Sky Aviation, an Italy-based helicopter services company providing passenger and material transport across the Alps, will install Loft Dynamics’ Airbus VR H125 flight training device at its base in Cossato, Italy. Sky Aviation is the second organisation in Italy after Helixcom to adopt Loft Dynamics’ VR training devices.

The company operates in the northwestern Alps of Italy, where terrain can be challenging, weather inclement and access limited. Its skilled helicopter pilots are essential for safely transporting people and goods, whether providing emergency services on the ski slopes or supplying the region with construction materials. The installation of the VR simulator will bring EASA-approved, highly immersive, realistic and tailored training to these pilots, exposing them safely to specific real-world scenarios they may encounter.

Sky Aviation will utilise the new Loft Dynamics VR simulator to maintain and enhance pilot proficiencies while eliminating risks inherent in training in an actual aircraft, drastically reducing operational costs and minimising environmental impact. Its VR HESLO (helicopter external sling load) simulation, the first to receive regulatory approval, will be particularly valuable given the volume of barycentric hook operations performed by Sky Aviation. Importantly, its students can now use the simulator to complete type ratings and accumulate required flight hours on site without aircraft availability and travel constraints.

“Our pilots regularly navigate challenging alpine conditions, and with Loft Dynamics’ simulators, we can replicate these scenarios safely and regularly and do so in a way that reduces our environmental impact,” says CEO Cesare Sappino. “Their simulators are not only incredibly realistic, but they also offer the best cost-benefit ratio. It’s a direct investment in our pilots with profound returns for everyone: pilots advance in their careers more efficiently and effectively, and we get the highest quality pilots without the cost or downtime of offsite training and checking. We're also able to maximise our return on investment by offering our simulator to third parties for training and checking, which helps remove existing accessibility barriers in the region.”

“We’re thrilled to partner with Sky Aviation, a highly respected operator in the industry,” adds Fabi Riesen, founder and CEO of Loft Dynamics. “Like many of our existing customers, Sky Aviation's pilots operate in unforgiving conditions and manage complex manoeuvres, requiring routine scenario-based training. Access to this type of high quality, frequent training has historically been far too costly and inconvenient. It needed to change. Thanks to VR, organisations like Sky Aviation can benefit from the enduring value of housing and operating the most realistic and safe training simulator on site. Their pilots can use our VR H125 sim to regularly build and strengthen the neural pathways and muscle memory required to comfortably navigate any encounter without getting into a helicopter or travelling internationally.”