American Eurocopter's EC135 Training Program Receives CFR Part 142 Certification

Oct. 27, 2009
This certification, along with approval by an operator’s principal operations inspector (POI), authorizes American Eurocopter to deliver its part 135 approved training programs.

Grand Prairie, TX – October 26, 2009 – At the Air Medical Transport Conference today in San Jose, California, American Eurocopter announced that it has received CFR Part 142 certification for its EC135 training program. This certification, along with approval by an operator’s principal operations inspector (POI), authorizes American Eurocopter to deliver its part 135 approved training programs. The company plans to add its EC145 and AS350 programs to this certificate, pending FAA approval, in late 2009 and third quarter 2010 respectively.

“This certification will allow our customers to fully utilize our EC135 training program and our EC135 FTD for their training needs,” said Marc Paganini, President & CEO of American Eurocopter. “This is the first full motion, developed on manufacturer product knowledge EC135 Simulator in the U.S.”

The EC135 CFR Part 142 certification, coupled with American Eurocopter’s FAA approved EC135 FTD, enables operators to use training credits to reduce and in some cases eliminate in-aircraft training requirements.

The use of the advanced simulator allows pilots to ‘fly’ realistic emergency scenarios alone as the aircraft commander, maximizing the flying experience and the lessons learned. As a level B FFS, this simulator and approved training program provides a complete training experience. It also reduces the risk of weather or operational related delays, while reducing environmental impact.

American Eurocopter is developing an AS350 simulator, which along with the training program, will be operational in the summer of 2010. The future AS350 program will include training on unique mission profils associated with EMS, airborne law enforcement, off shore and business aviation.

This new simulator will be a part of American Eurocopter’s significant investment in the enhancement of training capabilities to support and improve the flight safety of its helicopter operators. It will be fully factory supported and integrated with a training department with more than 30 years experience for delivering high quality training services for the fleet of helicopters that American Eurocopter offers. American Eurocopter will seek certification by the Federal Aviation Administration as a Level B Full Flight Simulator (FFS), which will be followed by approval for the training program under CFR Part 142.

As the manufacturer, American Eurocopter’s training programs reflect the company’s proprietary product knowledge and include pilot initial, recurrent, upgrade and specialty curricula with a focus on a variety of mission scenarios.

The courses include aircraft systems, emergency and abnormal procedures, human factors analysis and specialty courseware, which contain a scenario mission-specific format and can incorporate different operator’s operating procedures. These training programs are tailored to build the pilot’s decision making skills with the goal to deliver a qualified aircraft commander upon completion of the course.

For more information about any of the American Eurocopter training programs, please contact Mike Sliva at [email protected] or (972)-641 3594.

About American Eurocopter

American Eurocopter is a helicopter manufacturer that produces, markets, sells and supports the broadest range of civil and para-public helicopters offered by any manufacturer in the United States. The company is a subsidiary of EADS North America Holdings, the North American operations of EADS, a global leader in aerospace, defense and related services, and is an affiliate of Eurocopter, the largest helicopter manufacturer in the world. American Eurocopter’s product line represents the most cost-effective, technologically-advanced helicopters, ranging from light single to heavy twin, serving all markets and missions. Company headquarters and main facilities are located in Grand Prairie, TX, with a large manufacturing and production facility in Columbus, MS, that produces the UH-72A for the U.S. Army’s Light Utility Helicopter program.