Flight training giant FlightSafety International has acquired the aviation simulator manufacturer Frasca International.
The purchase was completed at the end of 2021, but has only recently been announced.
Frasca, founded in 1958 by aviation pioneer Rudy Frasca, is known for its rotary- and fixed-wing simulators, ranging from flight training devices (FTDs) to level B through D full flight simulators (FFSs).
FlightSafety was founded in 1951 by Al Ueltschi, and today claims the world’s largest fleet of advanced full-flight simulators at Learning Centers and training locations in the United States, Canada, France and the U.K.
In an emailed statement, a Frasca spokesperson said the two companies have a history of collaboration, dating back decades to the friendship of their founders.
She said the acquisition “will better allow each company to increase its ability to prepare aviators through scalable and integrated product lines, increased innovation, and expanded expertise in the training and simulation market.”
The move follows Frasca’s selection by FlightSafety as a subcontractor for the U.S. Navy TH-73A Aircrew Training Service Contract. Announced in April 2021, that agreement will ultimately see Frasca provide and install eight new TH-73 FTDs and modify the Navy’s 10 existing TH-57B/C FTDs.
Frasca has more than 130 employees, and has sold more than 3,000 simulators around the world. The spokesperson said the company name is to remain the same, John Frasca will continue as president, and all management and employees will remain at its facility in Urbana, Illinois.
