HAI President Matt Zuccaro got the chance at Sun ‘N Fun to be one of the first people to fly a new motion helicopter simulator from Redbird Flight Simulations, aimed at the primary flight training market. Redbird says the simulator will allow pilots and student pilots to practice both hovering and autorotations.

During an evening reception at the Redbird tent, Zuccaro climbed into the simulator, got comfortable with the controls, and took it for a “flight,” terminating with a full-down autorotation. The simulator is modeled on a Bell 47 helicopter, but can be reconfigured to a center cyclic.