Thierry Dubois is a freelance writer specializing in helicopters, business aviation and aerospace technology. He earned a degree in fluid dynamics from an engineering school in Toulouse, France in the mid-1990s. At an unexpected crossroads, he found his first job in journalism. In 1997, he started working for French aerospace weekly Air &amp; Cosmos in Paris. This lasted until 2000, when he moved south to Lyons. He then became a freelancer, working for various aerospace publications and has been part of the AIN team since late 2000. In addition to writing about business aviation, Thierry shares responsibility for the rotorcraft section. He also is a regular on-site writer for AIN’s daily editions at international airshows such as the Paris, Farnborough, Dubai and Singapore shows, as well as at EBACE in Geneva.
In 2007, he won the Honeywell award for “Best systems or technology submission” at the Aerospace journalist of the year awards. In 2013, he won an Aerospace Media Award for the "Best Safety, Training &amp; Simulation Submission."
In other activities, Thierry moderates international conferences on aviation technology topics. Thierry is married and has three children, who seem to begin enjoying the mountains–as their parents do.

Writer

Thierry Dubois

Swiss-based simulation specialist Elite is now offering a helicopter flight-training device (FTD). Elite exhibited the S623, based on the Eurocopter AS 350, for the first time at the Heli Trade show in Geneva.
Both IFR and VFR training are possible on the S623, which can be adapted for other helicopters, such as the Bell 206 or the AS 355. A fully enclosed cockpit features dual controls, dual pilot instrument panels and cyclic layout. It offers full autopilot capability, with a flight director and VOR and GPS, Elite said. Optional visual packages are available up to 220 degrees. The Elite S623 can be customized for virtual helipads, oil-rig environment or external loads.
“New JAR-STD European regulations have created a new market,” Heinrich Schaible, Elite’s sales and marketing director, told AIN. However, the first two S623s have been sold far from Europe–one to the Philips Search and Rescue Trust in Hamilton, New Zealand, and the other to ExxonMobil in Australia. The former was delivered last spring. Schaible told AIN that Elite expects to sell 10 devices next year.

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