EU funds help: Pilots have a flight simulator thanks to EU funds

Every pilot must regularly train their flight skills and educate themselves in how to respond to crisis situations that may arise during a flight. "Until the acquisition of the multifunctional flight simulator, all training and refresher flights took place only in the air, on real helicopters. Now, thanks to the new training tool, pilots can carry out up to eighty percent of their training flights on the ground, in the safety of a simulated environment," said Irena Brodská, spokeswoman for the Police Presidium.
 
This simulator creates the impression of a real flight, including authentic vibrations and sound effects, as well as the feeling of a real helicopter tilt. Flight engineers can learn through virtual reality provided by special glasses, and pilots experience a spherical screen with a realistic depiction of the landscape and various environments, from landing at the Motol Hospital heliport to the environment of foreign missions, such as Bulgaria, where the crew of the Czech Police Aviation Service helped to extinguish fires.
 
IT SIMULATES NIGHT AND DIFFICULT CONDITIONS
"The trainer can simulate day and night flights, dense cloud cover, flying with night vision goggles, operating thermal imaging for search and rescue, or working with an onboard hoist. The simulator can also be used for firefighting training, and pilots can try out various types of emergency landings or flying in uncomfortable conditions, such as navigating only with the help of instruments. In addition to these trainings, we use the simulator for refresher flights of crews to increase the level of their preparedness and professionalism," explains Tomáš Vlasák, head of the Flight Department of the Czech Police Aviation Service and also an instructor pilot. The apparatus is also applied in English language testing.
 
"Such training must take place in an environment that resembles that of a helicopter, where there is a lot of noise and communication is in English. In noise, the reality of understanding communication, especially in moments of crisis, is different than in silence," adds Tomáš Vlasák and points out: "The simulator serves not only pilots, but also flight engineers and, of course, other colleagues within the Integrated Rescue System. The medical crews of the air emergency medical services, which are doctors and paramedics, will be trained here to increase their awareness of emergency situations. So, it really has a huge scope.”
 
THE MODERN TRAINING IS MUCH CHEAPER
When a pilot flies a real helicopter, some malfunctions cannot be imitated for safety reasons. "It is necessary to get pilots into those extreme situations where life is truly, physically at stake during the flight. That's the primary purpose of the simulators. To train pilots safely with this modern technology so that they are able to resolve such a situation if it happens to them," Tomáš Vlasák explains.
 
Pilot training is a priority for the aviation service. There are many situations that cannot be practiced in the air, especially the loss of the tail rotor thrust, hydraulic system malfunctions, or a failure of both engines during critical phases of the flight, and the simulator makes this possible and for that it is indispensable. Another benefit is the economical aspect, because operating a helicopter is an expensive affair. As this modern apparatus does not require aviation fuel, it significantly reduces the carbon footprint. Moreover, the helicopter must undergo inspections and revisions after a certain number of flight hours, which limits its use in real life, and the simulator reduces this. So it generates significant public budget savings. And it is not dependent on the weather. It is located at the main air base of the Czech Police Aviation Service at the Václav Havel Airport in Prague.
 
"All of this motivated the aviation service to strive to acquire a simulator. The first idea came up about five years ago, and now we're using it, which I think is a great thing. I must say that when this idea was born and I presented everything to the police management, they were in favour of the new technology and supported it," added Tomáš Vlasák.
 
THANKS TO EU FUNDS, TRAINING IS SAFER AND CHEAPER. The flight simulator at the Prague training centre is used by more than thirty helicopter pilots. Its acquisition was supported by EU funds in an amount exceeding CZK 21 million. An advantage is that this equipment can prepare pilots for situations that cannot be simulated during airborne training because there would be a risk of the aircraft crashing. Ground training is also significantly cheaper than air training, as fuel and maintenance costs are eliminated.
 
Photo: Deník daily/Jiří Macek + Czech Police archive