FlightSafety International and Metro Aviation celebrate five years of delivering training for single and multi-engine helicopters using Level D qualified simulators in Shreveport, Louisiana.
“We are pleased to celebrate five years of training in Level D qualified simulators for single and multi-engine helicopters at the Metro Aviation Training Center in Shreveport, Louisiana,” said David Davenport, co-CEO and president, commercial. “Our longstanding relationship with Metro Aviation continues to enhance helicopter safety through comprehensive professional training programs using advanced technology simulators.”
Mike Stanberry, president and CEO of Metro Aviation, was instrumental in the development of the first EC135 Level D qualified full flight simulator to be installed in North America for use in business and commercial aviation. “Mike’s commitment and determination to enhance safety at Metro Aviation and throughout the commercial helicopter industry, is most appreciated and valued,” added Davenport.
The EC135 and EC145 Level D qualified simulators, installed at the Metro Aviation Training Center, are used extensively by Metro to train its pilots, and are used by FlightSafety instructors to deliver a wide variety of courses that meet the specific operational needs and mission requirements of other operators.
“This has been an exceptional and unusual partnership between Metro and FlightSafety International,” said Stanberry. “This is the first time FlightSafety International has partnered with an operator on this type of venture and I have always appreciated the fact that they joined forces with us to bring full motion Level D simulators to our industry that did not previously exist.”
Metro Aviation’s reputation for excellence in helicopter transportation services is internationally recognized. The company was incorporated in 1982 as a helicopter charter, flight training, and maintenance operation. It entered the air medical service business in 1983 and now has air medical transport operations throughout the United States. The company currently operates more than 140 aircraft for more than 35 programs in the U.S., coast to coast. It was the first air medical operator to equip its entire fleet with night vision goggles, the first to require that all of its pilots are instrument flight rules (IFR) current and qualified and also the first to use simulators as part of its training curriculum.
FlightSafety International is the world’s premier professional aviation training company and supplier of flight simulators, visual systems and displays to commercial, government and military organizations. The company provides more than 1.4 million hours of training each year to pilots, technicians and other aviation professionals from 167 countries and independent territories. FlightSafety operates the world’s largest fleet of advanced full-flight simulators at learning centers and training locations in the United States, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, South Africa and the United Kingdom.
