Canada’s Atlantis Systems is demonstrating a low-cost full-motion simulator designed to allow helicopter pilots to hone their skills in difficult flying tasks, such as deck landings. The virtual-reality Helicopter Vocational Trainer (HVT) is about one-tenth the cost of a full-flight simulator, says Toronto-based Atlantis.
The HVT has a six-axis electric motion base on which is mounted a pilot’s seat and collective lever and cyclic stick with electric control loading. The pilot wears a head-mounted virtual-reality display using head tracking to provide a 360° field of regard.
Atlantis says the HVT is affordable, transportable and reconfigurable. The “floating” collective can be repositioned, the cyclic and collective grips exchanged, and control feel tailored to simulate helicopters ranging from the light single-turbine Bell 206 to the heavy triple-turbine AgustaWestland EH101. The cockpit is represented virtually by the head-mounted display, although physical restraints on head movement, such as cockpit frames and side doors, can be added to the platform.
An earlier version of the HVT is in service with the Canadian Forces at CFB Shearwater, where it is used to train Sikorsky Sea King pilots to land on a moving ship’s deck.
Atlantis is developing a library of HVT training applications to offer customers, built around realistic operational scenarios and visual environments, including naval deck landing; oil platform operations; long-line load handling; personnel insertion and extraction for special operations; search and rescue; logging; and operations in mountainous terrain.
Source: Flight International
