PHI Air Medical Uses VR Simulator From Loft Dynamics for Pilot Training

(CONNECT) A full-motion VR flight simulation system from Loft Dynamics in Dübendorf will train pilots of PHI Air Medical, one of the largest air rescue services in the USA based in Arizona, for complex missions. The Swiss provider's training platform, which is the only VR simulation worldwide to be approved for pilot training by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), will be used as an Airbus H125 model at the PHI base in Mesa in the future, according to a press release.

With a 360-degree 3D cockpit and functions such as Force Feedback (authentic feeling of resistance) and Six Degrees of Freedom (freedom of movement in space), the simulation prepares flight crews for landings with zero visibility, rescue missions at high altitude, night flights and variable patient loads. According to Loft Dynamics, the simulator reflects the complexity and time pressure of real rescue missions.

"This is exactly what VR is for: for people who fly complex, time-sensitive missions. PHI's introduction of VR technology demonstrates what is possible when training is no longer dependent on geography, availability or cost. This is not just a milestone for PHI - but a turning point for the entire air rescue industry in terms of the training of its pilots," Fabi Riesen, founder and CEO of Loft Dynamics, is quoted in the press release. ce/yes