Rotorcraft
U.S. Navy Seeks Helo Simulators for Primary Training
The service seeks to extend aircraft life by transferring a portion of training to simulators.
As it seeks a replacement for the TH-57, the U.S. Navy wants to reduce flight time on the aging helicopter by transitioning some training to simulators.
As it seeks a replacement for the TH-57, the U.S. Navy wants to reduce flight time on the aging helicopter by transitioning some training to simulators.

Textron's TRU Simulation & Training is preparing to bid on a forthcoming U.S. Navy request for proposal (RFP) that seeks to stretch the service life of the service's Bell TH-57 Sea Hawk trainers by shifting 9 percent of the in-aircraft training to simulators, or about 7,000 flight hours per year. The Navy's TH-57s, derivatives of the 206B-3 JetRanger III, are 35 years old with at least 25,000 hours per aircraft. The fleet's age makes for rising maintenance costs. The Navy will eventually replace these aircraft with new single-engine IFR aircraft, the Advanced Helicopter Training System (ATS), but that could be years in the offing. The Navy trains 500 primary helicopter pilots per year for itself, the Marines, the Coast Guard and foreign services from Whiting Field in Pensacola, Fla.