Rega purchases Challenger 650 simulator

Swiss air ambulance service Rega has purchased a simulator for the Bombardier Challenger 650 from Austrian manufacturer AXIS Flight Training Systems.

The simulator, worth around CHF13 million (US$ 14.3 million) will be available for use from September 2023, and will be the only one for the Challenger 650 in Europe.

Rega jet pilots are required to complete legally prescribed aircraft simulator training twice a year. The training comprises ‘various flight manoeuvres and emergency procedures’.

Previously, any of Rega’s 27 jet pilots that aimed to pilot one of Rega’s three air ambulances of this type would have to travel to Montreal, Canada, to receive their training, but they will now be able to complete their simulator training at the Lufthansa Aviation Training facility in Opfikon, near Zurich.

The new simulator is expected to offer significant reductions in costs, both in terms of flight and accommodation costs, as well as allowing crew members to return to regular operations more quickly.

Rega also acquired an Airbus H125 cockpit module for its new modular simulator in April.