Airbus Helicopters has upgraded its search-and-rescue training capabilities in Singapore. Anthony Pecchi Photo
The AS365 Dauphin rotorcraft full-flight simulator at Airbus Helicopters’ Singapore-based training center has been upgraded to provide highly realistic training in both day and night search-and-rescue (SAR) operations, offering pilots the unique capability to safely practice these demanding life-saving missions.
The upgrade was made by Airbus Helicopters Southeast Asia at its Seletar Aerospace Park facility, incorporating a CMA9000 flight management system into the AS365 motion-based flight simulator, and updating its APM 2010 4-axis autopilot with the SAR mode. It is the interface between these two avionics units that enhances the SAR operations training.
This will enable flight crews to experience the operational environment during SAR missions while using all capabilities of the CMA9000 system and APM 2010 autopilot — including flying with precision navigation guidance, performing search patterns and hovering, as well as scenarios for deploying rescue dinghies, flares and smoke markers.
The CMA9000 is a highly capable flight management system used on helicopters operated by many emergency services providers, law enforcement organizations and government agencies. The APM 2010 is a digital dual-duplex autopilot that reduces pilot workload for increased mission effectiveness and enhanced situational awareness — while providing unique automatic hover stability with very high precision.
“Airbus Helicopters’ firm commitment to flight safety is underscored by our upgrade of the flight simulator, which becomes the only system of its type in the world with this SAR mission training capability,” said Derek Sharples, managing director of Airbus Helicopters Southeast Asia. “Operators who fly Dauphin family rotorcraft, in particular the AS365 N3/N3+ civil version and the Panther AS565 MBe military variant, will benefit greatly from this training to handle SAR, which is one of the most challenging missions.”
Sharples added that pilots qualified on other aircraft that are equipped with the same systems also could utilize the simulator as a training device for system knowledge and familiarity.
Search-and-rescue training with the newly enhanced full flight simulator at Airbus Helicopters Southeast Asia will begin in March, with the Royal Thai Police as the inaugural customer. This law enforcement agency currently operates one AS365 N3+ Dauphin configured for SAR missions with the CMA9000 flight management system, as well as an electrical hoist, rappelling installation, cargo sling and search lights. A second similarly equipped AS365 N3+ will be delivered to the Royal Thai Police later this year.
The AS365 Dauphin full-flight simulator at Airbus Helicopters Southeast Asia began operation in April 2012, and to date has been used for the training of more than 300 pilots from over 20 countries.
