Safety > Pilot and flight crew training

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Pilot and flight crew training

The quality of training is directly linked to the proficiency of pilots and flight crews, as well as their ability to safely operate in a full range of mission conditions.

At American Eurocopter, our emphasis is on realism – with the focus on scenario-based training that goes beyond simplistic, repeated routines that do not properly prepare flight personnel for real-world situations.
To ensure that customers have access to the best level of training with the highest fidelity, American Eurocopter has made significant investments in its facilities, which include full-motion simulators, procedural training devices and computer-aided training systems in the classroom.

The full-motion flight and mission simulator for AS350 B2/B3 helicopters at our Grand Prairie, Texas headquarters is the world’s most advanced of its kind, creating an enhanced training environment for both pilots and crews. It incorporates a full AS350 cockpit and cabin – including the law enforcement mission suite for a tactical flight officer – along with the comprehensive installation of avionics and mission equipment. This Level B full-flight simulator has a high-resolution wide field-of-view visual system, and enables demanding flight and mission scenarios to be created and executed.

Training performed with the AS350 simulator covers emergency procedures; single-pilot and crew resource management; and night vision goggles operations; along with instrument, transition, emergency procedures and recurrent training certified to CFR Part 141 and 142. Instrumentation includes a full avionics suite with autopilot in a night vision goggles-compatible cockpit, and provides the possibility to train tactical flight officers in the airborne use of force.

American Eurocopter’s Grand Prairie facility also is home to the EC135/EC145 flight training device, which is a full-motion system with six degrees of freedom and a wide field-of-view visual system. This simulator has day, night, IFR (instrument flight rules) and night vision capabilities, and offers customers a safe and effective way to achieve a variety of training – including advanced mission-based training scenarios.

In 2011, American Eurocopter expanded its scope by offering simulator training and type rating for the EC155 helicopter through an agreement with Helisim, the France-based training academy – in which its Eurocopter parent company is a shareholder. The training is performed by American Eurocopter personnel, with the Helism academy in Marignane, France – and its EC155 full-motion simulator – serving as an approved American Eurocopter satellite facility.

American Eurocopter also provides “in-aircraft” pilot courses for its customers that develop skill-sets in safely- and efficiently-conducted flight operations. These transition and recurrent courses also develop the pilot’s decision-making abilities through a challenging real-world scenario-based curriculum.

As part of American Eurocopter’s commitment to safety, we make a range of training opportunities available to customers at their own locations. These include web-based training via the Internet, using the resources of our Eurocopter parent company; on-site transition or recurrent training performed by our pilots using the customer’s helicopter; and the availability of portable systems such as procedural training devices, which enable pilots to practice emergency procedures, along with checklists and radio/systems operations.

For additional information, see our Training section.

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