Indian Defence Review

The Helicopter Academy to Train by Simulation of Flying (HATSOFF) is a Rs 300 crore joint venture enterprise with 50:50 partnership between Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and CAE of Canada. Currently equipped with the Bell 412 helicopter simulator that has been operational since July 2010, the institution has now received the simulator cockpit for the civil/conventional variant of the HAL-built Advanced Light Helicopter, Dhruv. Based on the cockpit shell provided by HAL, this machine has been designed and manufactured at CAE’s facility in Montreal, Canada .

The Dhruv simulator cockpit will now be installed and integrated with the CAE-built full-mission simulator currently in operation at HATSOFF. The simulator features CAE’s revolutionary roll-on/roll-off cockpit design, which enables cockpits representing various helicopter types to be used in the simulator. Being the second for the HATSOFF training centre, the cockpit for the civil/conventional variant of the Dhruv and will be functional in May 2011. 

“This is the world’s first simulator representing the indigenously developed HAL Dhruv helicopter and we are excited to offer simulation-based training that will undoubtedly prove to be a safe and cost-effective method for training Dhruv helicopter aircrew,” said Wg Cdr (Retd) CD Upadhyay Vr C, CEO, HATSOFF.

The CAE-built full-mission helicopter simulator at HATSOFF and the Bell 412 cockpit were certified by India’s Directorate General Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) during 2010 to Level D, the highest qualification for flight simulators. The cockpit for the civil/conventional variant of the Dhruv is expected to be certified to Level D by the DGCA this spring. Additional cockpits for the Indian Army/Indian Air Force variant of the Dhruv and the Eurocopter Dauphin will be added over the next year.

The world-class HATSOFF training centre, located near ARDC, HAL in Bengaluru, also features multimedia classrooms, computer-based training, brief/debrief facilities and a training management information system. The full-mission simulator features a common motion system, vibration platform and visual display system along with the four separate cockpit modules that can be used in the full-mission simulator. When a cockpit is not used in the full-mission simulator, it will be employed as a fixed-based flight training device.