Pilot training

All-weather training

The Atlantic Airways Aviation Academy is equipped with a full motion simulator able to provide a realistic rescue environment. The simulator is also approved for night vision imaging systems (NVIS) and forward-looking infra-red (FLIR) training. Search patterns of various kinds can be practiced from mark on target to automatic approach to a distress area or person, transition up or transition down and auto hover. Mixed reality goggles also deliver a view of a real Leonardo AW139 cabin for hoist training.

The Faroe Islands present an environment that adds a layer of complexity to our helicopter training programs as well as our daily operations

Atlantic Airways Aviation Academy is located in the Faroe Islands. “The Faroe Islands, characterized by rugged topography featuring cliffs, deep fjords, challenging landscapes, and ever-changing weather conditions, present an environment that adds a layer of complexity to our helicopter training programs as well as our daily operations,” said Atlantic Airways’ Marketing Executive, Sølvi Jespersen.

“We do training in all weather conditions since our weather is especially challenging,” said Atlantic Airways Aviation Academy’s Head of Training, Hans Erik G Jakobsen. “The equipment our rescuers use is the best on the market – in some cases also modified in order to cope with the severe weather. Atlantic Airways have two AW139s for a variety of uses – including one that is dedicated to being on standby for search and rescue, and medical transport throughout the year, day and night.”

The firm runs hoist, SAR, NVIS training on a weekly basis where the frequency and task is tailored to fit the need or challenges of each rescuer individually. The normal time span from start to becoming a fully trained, qualified rescuer is years. The pilot training complies with Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) requirements with a minimum simulator training of 24 hours per year, in addition to extensive training in the helicopter.

Mixed reality: the future standard?

Maestrale, meanwhile, is a company specializing in aircraft flight training devices (FTD) and full flight simulators, and other cost-effective training solutions including mixed reality. “Mixed reality is better for the pilot as you can still see your hands, the cockpit and your colleague. The technology has improved over the last year with the headsets,” said Maestrale Application Engineer Diego Fernandez Perez. The company sells itself on being able to provide customized solutions for clients whatever their needs or budget. Perez sees mixed reality as the new standard in the future.

“With a headset you also get a 360-degree view, not a limited field of view,” he pointed out. While traditional simulators need a theatre, projectors, screens, and even then only provide a limited field of view, headsets provide a 360-degree view and no theatre needed. “Now it is becoming a trend, out-of-the-box mixed reality sims,” Perez said. The eye tracking that is possible with mixed reality is a “key point of the technology,” he explained. “This is why we believe it is an improvement in safety and training. You can see what the trainee is looking at, which is fundamental in helicopter training, looking at the right instrument at the right moment.”

While traditional simulators need a theatre, projectors, screens, and even then only provide a limited field of view, headsets provide a 360-degree view and no theatre needed

This year, Maestrale is starting a project with EASA to show how mixed reality can improve training. “Right now, we are qualifying our first simulator for FNPT [flight and navigation procedures trainer] level 2 for EASA.” The simulator is being qualified initially without mixed reality and by 2025 it will be qualified with mixed reality. At that point, Perez expects to be able to say that type rating and specific FNPT training and other training can utilize mixed reality.

An immersive training environment

Entrol has been a manufacturer of FNPT and FTD simulators since 2005. It provides NVIS enhanced flight training simulations to replicate realistic low-light conditions. At Entrol, simulators can be interconnected so multiple pilots can fly together for enhancing teamwork and realistic training scenarios. The firm has debriefing systems and data recording tools for post-flight analysis for performance reviews. The company has sold more than 90 simulators in 30-plus countries. The simulators, all of which were developed in the company, cover 20 different helicopters and airplanes. “The high-fidelity simulator market for smaller operators is both expansive and dynamic, offering a wide array of sophisticated options,” said Entrol Business Manager Claudia Calleja.

