The Philippine Army inaugurated a state-of-the-art helicopter flight simulator to enhance the training of its aviators.
The Army Aviation Regiment on Friday announced the acquisition of a Redbird VTO rotary wing flight simulator. This advanced, full-motion training device is designed to replicate the experience of flying a Robinson R44 helicopter, commonly used for utility missions, private transport, and flight instruction.
Philippine Army Commanding General Lt. Gen. Roy M. Galido personally tested the simulator during his visit to the Army Aviation Regiment’s flight simulation facility at Fort Ramon Magsaysay in Palayan City, Nueva Ecija.
“The simulator moves along arc-shaped tracks that provide the feeling of being suspended from the rotor head. The simulator’s visual system provides an expansive field-of-view, including over 200 degrees of wrap-around visuals and an impressive vertical view of 70 degrees,” the Aviation Regiment said in a statement.
“This huge vertical field-of-view will allow Army helicopter pilots to see everything from the skids to the sky,” it added.
Galido approved the acquisition of the simulator to provide Army aviators with an enhanced training platform, designed to sharpen their skills in safely operating piston-engined R44 helicopters within a controlled and secure environment. This purchase is part of the Army Aviation Capability Development Program.
According to the Army Aviation Regiment, the Redbird VTO simulator acquired is the first of its kind not only in the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) but in the entire country. It was manufactured by Redbird Flight Simulations, Inc., a company based in Texas, the United States.