Eurocopter has teamed up with HeliSim to install the world's first EC225 full-flight pilot training simulator at its base in Marignane, France.

Flight Global reports that the new training simulator is qualified to level D, the highest band achievable. As such, pilots using the simulator require no flight time conversion or aircraft time.

However, the first flight that they do take must be supervised by a qualified training captain, with Eurocopter recommending that pilots record a flight time of at least 1.5 hours in the EC225 before they earn their wings.

The journal also reports that while the actual cost of the simulator has not been revealed, Eurocopter and HeliSim insist that training hours are half the cost of actual flight time in the EC225.

Eurocopter provides craft for commercial, civil, industrial and public and military purposes. It has a strong presence in the UK oil and gas industry and its craft are used regularly to taxi workers to rigs in the North Sea.

Written by Kim Bardsley.

Oil and Gas Directory: Training and Development