The company also provides mixed reality supported training. “Mixed reality integration provides an immersive experience, enhancing situational awareness and allowing the pilot to touch and feel the cockpit elements,” said Calleja. “Vibration and motion systems simulate realistic movements during flight, adding a physical dimension to the simulation.”

For Entrol, the continually upgraded visual systems with high-resolution graphics and realistic scenery contribute to a more immersive training environment. Realistic air traffic control (ATC) simulation is also on offer to add complexity to scenarios and helping to improve crew communication skills and their understanding of procedures.

Simulators play a vital role in training pilots to handle emergency situations, from engine failures to adverse weather conditions. “Special operations scenarios, such as low-visibility landings or mission-specific profiles, are simulated to prepare pilots for a diverse range of challenges,” Calleja explained. “For experienced pilots, simulator sessions maintain proficiency by allowing the practice of routine procedures, instrumental approaches, and responses to system failures. Simulators also contribute to crew resource management (CRM) training, emphasizing effective communication and collaboration among the flight crew.”

Using recordings and flight data

Flightcell is a New Zealand aviation communications integration technology specialist with a product, SmartHUB, that provides in-cockpit and in-cabin recordings, and flight data, which can help improve CRM. “We’re getting good traction for the product from across Europe and North America,” said Flightcell Marketing Director Jonathan McWatt. While SmartHUB was originally developed to meet new legal requirements in New Zealand and now the increasing global requirements for mandatory cockpit recording for government and public sector rotorcraft operators, the company saw interest in the product elsewhere for training purposes. All the video and audio that is required and the aircraft’s flight data can be accessed post-flight through the Flightcell SmartHUB Flight Viewer Software.

Flightcell has been promoting SmartHUB for just over a year and McWatt explained that the company built its own custom software to retrieve the data for training purposes. While initially the product just had a camera mounted in the cockpit, customers also wanted a cabin camera for medical crew. One or two cameras can be installed with the SmartHUB. The camera is compact and is installed using a mountable swivel bracket.

The North American operator Classic Air Medical has installed Flightcell SmartHUB in its rotorcraft. It is one of 10 or more customers across North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. A version two of SmartHUB with optimized software and external fuselage cameras is being planned.

Customizable visuals

Far from New Zealand in Finland, on the other side of the world, Coptersafety is an EASA-certified Approved Training Organisation, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Part 142 certified Training Center, and UK Part ORA certified training organization. The company’s training base is near Helsinki Airport, where it offers a full range of helicopter training courses in its Airbus H125, Airbus H145, Leonardo AW169, and Leonardo AW139 full-flight Level D simulators. Coptersafety’s Customer Experience and Marketing Manager, Isabella Presnal, said: “We’re targeting the US market more as we also now have FAA approval for the H145.” Coptersafety has small, medium and large operators as customers.

You can’t really facilitate an actual emergency in an aircraft, so you can practice those maneuvers within a simulator

The company offers what is called dry lease and wet lease for different pricing levels, with dry lease being simulator time while the customer has their own instructor. Wet lease includes Coptersafety’s instructors for type rating training, for example, and is a more involved, multi-week and more expensive training course. Customers can also ask for very specific customization. Coptersafety has an in-house modeling team to create customizable visuals of specific locations or buildings, such as a hospital, that pilots will be visiting regularly. As well as any sort of terrain, the customizable visual can be any type of weather. Coptersafety also has e-learning modules where customers can access training materials remotely with their own computer before visiting for simulator use. An advantage with the simulator is that maneuvers that could be dangerous in a real aircraft can be recreated. “For example, emergency procedures – you can’t really facilitate an actual emergency in an aircraft, so you can practice those maneuvers within a simulator,” Presnal explained.

From mixed reality to mixed price points with laptop-based learning and full-size Level D motion simulators, advances in technology from easily installed cabin cameras to software for post-flight briefings and customized visuals, training providers are using all this new equipment to offer a greater variety of options to their special missions operator customers.