EC 635 CBT Cockpit
The EC 635 is the chosen helicopter of the Swiss Air Force
for light transport and training. The Swiss Air Force required a
PC-based system that would allow their pilots to undertake
education and training that was less dependent on the availability
of instructors or access to full flight simulators. VEGA
Deutschland has developed the “EC 635 Computer Based Training (CBT)
Cockpit” Integrated Aircrew Training System, which combines
courseware and simulator in a consistent training approach and user
interface, to support that training requirement. The work was
carried out under a contract awarded by armasuisse, the Swiss
defence procurement agency. The training system has been delivered
to armasuisse in April 2009 and will be entered into service very
soon supporting flight crew training for the EC 635.
The Concept
VEGA has developed an Integrated Aircrew
Training System (ATS) consisting of 30 hours of courseware and a
simulator within a single application. It therefore combines
learning with practising to maximise the training result.
The system supports self-paced training. The
student is able to have unrestricted access to the simulator and
any required courseware content, at any time.
The ATS offers quick access to information by
means of clearly structured courseware lessons. Students can select
topics by specifically requesting individual pages or by bringing
up the context sensitive help function within the simulator. An
expandable lexicon completes the courseware.
The system is suitable for everyday use. The
intuitive and convenient user interface allows the student to
concentrate on lesson content and helicopter operation.
The ATS is designed for use with laptops but
can also run on desktop-PCs with up to three screens. This
configuration can easily be changed at any time. This allows
parallel use of courseware and simulator.
Flexibility
Because of its flexibility the ATS perfectly
supports initial, conversion as well as refresher training.
During initial and conversion training, the
student works on all or pre-selected courseware lessons
sequentially. Along the way, he will be confronted with
pre-configured situations in the simulator in order to practise
what he just learnt.
For refresher training the student will work
with the simulator most of the time. If knowledge gaps are
recognised, the respective courseware page can be accessed directly
via the context sensitive help function.
Courseware
The ATS contains
courseware lessons about all essential helicopter systems. They
teach system overview, basic technical knowledge and operation in
normal and abnormal conditions. Each lesson concludes with a
self-test.
The courseware pages are “explored” by the
student in an interactive manner rather than mundanely presenting
one fact after another. Media such as 3D animation sequences and 3D
views of components provide an engaging way of presenting highly
technical information. The courseware also allows the student to
switch to the pre-configured simulator, in order to practise what
he just learnt.
Simulator
The simulator
allows the students to practise operational procedures in
"free-play" mode. This allows them to learn about each helicopter
system and how they interact with each other. All essential systems
have been modelled, including the navigation management system,
flight control display system, digital map system, and
autopilot.
A number of faults can be injected into each
system. This provides for procedural training in normal and
abnormal conditions.
The simulated helicopter “flies” within a
realistic terrain model based on original elevation data that
contains all airfields and radio navigation aids. These features
allow the student to fly a complete mission in the simulator from
“pre-flight” to “engine shutdown”.
Should a student need assistance during a
simulated operation, they can, via the context sensitive help, call
up the relevant courseware pages to assist them.
Options
The ATS can easily be modified or extended.
The modular design enables changes or additions to whole systems or
single functionalities, such as fault states, with relatively
little effort.
The system is designed to work with AICC or
SCORM-based learning management systems.
It can be connected to additional hardware
such as touch-screens to create a physical 'cockpit' mock-up. This
can be done without expensive modifications.
Training Benefits
The integrated training system provides the Swiss
Air Force with a highly effective training system that provides
performance improvement and a substantial return on investment.
The key benefits of the system include:
- Training at any time in any place
- An engaging, interactive learning
environment
- Independence from instructor availability
- Reduction of training time in a full flight
simulator or the actual helicopter.