Editing Flight simulator (section)

===Today===
[[File:AC97-0295-13 a.jpeg|thumb|right|Cockpit of a [[twinjet]] flight simulator]]

The simulator manufacturers are [[consolidation (business)|consolidating]] and [[vertical integration|integrate vertically]] as [[Flight training|training]] offers double-digit growth: CAE forecast 255,000 new [[airline pilot]]s from 2017 to 2027 (70 a day), and 180,000 [[First officer (aeronautics)|first officer]]s evolving to [[Airline Captain|captains]].<!--<ref name=Flight25jun2018/>-->
The largest manufacturer is Canadian [[CAE Inc.]] with a 70% [[market share]] and $2.8 billion annual revenues, manufacturing training devices for 70 years but moved into training in 2000 with multiple acquisitions. Now CAE makes more from training than from producing the simulators.<!--<ref name=Flight25jun2018/>-->
Crawley-based [[L3 Commercial Training Solutions|L3 CTS]] entered the market in 2012 by acquiring [[Thales Training & Simulation]]'s manufacturing plant near [[Gatwick Airport]] where it assembles up to 30 devices a year, then UK [[CTC training school]] in 2015, Aerosim in Sanford, Florida in 2016, and Portuguese academy [[G Air]] in October 2017.<ref name=Flight25jun2018/> Global Training Schools like Aerosim also offer aircraft-specific simulators, such as for the Airbus A320.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sim.aero/fleets/airbus-a320 |title=Airbus A320 Full-Flight Simulator Fleet |publisher=sim.aero |access-date=April 11, 2025}}</ref>

With a 20% market share, equipment still accounts for more than half of L3 CTS [[Revenue|turnover]] but that could soon be reversed as it educates 1,600 [[commercial pilot]]s each year, 7% of the 22,000 entering the profession annually, and aims for 10% in a [[Fragmentation (economics)|fragmented]] market.<!--<ref name=Flight25jun2018/>-->
The third largest is [[TRU Simulation + Training]], created in 2014 when parent [[Textron Aviation]] merged its simulators with [[Mechtronix]], [[OPINICUS]] and [[ProFlight]], focusing on simulators and developing the first full-flight simulators for the [[737 MAX]] and the [[777X]].<!--<ref name=Flight25jun2018/>-->
The fourth is [[FlightSafety International]], focused on [[general aviation|general]], [[business aircraft|business]] and [[regional aircraft]].<!--<ref name=Flight25jun2018/>-->
[[Airbus and Boeing]] have invested in their own training centres, aiming for higher margins than [[aircraft manufacturing]] like [[maintenance, repair and overhaul|MRO]], competing with their suppliers CAE and L3.<ref name=Flight25jun2018>{{cite news |url= https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/analysis-civil-simulator-manufacturer-strategies-co-449555/ |title= Civil simulator manufacturer strategies compared |date= 25 June 2018 |author= Murdo Morrison |work= FlightGlobal}}</ref>

In June 2018, there were 1,270 commercial airline simulators in service, up by 50 over a year: 85% [[Full flight simulator|FFS]]s and 15% {{abbr|FTD|flight training device}}s.<!--<ref name=Flight26jun2018>-->
CAE supplied 56% of this installed base, L3 CTS 20% and FlightSafety International 10%, while CAE's training centres are the largest operator, with a 13% share.<!--<ref name=Flight26jun2018>-->
North America has 38% of the world's training devices, Asia-Pacific 25% and Europe 24%.<!--<ref name=Flight26jun2018>-->
[[Boeing]] types represent 45% of all simulated aircraft, followed by [[Airbus]] with 35%, then [[Embraer]] at 7%, [[Bombardier Aerospace|Bombardier]] at 6% and [[ATR Aircraft|ATR]] at 3%.<ref name=Flight26jun2018>{{cite news |url= https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/analysis-civil-simulator-fleet-nears-1300-mark-449266/ |title= Analysis: Civil simulator fleet nears 1,300 mark |date= 26 June 2018 |author= Antoine Fafard |work= FlightGlobal}}</ref>
<!--possible update: https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/training-civil-simulator-market-update-458164/-->