HELISIM PHOTO
Pilots benefit from flight simulation training, but lack of FAA flight credit inhibits its full potential.
By Jen Boyer A
S SIMULATED FLIGHT-TRAINING technology improves and becomes more affordable, the helicopter industry’s training environment is evolving to embrace it. Insurance companies and helicopter oper-
ators increasingly require flight simulation in VFR and IFR training regimens. While the FAA does not provide credit for training in less sophisticated simulators, industry safety advocates strongly encourage every pilot to take advantage of any approved flight simulation technology for improved proficiency and safety.
Simulators Come Late to Helicopters For decades, helicopter training was available only in the aircraft, limiting pilots’ ability to maintain peak proficiency. Some maneuvers and procedures are simply too dangerous to simulate in flight, such as extreme unusual attitudes and full emergency procedures. Pilots who only train in aircraft practice these maneuvers
in theory. For instance, a pilot touches the handle, knob, or control that would be manipulated in the event of the emer- gency or talks through the procedure rather than actually making the flight input. However, in a true emergency, this type of training can leave pilots without the needed muscle memory or proficiency, as they never have actually practiced the maneuver. Training in aircraft has other drawbacks. Hearing your
pilot examiner announce that it’s time to perform an auto- rotation is a very different experience than losing power in midflight, identifying the problem, and making the correct flight inputs, all in a matter of seconds. In a simulator, a scenario can be simulated, paused mid-action, and immediate feedback or correction given. A pilot can practice the same maneuver multiple times in rapid succession; there’s no need to circle back to reposition the aircraft. Airplane flight simulators became popular in the 1980s,
with more than 300 in use by 1991. Yet, at the same time, helicopter simulators were available only in the military in the United States. While the technology was proving its value in Europe, it wasn’t until the 1990s that the FAA began working on standards for helicopter simulators. Tose that were approved were expensive full-flight simulators (FFSs)
designed for large aircraft. Editor’s Note: In this article, we use “simulator” to describe
any type of pilot training device that artificially re-creates various aspects of the flight environment. Please see “Simulator 101” on p.26for a comparison of the different types of simulators. By the 2000s, little had changed. During the HAI Insurance
Committee meeting at HELI-EXPO 2005, insurance under- writers cited the lack of simulator availability as the main reason for not requiring simulated flight training for helicopter pilots, despite requiring it for airplane pilots. Simulator manufacturers at the time, however, were
hesitant to make the costly research-and-development investment needed without helicopter OEM buy-in. Aircraft- specific data was needed to make accurate, realistic simulators. Te industry focus turned toward developing strong rela- tionships among simulation manufacturers and aircraft OEMs, with the goal of increasing access to flight simulator options. Simulated flight-instruction advocates encouraged OEMs and simulation technology manufacturers to share key manufacturing and flight data information that allowed simulators to accurately emulate cockpit layout and flight characteristics. Meanwhile, the industry accident rate continued to be
concerning. Safety advocates lobbied for more training, specifically in simulators, where full emergency procedures could be practiced. Teir voices were heard, to a point. In 2014, the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released Safety Alert SA-031, which recommended that helicopter pilots train in simulators. In the alert, the NTSB noted that in many of the accidents it investigated, “training in approved simulators could have provided pilots with additional knowledge and skills to handle in-flight emergencies and avoid maneuvering errors.” Te document emphasizes that “consistent, stan- dardized simulator training will help prepare pilots for the unexpected and will decrease the risk of an accident.” While the FAA didn’t act on the alert, the insurance industry and many clients of helicopter operators—such as offshore oil companies—stipulated this training in contracts. Industry flight-training consultant Terry Palmer, president of Pilot Landing LLC and chair of HAI’s Training Working
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