Helicopter Pilot Training

The learning program created by benntec is an integral component of the Tiger Aircrew Training Means Project, in the course of which the companies Thales Simulation & Training and Rheinmetall Defence Electronics were commissioned by the OCCAR procurement authority with developing and delivering flight simulators and cockpit procedure trainers, along with CBTs for TIGER helicopters in German and French army aviation.

Pilots and commanders were trained at the German/French training center in Le Luc, in the south of France.

In five separate courses, the pilots, crew commanders, section leaders, flight instructors and technical pilots for the helicopter types UHT (“Unterstuetzungshubschrauber Tiger”; German for Support Helicopter Tiger) and HAP (“Hélicoptère d’Appui Protection”; French for Support and Escort Helicopter) were optimally prepared for deployment in the cockpit. The training is staged in networked lecture halls with a learning management system (LMS) especially developed by benntec for this purpose. Subject areas implemented include helicopter technology, weaponry and tactics. 220 instruction units were created, which corresponds to nearly 45 days straight with training eight hours of instruction per day.

The training content is presented in an appealing and understandable way, using 3D models, animations and graphics. Complex interrelationships that would otherwise remain hidden became obvious during the training of procedures.

220 instruction hours are replaced by the learning program and thus guarantee a common base of knowledge among all learners at the same level. The complex training content can be illustrated more effectively with the help of the comprehensive learning program than by traditional means. This allows sophisticated technology to be conveyed in ways more understandable, sustainable and yet within a short timeframe. Thanks to the learning management system eTCM developed for this purpose, content created, e.g. 3D graphics and animations, can also be used by the teacher in classroom instruction in order to explain difficult concepts more effectively.