Reducing accident and incident rates to a minimum is one of Eurocopter’s main objectives, and the pilot and technician training offered to the Group’s customers plays a key role in achieving this goal.

Training for pilots and technicians is closely linked with new helicopter technology.
For example, the use of the new “glass cockpit” piloting on the NH90 and the EC225/EC725, which reduces pilot work load and increases onboard safety, requires special training.
A further example is the automatic systems that check the “health” of the aircraft and can detect any technical problem, thus adding another dimension in terms of safety. But they too require special training for use and maintenance.

In line with ever more sophisticated equipment, Eurocopter offers its customers the very latest training resources such as Full Flight Simulators, e-books (with 3D images), and pre-prep refresher courses on Internet (see inset).
“In addition to all these resources, we carefully explain to the pilots all the different flight scenarios they may encounter, so that they make the right decisions when faced with the unexpected,” explained Dominique Bablon, who is Head of Training Director at Eurocopter and himself a former pilot for the French Navy.
“An accident is often the result of a chain of unexpected situations arising during the flight.”

To meet regulatory requirements for hands-on training, technicians will be able to benefit from courses using a maintenance simulator, which greatly reduces the length of the training and offers the possibility of repeating an operation as often as required.
“The current objective is to offer avionics specialists a virtual training system and to offer mechanics a full range of light, dynamic mock-ups like those produced in Australia for the Tiger,” said Mr. Bablon.
“As for Glass Cockpit training, it could be performed on a laptop!”