Helisim celebrated the 100,000th hour milestone for flight simulator sessions with international customers, marking a key milestone in its training of pilots on Eurocopter helicopters that directly contributes to the safety of operators worldwide.

The value of Helisim’s services is the highly realistic flight experience provided in its ground-based simulators, enabling pilots to encounter even the most extreme operating conditions across a full range of civil, parapublic, governmental and military missions.

Helisim operates two full-flight simulators with motion systems that accommodate roll-on/roll-off Level D cockpits for the following rotorcraft: the EC225, EC155, AS332 L1 and AS332 Super Puma/Cougar, along with the AS365 N2 Dauphin/Panther. It also has a full-flight simulator for the NH-90 TTH tactical transport helicopter, along with one multi-cockpit Level 3 flight training device.

“Our training places pilots in real-life scenarios that cover everything from routine flight to the most demanding situations – all within the safe environment of our ground-based simulators,” said Helisim Chief Executive Officer Patrick Bourreau.

“The commitment of our team is fully aligned with the goals of Eurocopter to ensure the safe operations of its customers – whatever type of missions they perform,” he added.

Helisim training includes courses for helicopter type ratings, instrument ratings, maintenance flight checks, glass cockpit familiarization, line-oriented flight training, multi-crew coordination and cockpit resource management, along with the qualification of simulator training operators.

Mission-oriented training offered by Helisim covers offshore procedures, flight with night vision goggles, tactical flight, government and VIP operations, as well as combat SAR (search and rescue). Recurrent courses include all possible emergency procedures, within flight profiles covering instrument flight rules (IFR) and mountainous terrain flying to operations at helipads, in confined areas and to offshore platforms.

Situated nearby Eurocopter’s headquarters and production facility location in Marignane, France, Helisim trains an average of 3,000 pilots annually – performing approximately 14,000 hours of simulation per year. Helisim is co-owned by Eurocopter and Thales, with 45% shareholdings each, and Défense Conseil International, which holds the remaining 10%.