For Metro Aviation, it came as no surprise when the National Transportation Safety Board released its latest safety alert, Safety through Helicopter Simulators.  Since 2008, Metro Aviation has used helicopter simulators to ensure their pilots are trained and ready for a variety of in-flight situations.  Metro President Mike Stanberry confirmed his commitment to safety when he opened the Helicopter Flight Training Center last year.  The training center houses an AS350 Level 7 Flight Training Device and will receive an EC135 Level D Full Motion Simulator next month.  The training center and simulators are available for all operators to integrate into their training programs.

“It has been the mantra of Metro employees for over 30 years, ‘for safety to exist, it must be a way of life,’” said Stanberry.  “We have to commit to training the helicopter community in simulators and ridding our industry of preventable tragedies.”

The NTSB’s Safety Alert recommends simulator training to “ensure proficiency in emergency procedures, including auto-rotations, use of NVG’s, recognition of degraded visual conditions and recovery from unusual attitudes.”  Metro Aviation uses scenario-based training that includes not only unaided night auto-rotations, but also aided (NVG) night auto rotation training to prepare pilots for normal, precautionary and emergency situations.

Learn more about the Training Center here.