Rotorcraft
Loft Dynamics VR Sim Approved for Type Rating Program
Training includes flights in simulator and in the real AS350B3e helicopter
Loft Dynamics VR flight simulator at Airbus Helicopters headquarters
Loft Dynamics’ VR flight simulator at Airbus Helicopters headquarters will be used for type rating training that includes flights in the real helicopter.

France’s civil aviation regulator (DGAC) has approved Airbus Helicopters as the first OEM to offer type rating training using a combination of the Loft Dynamics virtual reality (VR) flight simulator and the helicopter. In 2023, EASA qualified the Loft VR simulator for “all aspects of pilot training and checking,” according to the company.

“Now, France’s DGAC has become the first national authority to act on this new framework, approving a type rating program that uses a certified VR FSTD [flight simulation training device] and the aircraft—without requiring a full flight simulator,” according to Loft Dynamics.