Squirrel, Dhruv Helo Training Centers Develop in Asia

Russia-based operator UTair last week received a certificate of conformity to Eurocopter training standards, thus becoming the first Eurocopter training center in which the manufacturer is not a shareholder. UTair is now approved for type-rating training of pilots and mechanics on AS350 and AS355 Squirrel light helicopters under Eurocopter programs. The first courses will begin next month at UTair’s Tyumen center, just east of the Ural Mountains. As part of the Eurocopter training network, it will benefit from assistance such as program updates, audits and best training practices. Meanwhile, a joint venture between simulator specialist CAE and Indian manufacturer Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), the Helicopter Academy to Train by Simulation of Flying (Hatsoff), received level-D certification for the first civil cockpit simulator of the HAL Dhruv light twin. Integrated with CAE’s mission simulator, it has become the first full-flight simulator for the Dhruv. The Hatsoff training center, which is located in Bengaluru, next year will receive other cockpit simulators, including one for the Eurocopter Dauphin.