Flight safety certification for HAL chopper simulator
By IANSFriday, July 2, 2010
BANGALORE - India’s first advanced full-fidelity helicopter simulator of the state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) has been certified to level D by the Directorate General Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), the defence behemoth said Friday.
The full-mission simulator has been built by the Canada-based CAE for Helicopter Academy to Train by Simulation of Flying (Hatsoff), a joint venture of HAL and CAE, a leader in providing simulation and integrated training solutions for the civil aviation industry.
“The level D certification is the highest performance rating for flight training equipment from regulators like DGCA and CAE. We will begin offering simulation-based training for improving safety, operational efficiency and mission readiness,” Hatsoff chief executive Wing Commander (retd) C.D. Upadhyay said in a statement here.
The simulator features latest roll-on/roll-off cockpit design for training to fly various types of helicopters.
Hatsoff will use the utility helicopter Bell 412 for its first training programme.
“We will have additional cockpits for the military variant of the HAL-built Dhruv advanced light helicopter (ALH), which is in service with the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Indian Army. Eurocopter Dauphin will be added next year,” Upadhyay said.
The Hatsoff training centre in Bangalore features multimedia classrooms, computer-based training, brief/debrief facilities and a training management system.
“The full-mission simulator also features a common motion system, vibration platform and a visual display system, with four cockpit modules,” Upadhyay added.
