniques to be practised in real time.

The trainer incorporates primary flight control surfaces including as ailerons, rudder, elevators and flaps. These can be configured to operate in conventional or unconventional modes, permitting non-standard flying controls such as elevons to be simulated. The flying controls are connected to a control column in the cockpit, and can be configured for direct or Fly-By-Wire operation. Their positions can also be pre-set from the instructor's console.

A simulated oleo-pneumatic tricycle undercarriage comprises three jacks which can be lowered and dummy oleos extended. In a simulated oleo collapse, the rig lowers onto unobtrusive fixed supports. The main wheel assemblies are removable and a realistic braking system permits training in main wheel removal and fitting.

The cockpit incorporates a simulated Mk10 Martin Baker ejection seat and associated safety devices. A glass cockpit supports the services provided by the trainer and it is possible to 'fly' the trainer, principally to simulate flap blow back and to allow comparison between True Airspeed (TAS) and Indicated Airspeed (IAS).

The RAF took delivery of four GenFly units to RAF Cosford, UK.[4] The training manuals were written to RAF aircraft maintenance documentation standards, in order to familiarise students with the format. All four rigs were assigned tail numbers from the RAF military aircraft register, to allow even greater realism in simulating aircraft documentation, while avoiding the possibility of confusion from fabricated tail numbers coinciding with those of real airframes. The tail numbers are; ZJ695, ZJ696, ZJ697 and ZJ698.[5] The device entered service in 2001.

Later the Royal Australian Air Force installed at least one GenFly trainer at RAAF Wagga Wagga, and a Middle Eastern Air Force is said to have received a number of GenFly units in 2017.