DRF Luftrettung receives approval for hoistAR simulator

DRF Luftrettung has received approval from the German Federal Aviation Office (Luftfahrt-Bundesamt) for the hoistAR hoist simulator. This makes DRF Luftrettung the first air rescue operator in Europe whose training syllabus for winch operations has received approval by a national authority. In the future, crews at the five rescue stations with hoist helicopters will have access to additional virtual training options – complementing the practical training sessions that are conducted twice a year. The hoistAR simulator can be coupled with the H145 full flight simulator (FFS) at Lufthansa Aviation Training in Frankfurt. In ‘slave to FFS’ mode, this enables joint training for hoist operators and pilots. This concept is unique worldwide to date.

To perform the complex procedures involved in hoist rescue safely and efficiently, crews require regular, intensive, and realistic training. Until now, this training could only be conducted during actual flight operations. With the newly approved mobile hoistAR simulator, developed by DRF Luftrettung in collaboration with Reiser Simulation and Training, crews now have access to a range of additional virtual training scenarios.

Based on extended reality (XR) technology, the simulator enables pilots and hoist operators to undergo training regardless of the time of day or weather conditions. This gives crews an additional opportunity to practice operational scenarios, prepare for current and future challenges, and further enhance safety for both crews and patients. One of the simulator’s key features is that the entire system is integrated into a trailer. This makes it a mobile, self-contained training system that can be deployed at different locations. Hoist operators therefore do not need to travel to a dedicated simulation center.

Another key advantage – and a unique feature of hoistAR – is its two training modes:

• Stand-alone: the hoist operator can train independently without the need for a pilot or FFS
• Slave-to-FFS: the pilot and hoist operator can train together from separate locations, jointly conducting hoist missions as well as normal, abnormal, and emergency procedures. For this purpose, hoistAR can be connected to the H145 FFS at Lufthansa Aviation Training in Frankfurt.

Key features at a glance:

• Two training modes: Stand-alone for training hoist operators and Slave to FFS for joint training of hoist operators and pilots
• Portability: quick setup and dismantling
• XR technology: bridging the digital and physical worlds
• X/Y-axis motion platform: adaptation to changing flight attitudes or weather conditions
• Realistic cable and load movement
• High-end system fidelity.

Benefits for users:

• Training independent of time of day and weather conditions
• Greater safety in real-world operations: repeated and customized training in emergency procedures and individual sequences of the winch operation
• Use of an environmentally sustainable system
• Higher availability of the aircraft fleet due to reduced tie-down time for training purposes.

AXIS, an Austrian simulation company, is increasing its own provision of simulation services with two new flight simulation training devices for helicopter operators.