Boeing has announced that it will use a Helimod helicopter simulator leased from Ryan Aerospace to help train Australian Army pilots to fly Bell 206B-1 Kiowa helicopters.
Delivery is expected before the end of this year.
“Under our Army Aviation Training and Training Support (AATTS) contract, Boeing has traditionally taught students to fly Kiowa’s using classroom based instruction and real flight hours,” said Mark Brownsey, senior manager of AATTS for Boeing Defence Australia.
“Over the next year, we’ll assess the effectiveness of transferring some of this curriculum to the synthetic environment, which has the potential to reduce costly flight hours and improve safety and training outcomes for the Australian Army.”
Helimod provides significant advances in-flight and helicopter simulation by offering affordable, accurate simulation for a wide range of training applications.
The simulator is reconfigurable for all types of helicopters through the attachment of different modules.
Under the AATTS contract initially awarded in 2007 and renewed in 2010 with an increased scope, Boeing provides:
• Helicopter pilot, aircrew and technician training using the Australian Army’s fleet of 19 Bell 206-B1 Kiowa helicopters, six S-70A-9 Black Hawk training helicopters, a Black Hawk full motion simulator, and two civil Bell 412 helicopters
• Operational fleet and depot level maintenance and support services at the Oakey Army Aviation Training Centre
• Operational level maintenance on 10 Kiowa aircraft for the 173rd Aviation Squadron in Holsworthy, New South Wales
• CH-47D Chinook pilot and technician training at the 5th Aviation Regiment in Townsville, Queensland.