ELITE Simulation Solutions AG was founded as Initiative Computing in 1990 by six managing general partners who shared interests in both aviation and computer science.
Since then ELITE’s mission has been to provide state-of-the-art Flight training solutions to the aviation community worldwide. From the start ELITE realised the potential of personal computers, a newly emerging technology, and decided to take advantage of the extensive capabilities of PCs to provide a realistic, accurate and low-cost flight training environment for pilots. Today, ELITE is a world leader in the development of PC-based flight simulation and computer-based training software.
During its first decade ELITE developed custom-specific and standardized training environments for individual pilots to use on their PCs at home, as well as a series of FAA-approved PC-ATD systems for flight schools, universities, airlines and avionics manufacturers working in a professional training environment. Best known of ELITE’s developments was probably the Electronic IFR Training Environment (ELITE™) flight training software.
At the time it was unique - a highly accurate IFR simulation and training tool for single, twin, turbine and jet pilots. Other products included the ELITE Virtual Trainer™ and iGATE™ (integrated General Aviation Training Environment), two products integrating soft and hardware elements, aimed at the commercial training market.
Since the late 1990's ELITE has built its portfolio, expanding into manufacturing of modular flight and navigation procedure trainers that meet JAR, FAR and CASA regulations and which aid flight training organisations to log maximum credits on their flight training devices. Today ELITE has established itself as one of the worlds leading manufacturers of FNPT, BITD, STD, AATD, BATD and PCATD flight training devices. ELITE's fixed-wing and rotary-wing flight training devices meet the certification criteria for official approval in many countries on all continents.
ELITE Simulation Solutions AG has its headquarters in Duebendorf, Switzerland, conveniently located just a couple of miles from Zurich International Airport. In March 1994 ELITE established a local subsidiary in the United States of America, and a year later ELITE Simulation Solutions USA acquired and reorganised the publishing company Azure Technologies, which relocated from Virginia to Orlando, Florida.
Since its inception, ELITE Simulation Solutions AG has grown from an out-of-a-hut company to become an international, multi-million dollar corporation in the aviation training industry. Meanwhile, the main company objective remains to continuously introduce new, cost-effective high quality simulation solutions in flight training for students, pilots, universities, airlines and flight training organisations worldwide.
