Simulation for safety

At the 2021 European Rotors rotorcraft trade show in Cologne, Germany, Airbus Helicopters and VRM Switzerland announced that they have been cooperating during the development phase of the simulator manufacturer's H125 full-motion virtual reality simulator, which offers a very realistic rendering and representative pilot experience that will help enhance operational safety.

The support was done to ensure the training device offers the highest level of fidelity, with outstanding visuals that provide a fully immersive experience to the crew. Both companies’ target is to boost safety in the single-engine helicopter segment through affordable and efficient training tools.

“A key pillar of our Airbus Helicopters training strategy is to enhance the safety of customer operations, so we’ve been sharing our expertise and even sending four of our own pilots on site at VRM's headquarters to finetune the device, ensuring it is as realistic and representative as possible,” says Sabrina Barbera, Head of Training, Simulation & Flight Ops at Airbus Helicopters.

“The cooperation has resulted in an outstanding training device which is now representative of the aircraft in flight. The finalization of the H125 full-motion virtual reality simulator together with Airbus Helicopters is a remarkable step as it will now allow more cost-effective basic and mission training accessible for pilots flying this helicopter type,” says Fabi Riesen, CEO of VRM Switzerland.

From left to right : Gilles Bruniaux, Head of Product Safety at Airbus Helicopters / Sabrina Barbera, Head of Training, Simulation & Flight Ops at Airbus Helicopters /Fabi Riesen, CEO of VRM Switzerland.
 

“We’ve supported VRM Switzerland's team to achieve the highest quality of fidelity, with outstanding visuals that provide a fully immersive experience to the crew. Emergency procedures can be performed on the simulator, mitigating risky manœuvres on helicopters. Virtual reality is aligned with the EASA Safety roadmap, one of the main objectives being to enable the development of new more affordable training devices for helicopters,” says Gilles Bruniaux, Head of Product Safety at Airbus Helicopters.

Airbus Helicopters and VRM Switzerland intend to enhance their cooperation and to deploy this simulator technology worldwide, while also potentially  expanding to other aircraft.