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Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) officers and officials and Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Darren Chester celebrated the milestone at a ceremony at CAE's Sale training centre.
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The simulator has now surpassed 5,000 hours of training since the facility opened in 2014.
Civil aviation, defence and security training company CAE constructed the training centre, which houses a CAE-built King Air 350 full-flight simulator, as a company-owned and company-operated facility after being awarded a contract in 2013 to deliver King Air 350 simulator services to RAAF pilots, as well as air combat officers from the RAAF and maritime aviation warfare officers from the Royal Australian Navy (RAN).
CAE's vice president and general manager, Asia-Pacific/Middle East Ian Bell said the training centre is an excellent example of high-quality training that is beneficial to their business and the Australian Defence Force.
"The CAE Sale training centre is a great example of an innovative business model that delivers benefits to both the Australian Defence Force and industry," said Bell.
"We brought high-quality training where it was needed at RAAF Base East Sale, and we operate the training centre as a true partnership with the RAAF. As a training systems integrator capable of delivering turnkey training solutions, CAE believes this approach to long-term training service delivery can help our defence customers lower risk, increase efficiency, save money and contribute to enhanced training and operational effectiveness."
Federal member for Gippsland Minister Chester said the centre is a source of enormous pride for the Gippsland area, as it is the home of aviation training in Australia and it provides major employment opportunities for locals.
"Gippsland has a long, proud history of supporting the Australian Defence Force. We should also be proud of the businesses, organisations and individuals who work so hard in our community to help RAAF Base East Sale meet its operational and training objectives," said Chester.
"Activity on the base, including the federal government's $200 million investment in establishing East Sale as the home of aviation training in Australia, is making an enormous contribution to economic activity in Gippsland. RAAF Base East Sale is a major employer in Gippsland and uses local businesses and contractors to provide needed goods and services. I'm pleased local employers and contractors, including CAE Australia, are benefiting from the opportunities being generated by the RAAF base."
