HANGAR TALK INDUSTRY NEWS RELEVANT TO YOUR BUSINESS
the equation by putting H125 training at its base in Anchorage, where pilots can train more often, train safely and on their own schedule. The old model asks pilots to go to the simulator. We’re building a future where the simulator comes to the pilots.”
Loft Dynamics and Pathfinder Aviation Make H125 VR Simulator Training Available in Alaska for First Time
Loft Dynamics recently announced that Pathfinder Aviation will install Alaska’s first Airbus H125 VR simulator at its main base in Anchorage, giving its pilots year- round access to aircraft-specific training in Alaska.
Pathfinder operates a fleet of 22 helicopters and averages roughly 8,000 flight hours annually, supporting remote operations and precision external-load work across Alaska and the continental United States. For helicopter operators in Alaska, training often competes with the realities of the job: weather can limit flyable days, winter brings limited
BY THE NUMBERS 419
The number of helicopters delivered during the first half of this year, according to GAMA. These helicopters were valued at $2.28 billion, an amount up 7.2% compared to the same period last year. The increase for actual helicopters delivered was a more modest 4%, showing a trend for both larger aircraft and higher new aircraft prices.
38 Sept/Oct 2026
daylight, and peak operating periods are also when helicopters are needed most for customer missions. Most of Pathfinder’s pilots live outside Alaska and travel in for training events, making weather-driven delays even more disruptive.
The simulator is expected to arrive in Anchorage in October, and Pathfinder plans to begin using it immediately for proficiency and mission training.
“Helicopter pilots often do their most demanding
work in places where
consistent simulator access is hardest to come by,” said Sebastien Borel, CEO of Loft Dynamics. “Alaska exposes the limits of a training model that depends on good weather, spare aircraft and long- distance travel. Pathfinder is changing
“In Alaska, we don’t get to choose when conditions become difficult, so our pilots need to be ready before they do,” said Rogan Parker, CEO of Pathfinder Aviation. “The value of having this simulator in Anchorage is repetition. We can put pilots through a whiteout, IIMC event or emergency, work through decision making, then run the scenario again. That kind of repetition is hard to achieve consistently in the aircraft, and it gives pilots the chance to build judgment before the stakes are real.”
Pathfinder plans to use the simulator for inadvertent
instrument meteorological
conditions (IIMC) avoidance, including repeated practice responding to a loss of visual reference and transitioning to instruments; Part 135 emergency procedures; Part 133 external-load operations; normal and abnormal procedures; whiteout conditions; mountain, pinnacle, slope and confined- site operations; and local site and terrain familiarization.
Heli-skiing will be an early focus. Pathfinder’s H125 pilots operate in mountainous,
snow-covered where flat light, blowing snow and
terrain
160,000
The approximate number of petition signatures collected to rename Nashville International Airport in memory of the late Tennessee native Dolly Parton. The Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority unanimously voted in support of this name change, which is expected to happen within months. The airport’s code, BNA, is expected to remain unchanged.
89,579
The avg. annual salary in USD for an HAA flight nurse in the U.S. Salaries range between $85,000 and $132,000 annually,
certifications, and other factors. depending on experience,
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