First H145 full flight simulator in North America inaugurated in Texas

#HelisimLLC #H145 #makingmissionspossible #training #fullflightsimulator

Grand Prairie, Texas,  The Helisim Simulation Center, located inside the Airbus Helicopters Inc. facility in Grand Prairie, Texas, has inaugurated a new Thales Reality H full-motion flight simulator, the first of its kind in the region. 

Helisim LLC, a subsidiary of Helisim SAS, has already invested $22 million for the new simulation center. The H145 simulator will offer the possibility for pilots to perform their initial and recurrent H145 training in the Americas, with customers already booked to begin training later this month. 

“The H145 is already recognized as the most versatile light twin helicopter around the world, used in market segments such as emergency medical services, law enforcement, military, oil & gas and private aviation,” said Romain Trapp, president of Airbus Helicopters, Inc. and head of the North America region. “With this brand new state of the art H145 Level-D full flight simulator, our North American customers can experience the highest levels of H145 training in their own backyard.” 

The 18,500 square-foot Helisim Simulation Center was designed to house two simulator bays, with the possibility to expand to hold three simulators in the future as needed. The training center also operates an H125/AS350 full flight simulator and an EC135/EC145 flight training device.

This represents a major international expansion of France-based Helisim, a joint venture of Airbus Helicopters, Thales, and DCI which brings 20 years of experience in simulation training with Airbus helicopters.

“With this new training center, Helisim is able to offer the best simulator-based training to H145 operators,” said Jean-Charles de Troy, managing director of Helisim LLC. “With outstanding equipment and software implemented, including an OEM simulator data package, along with integrating Airbus helicopter flight instructors, our goal is to offer a reliable and true-to-mission training experience to H145 pilots.”

Developed by Thales, the Level D H145 full flight simulator is one of the most advanced simulators on the market, thanks to the integration of Airbus Helicopters avionics and software suite, a larger field of view, 4K projection technology, the unique Thales full electric Hexaline motion, and a new intuitive touch screen instructor station.

“The Thales Reality H simulator is deployed all over the world for civil and military use and Thales is proud to have the first Reality H in the United States at Helisim in co-development with Airbus,” said Alan Pellegrini, CEO of Thales in North America. 

Equipped with Airbus Helicopters avionics and software suite, this simulator will provide the most true to life experience while allowing the safety of simulation training for a variety of real world situations. The simulator becomes Airbus Helicopters’ second H145 full flight simulator, the first being located in Germany.

The North America training center is one of 18 training and simulation centers run by Airbus Helicopters worldwide and trains upwards of 1,500 pilots and maintenance personnel every year in Grand Prairie, which, as part of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, has seen significant growth and local investments in recent years.  

About Airbus Helicopters, Inc.

Airbus Helicopters Inc. is the leading supplier of helicopters in the United States, with a market share of nearly 65% and a presence dating back 50 years. A team of more than 725 employees operates local production and completion facilities for the H125 and UH-72 Lakota aircraft in Columbus, Mississippi, and provides world-class training, aftermarket support, and technical assistance from Grand Prairie, Texas, for the North American regional in-service fleet of nearly 3,100 helicopters.

About Thales

Thales (Euronext Paris: HO) is a global high technology leader investing in digital and “deep tech” innovations –  connectivity, big data, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and quantum technology – to build a future we can all trust, which is vital to the development of our societies. The company provides solutions, services and products that help its customers – businesses, organizations and states – in the Defence, aeronautics, space, transportation and digital identity and security markets to fulfil their critical missions, by placing humans at the heart of the decision-making process. With 83,000 employees in 68 countries, Thales generated sales of €19 billion in 2019 (on a basis including Gemalto over 12 months).

www.thalesgroup.com @ThalesGroup @ThalesAerospace

About Helisim LLC

 HELISIM is a Joint Venture between Airbus Helicopters, Thales and DCI providing high-end simulation training services for pilots. HELISIM is the main simulation center for Airbus Helicopters platforms, operating 24/7 with over 150,000 cumulated flight hours, since its creation in 2000, and over 2,600 pilots trained every year. HELISIM LLC is the U.S. based HELISIM subsidiary created in 2018.