Caverton and Thales have signed the factory acceptance of the AW139 Reality H full flight simulator in Cergy Pontoise, near Paris, France.

The Level D Thales Reality H full flight simulator will be used to provide superior scenario-based flight and mission training to AW139 helicopter operators across the African continent as well as for Caverton's pilots and crew.

With this simulator, Caverton will deliver initial type rating, recurrent training and proficiency checks for both visual flight rules (VFR) and instrument flight rules (IFR), for offshore and onshore missions as well as VIP operations to unprepared landing sites.

This simulator will enable pilots become certified to fly the AW139 under various civil aviation authority approvals. It will be one of the most popular helicopter training platforms in Nigeria and in the region to be fully immersed in a realistic virtual environment representing Nigerian operational locations and will allow pilots to learn to handle a multitude of system failures and overcome very complex malfunctions should they arise in the real world. Pilots can thus train safely in high-risk mission scenarios in a range of adverse weather conditions.

Caverton is a leading indigenous aviation and marine logistics player for the Nigerian oil and gas industry. The company aims to provide an accessible platform for advanced training and create opportunities for the sector in Africa. This move is a major step forward in Caverton's strategy of diversifying its portfolio of services to include flight simulation training services and thereby support safer helicopter logistics operations.

Caverton MD Rotimi Makanjuola explains: “This is an important milestone, not just for Caverton as an indigenous company, but for Nigeria and the African continent. We pride ourselves in being pioneers in safety innovation and are committed to providing enhanced training opportunities for our pilots in-country as well as to third party operators across Africa. With this significant investment and with the support from Thales, we believe that the simulator will ultimately benefit our customers and increase accessibility to world class flight simulation training services.”

Peter Hitchcock, VP of Thales' training and simulation business adds: “We are very proud to share a trusted relationship with Caverton, and we are committed to helping the company improving flight safety across the region thanks to the first Level D helicopter full flight simulator to be installed in Africa.”