Loft Dynamics gains EASA approval for sling load training

Loft Dynamics has been granted approval for its helicopter external sling load (HESLO) training feature by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), making it the first qualified virtual reality (VR) HESLO simulator on the market. The simulator will enable operators to safely train pilots for critical transport missions on a training device that offers unprecedented immersion and realism.

“Our simulator provides an exact replication of the helicopter and load behaviour, even below a speed of 30 knots,” explained Fabi Riesen, founder and CEO of Loft Dynamics. “It’s essential for pilots to see the load in the electrically adjustable mirror and be able to look down vertically to position the cargo precisely. These are the core techniques for HESLO training, and our VR simulator replicates them more realistically than ever before.”

According to a Loft Dynamics’ commissioned field study for EASA, the effectiveness of the sling load simulator was revealed when, after training on the simulator, pilots could fly sling loads in real helicopters using a 20-metre rope without intervention from the instructor. “After a pilot initially trained on the Loft Dynamics simulator, it was the only time I didn’t have to take corrective actions at the controls during a first real-world sling load instruction flight,” explained André Mühlematter, pilot and instructor at Heli Austria.

Image: Loft Dynamics