A History of Innovation

Atlantis Systems International had its beginnings in the the late 1970's with the combination of two companies, Atlantis Flight Research, a designer and manufacturer of avionics test equipment, and SST Scientific Consultants, a small electronic and software development company. These two companies joined forces to develop and build a new piece of test equipment for Canadair (now Bombardier). The tester was designed to simulate the engine of a new aircraft so that the cockpit instruments could be exercised before the real engine was installed. Atlantis' successful completion of this contract was significant because it resulted in Atlantis being listed under “simulator manufacturers” in Canadair's supplier database.

Atlantis' inclusion as a simulator manufacturer came to the attention of Canadair's training department, who were interested in enhancing Canadair's manual-and-chalkboard approach to training through the use of active system simulators. The result was an order to Atlantis for an engine start-up procedures trainer that would simulate the engine's dynamics and its interaction with other aircraft systems.

The First Free-play Trainer

In October 1981, as a result of the close collaboration between SST and Atlantis, the two companies agreed to merge, with the new company retaining the Atlantis name.

Shortly after, Atlantis was contracted to develop a cockpit trainer for the Canadair Challenger business jet. Atlantis proposed a fully free-play trainer at a time when most training departments were using “lock step” or procedural trainers. In a free-play trainer, the trainee can choose the sequence of steps necessary to carry out a training task. This provides a better simulation of real-world conditions than trainers that operate only in a prescribed sequence.

The Challenger cockpit trainer worked in real time and included redundancy so that if one of its three CPUs failed, the other two could share the load with no negative effect on the simulation. This cockpit trainer was a good advertisement for Atlantis, as it proved the young company could not only apply advanced technology to solve complex problems, but also complete large programmes successfully and on schedule.

First Government Contact

In 1982, the Department of National Defence invited companies to tender for the (original) Canadian Automated Pilot Selection System (CAPSS). Atlantis decided to bid. Although this was the company's first experience with detailed specifications and the government bidding process, Atlantis won the CAPSS contract and delivered the product on schedule.

International Recognition

In 1984, Atlantis won two major international contracts: a $4 million programme to develop an H-46 helicopter simulator for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, and a $6 million contract for a maintenance training simulator for the Royal Australian Air Force F/A-18 fighter. These two programmes established Atlantis as a force in the international marketplace.

In 1986, Atlantis won a $6 million contract to provide the U.S. Navy with maintenance training simulators for the E-6A communications aircraft and, in 1987, a contract was signed with the Canadian Department of National Defence to provide a submarine fire control training system for the Sea Command of the Canadian Forces.

Into the Big League

The year 1988 brought Atlantis' largest contract award to date. Worth $22 million, this contract (from McDonnell Douglas) was to design and build maintenance training panels and simulated cockpits for the F-15E fighter used by the U.S. Air Force. Atlantis' successful performance on this contract paved the way for a significant amount of follow-on work in later years, including supplying F-15 maintenance trainers to the Royal Saudi Air Force.

By October 1988, the facility in Woodbridge, Ontario where Atlantis had been located since 1984 was no longer large enough to accommodate the growing company, and in 1989 Atlantis moved to a new, custom-built headquarters in Brampton, Ontario. In the same year, Atlantis won a DND contract for a comprehensive suite of CF-18 maintenance trainers, followed by a contract to supply maintenance trainers for the Black Hawk and Seahawk helicopters to the Australian Armed Forces.

Atlantis Goes Commercial

With the changing international situation in the early 1990s, Atlantis decided to apply its expertise to the development of simulation-based flight training devices for the commercial airline market.

At that time, airlines relied almost exclusively on costly full-flight simulators for pilot training. Many competitors were convinced that a simulation-based trainer would not work, or if it did, it could never win regulatory approval. Atlantis proved them wrong on both counts by delivering simulation-based flight Training Devices for the Boeing 747 and 767 and the Airbus A320 to Air Canada and Canadian Airlines International, all of which received Level 4 qualification from Transport Canada.

As the 1990's unfolded, Atlantis' commercial simulator business expanded, with Flight Training Devices and Desktop Part-task Trainers being sold to customers around the world, including U.S. Airways, China Eastern Airlines, and GE Capital Aviation Training. At the same time, Atlantis continued to win a growing number of contracts from the government sector. The Canadian Air Force contracted Atlantis to update the original CAPSS, and Atlantis also supplied navigational aids to the Canadian Coast Guard. When the Canadian Navy awarded Atlantis a contract to build training simulators for naval officers, Atlantis' simulation expertise proved readily adaptable to non-aircraft applications. Naval training systems subsequently became a significant new product line for Atlantis.

Into the Twenty-first Century

In 2000, Atlantis' new executive team took preliminary steps to prepare the company for significant growth, and the company's name was changed to Atlantis Systems International (ASI) to reflect more accurately the nature of its operations. In June 2001, Atlantis Systems Corp., a publicly traded company, was formed as ASI's parent company. Atlantis Systems Corp. trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol AIQ.

In February 2002, Atlantis won its largest single contract award to date. Worth $32 million, this contract with The Boeing Company was for the development and delivery of Integrated Maintenance Training Systems for the F/A-18 fighter aircraft on behalf of the Australian and Canadian forces. The trainers are scheduled for delivery in 2004.

In May 2002, Atlantis' Quality Management System, which had been registered to ISO 9001 as early as 1995, was re-registered as meeting the new ISO 9001:2000 standard. This makes Atlantis one of the first companies in the industry to achieve this distinction.

Today, Atlantis is well positioned to meet the challenges of the 21st century.