Simulator training is significantly cheaper than pilot training in an actual helicopter and enables all-weather flight training. We can create scenarios that incorporate environmental or mechanical challenges that may carry significant risk, or more extreme scenarios that cannot be simulated in the actual helicopter.
Pilot training
The simulator, or Flight Training Device (FTD) was designed and built by our pilot John Keller and engineer Grant Robinson in 2013 and it received its New Zealand Civil Aviation Certification in 2014. The certification allows pilots, under the authority and supervision of one of our qualified instructors, to carry out various components of “instrument flying” whereby the helicopter is controlled solely by using the aircraft’s on-board instruments rather than any outside reference points.
Did you know ....
The simulator is a virtual replica of the Sikorsky S–76 helicopters our pilots fly in real life rescue situations. Built using the wreck of a Japanese Coastguard aircraft that was damaged during Japan’s 2011 tsunami, it is Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) certified for Instrument Flight Rules (IFR).
