Ready for Training by April 2018
Frasca International is to supply a Level 7 Flight Training Device (FTD) for the CH-139 JET RANGER helicopter to the Royal Canadian Air Force’s (RCAF) No. 3 Flying Training School at Southport in southern Manitoba.
The new FTD represents provides significantly better facilities than the current Level 4 cockpit procedures trainer. It will include a Frasca six degree of freedom motion cueing system optimised for helicopter simulation and a FlightSafety VITAL 1100 image generation system with a Frasca 220°x67°.
The Frasca FTD is scheduled to be installed by March 2018 and be ready for training in April 2018. It will allow pilots to safely practice realistic helicopter emergencies in a variety of regions and weather conditions and prepare pilots for winter “white out” conditions. It will also allow RCAF helicopter flight training to continue when the helicopter fleet is grounded by bad weather; its advanced technology will ultimately allow the RCAF to compress helicopter training timelines, if desired.
All RCAF pilots receive their primary fixed-wing aircraft training at Southport and those selected to fly helicopters return to the school for the six-month Phase III Helicopter programme that uses 13 Bell CH-139 (B206B3) JET RANGER and nine Bell 412CF (B412CF) OUTLAW helicopters.