New Zealand Air Force gets new training simulator

The New Zealand Air Force has commissioned a new flight simulator complex that will provide critical training components for New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) helicopter aircrew. The AgustaWestland A109 simulator and accompanying Virtual Interactive Procedure Trainer (VIPT) will bring the NZDF a cost effective means of training A109 aircrew and those destined to fly the NH90 and SH2G helicopters.

The A109 simulator operating costs run at around 10 percent of that of the A109 helicopter, offering significant financial savings to operators. Over the course of 30 years it will provide ‘approximately 1400 hours of training per year,’ with the capacity to provide ‘in excess of twice this, if required’.

The A109 simulator is a full reproduction of the A109LUH cockpit within a cabin containing a semi-spherical screen and a visual system comprising seven projectors. The visual system displays an external view of the synthetic world on to a 220o x 60o screen. The simulator includes a six axis electro-pneumatic motion system, a seat vibration system and a sound system that models aircraft and environmental sounds. The simulator is capable of simulating flight by day and night, and is Night Vision Goggle (NVG) compatible. The control station allows the instructor to set and change weather and sea conditions, change the time of day, reposition the aircraft instantly, insert fixed or moving models (e.g. aircraft, vehicles, ships), and inject a wide range of malfunctions and emergencies

The VIPT, also provided by AgustaWestland, is a PC-based system that replicates the A109LUH cockpit using touch screens and allows training in the use of individual systems such as autopilot, and of integrated systems such as how the autopilot affects navigation and flight displays. The VIPT is capable of simulating all aspects of instrument flight using the aircraft’s automatic flight control system.