Entrol’s H145 simulator incorporates virtual- and mixed-reality into the training system.


A Quick Tech Primer


Here’s the rule of thumb for VR versus AR training. VR training usually takes place on the ground with the student wearing “VR goggles” (aka headsets) that encase their eyes and cut off the outside world.


To convey realistic moving images to the wearer, “VR goggles contain a light LED screen and two lenses that distort the image so that it appears to be in three dimensions,” said Nacho Navacerrada, sales director at the flight simulation company Entrol. “The sensors located in the VR goggles track the position of the user’s head to coordinate what is being projected, providing the illusion of being immersed in another world.”


In contrast, “AR headsets superimpose computer-generated imagery onto the real world,” Navacerrada said. “For example, pilots can see a procedural flow superimposed on the cockpit’s control surfaces.”


76 Mar/Apr 2024


When it comes to rotorcraft flight education, “AR and VR are great tools for autorotation and hovering training, as you can look down and have a better perception of the terrain reference,” Navacerrada said. “Additionally, you can use VR goggles to train rear crew members such as hoist operators, doctors, and landing coordinators so that they can train in the same training environment to practice communication and phraseology, one of the keys for a successful and safe mission.”


This last approach is used by Bluedrop Training and Simulation to train helicopter hoist operators. “VR/MR simulation technology adapts readily to SAR training, and the latest high-fidelity tech has the potential to revolutionize rear crew training,” said Jean- Claude Siew, Bluedrop’s EVP of Technology and Simulation. To make this process more realistic and useful, Bluedrop’s rear crew training takes place in a physical shell that includes actual controls and devices that students can interact with, as displayed to them in VR/MR.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84