Lufthansa Aviation Training (LAT), in partnership with DRF Luftrettung, has put another helicopter simulator into service after receiving approval from the German Federal Aviation Authority. A new Level D full-flight simulator of the Airbus H145/135 type joined the existing training fleet at its Frankfurt training location on 27 August and is now available to customers for training. As an HEMS operator with decades of experience and the world's largest civil operator of the H145, DRF Luftrettung's academy trains many helicopter pilots.

The Airbus H145/135 full flight simulator (FFS), which is manufactured by Reiser Simulation and Training, is exceptionally modern. Certified by EASA as Level D, the FFS is capable of displaying numerous realistic landing scenarios with moving objects in the landing area or at different locations. These include, for example, scenarios at airports, hospitals, landings on ships or oil platforms or in confined terrain. Thanks to the high resolution of the visuals and the additional possibility of depicting flight procedures at night with night vision equipment, the FFS is ideally suited for operator training in the HEMS (helicopter emergency medical services) arena. A third crew member station with virtual reality technology and virtual helicopter hoist operation will be added as a special feature in early 2021. The helicopter simulator also has the option of an interchangeable cockpit to be able to simulate both H145 and H135 Airbus types. A briefing station, which enables flight preparations and pre-configurations tailored to the customer's individual needs, offers added value.

The new helicopter FFS is the first of its kind in LAT's training fleet of over 55 units and will be put into operation at the centrally located training centre near Frankfurt airport. To date, there have only been four Airbus H145 full flight simulators on the market worldwide, which are used for training purposes. As a leading aviation training provider with years of experience in simulator training, human factors and expertise in the technical maintenance of training equipment, LAT offers its customers a comprehensive infrastructure at all training locations.

“With its great experience in HEMS missions, DRF Luftrettung is a strong partner in pilot training and further education,” states Tiziana Heilig, managing director and CFO of LAT. “This is also beneficial for our customers: all procedures that have been flown in real life in the helicopter so far can now be simulated in the full flight simulator due to the outstanding features of the new helicopter simulator and the great closeness to reality.”

DRF Luftrettung is very familiar with medical emergencies and the transport of intensive care patients between hospitals: whether performing night flights, winch rescues over sea or alpine rescues, with more than 40,000 missions per year, it covers a wide range of mission profiles.

Within its ATO (approved training organisation) DRF Luftrettung has a large number of highly qualified trainers and type examiners as well as specialists for instrument, NVG, winch and mountain flight training. “On request, our instructors and examiners can also be used for wet training. Thus, customers from the EASA area as well as internationally benefit from the great professional competence of the DRF Luftrettung,” concludes Krystian Pracz, chairman of the board at DRF.