I bring you a weekly bite-sized chunk of the science behind helicopter human factors and CRM in practice, simplifying the complex and distilling a helicopter related study into a summary of less than 500 words.
TITLE:
The potential of flight simulation to support pilot training for mountain helicopter emergency medical services.
WHAT?
An exploratory study demonstrating how high-fidelity flight simulation can be used to train for mountain helicopter missions, by realistically modelling turbulent wind effects over complex terrain.
WHERE?
University of Liverpool, United Kingdom.
WHEN?
Published 2025.
WHY?
Mountain HEMS and SAR missions frequently require pilots to hover, land, or winch in strong, highly disturbed airflow, creating performance challenged, high workload and elevated risk. Real-world, controlled exposure to such conditions is difficult to train safely. The study aimed to assess whether advanced simulation could provide a credible and useful training environment for these demanding scenarios.
HOW?
Researchers created a simulated training landscape incorporating features commonly encountered during mountain flying (ridge, bowl, pinnacle, canyon, and cliff). Using computational fluid dynamics, they calculated realistic, time-varying wind flow over the modelled terrain for a 20-knot wind, capturing turbulence, shear layers, demarcation lines, and recirculating airflow.
The wind data was integrated with a UH-60 Black Hawk flight model in a full-motion simulator. Two test pilots explored the terrain and conducted structured hover tasks up the face of a cliff, holding position at increasing heights while exposed to the simulated turbulent airflow. Pilot control inputs, aircraft motion, and subjective workload ratings were recorded.
FINDINGS:
- The simulation model was judged by test pilots to be highly realistic, particularly in reproducing turbulent airflow near terrain features.
- Consistent with real operational experience, pilots found it difficult to maintain a stable hover near the cliff edge, even in a moderate 20-knot wind, due to strong shear and turbulence effects.
- Large and continuous control inputs were required to maintain position, with high engine torque demands and significant pedal and cyclic activity.
- Pilots rated workload as extremely high, with no spare capacity for additional tasks, and assessed the turbulence as severe.
SO WHAT?
This study shows that flight simulation, when combined with realistic wind modelling, can credibly replicate the aerodynamic challenges of mountain flying operations. Such simulations allow pilots to experience high-workload, high-risk environments without operational danger, supporting skill development and risk awareness.
For helicopter operators, the approach offers a pathway to train hovering, winching, and terrain-related decision-making in conditions that are difficult or unsafe to practice live. The results also highlight how quickly pilot workload can be saturated in mountainous turbulence, reinforcing the importance of crew coordination and task prioritisation.
More broadly, the work demonstrates the potential for simulation to evolve beyond generic training into mission-specific, environment-driven training landscapes, supporting safer and more effective HEMS and SAR operations.
REFERENCE:
Watson, N. A., Fernandez, N., Owen, I., & White, M. D. (2025). The potential of flight simulation to support pilot training for mountain helicopter emergency medical services. Air Medical Journal, 44, 386–389. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amj.2025.05.006
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