JCAB Qualifies Loft VR Simulator to FTD Level-7

The Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB) has qualified Loft Dynamics’ virtual reality flight simulator to FTD level-7, becoming the third regulator, after the FAA and EASA, to do so. Installed at helicopter operator Nakanihon Air at Nagoya Airport (RJNA), the simulator is a Loft Airbus H125 TXi and is both the first level-7-qualified simulator in Japan and Loft’s first Asia-Pacific simulator installation. Inter-Craft helped arrange the delivery and worked with the JCAB on qualification.

Equipped with a six-degrees-of-freedom motion platform, the Loft simulator replicates the real helicopter’s avionics and systems, allowing pilots to practice emergencies in a safe environment. Engine failure scenarios can include full-down autorotations, and tail rotor and hydraulic system malfunctions are fully replicated, as are changing weather and flight into inadvertent instrument meteorological conditions. The Loft simulator also replicates a technical crewmember station to facilitate coordinated training between pilots and mission specialists.

“By enabling repeated, immersive training, this technology will strengthen pilot readiness and elevate safety across a wide range of operations,” said Nakanihon Air president Shigeharu Matsuoka. “It will also allow us to refine the skills of pilots on the front lines and, more broadly, accelerate the development of the next generation of aviation talent in Japan.”