From the outside, Frasca International’s AS350B2/H125 level 7 flight training device (FTD) on exhibit at Heli-Expo 2016 could be mistaken a full-flight simulator, because it sits four feet off the floor and is covered by a wide dome. When “flying” the trainer it’s easy to get so involved in the highly realistic scenes created by Frasca’s TruVision Global visual system, the vibration base, accurate aerodynamic and low-speed models and the movement of a real yaw string (cleverly controlled by computer and agitated by a fan on the floor below the cockpit) that you forget you are not really moving.
The FTD is almost completed and will be heading back to Frasca’s facility in Urbana, Ill., for the final development before being delivered to Canadian Helicopters at Edmonton Airport, Alberta. HNZ Company, which owns Canadian Helicopters, is sharing exhibit space (Booth 9256) and demonstrating the FTD with Frasca. Delivery is planned for August and qualification expected in September by Transport Canada, according to Randy Gawenda, Frasca business development manager. In fact, Gawenda added, “It will be the first level 7 FTD in Canada.”
The training device is convertible among three different configurations: the AS350B2, AS350B2 VEMD and the AS350B3e (now the Airbus H125). The six-channel visual system provides a field of view of 200 degrees horizontal by 70 degrees vertical. It has a customized helicopter mission database that provides a pinnacle landing zone, rooftop helipads, confined landing zones, EMS accident scene, oil rigs and platforms and moving traffic, such as other aircraft and ships.
To meet level 7 FTD qualification requirements, Frasca needed to gather flight and systems data from a real AS350, in addition to data it had acquired earlier. It leased the helicopter from HeliMotion, which is owned by Indiana Helicopters, and flew about 30 flight hours. Gawenda said that a level 7 FTD costs $2 to $3 million while a full-flight level D simulator costs $8 to $10 million. He added that most of Frasca’s products are “fairly customized for each customer, so there are things we need to do specifically for each customer.”
Frasca is also showing a Robinson R44 level 5 FTD and a Sikorsky S92 cockpit procedures trainer (CPT) here at HeliExpo. “This range of helicopter devices on display illustrates Frasca’s expertise as a global leader in rotary-wing simulation as well as the company’s ability to build quality simulation devices for any customer worldwide,” said John Frasca, president of Frasca International.
The R44 level 5 FTD, which Frasca introduced at Heli-Expo 2015, is designed for use by flight schools, commercial operators and parapublic organizations. “We have since put dozens of pilots through it and continued to improve its fidelity and performance,” Frasca said. “We found it to be very effective at teaching hover and autorotations, as well as other tasks more commonly taught in the aircraft.”
The S-92 CPT, which includes all systems and avionics, provides a simulated, stationary cockpit for pilot training. Touch-screen monitors include multi-touch capability, which allows two pilots to activate multiple switches at the same time as part of crew resource training. Entering data into the actual flight management system in the CPT could not be more realistic unless you were in the real aircraft. A video screen above the glareshield simulates the view forward to give the pilots another indication of heading changes initiated by FMS entries.
Since its founding in 1958, Urbana, Ill.-based Frasca has delivered more than 2,600 FTDs and simulators worldwide.