News
Frasca Helicopter FTD Gets Level 7 Approval
August 25, 2009 By Corrie
Aug. 25, 2009 - Frasca International is proud to announce it has received Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Level 7 qualification on its AS 350 B2 Flight Training Device
Aug. 25, 2009 – Frasca International is proud to announce it has received Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Level 7 qualification on its AS 350 B2 Flight Training Device (FTD) installed at FlightSafety’s Helicopter Learning Center in Tucson, Arizona. This is the highest level of qualification for Flight Training Devices and the first FTD qualified to the Level 7 standard.
The FTD is fixed based with a vibration platform which provides tactile cues related to both normal and emergency operations and is integrated to Flight Safety's Vital X visual system using Frasca's spherical display screens to provide a 200 X 70 field of view. Other features include Frasca's Graphical Instructor Station (GISt), Frasca’s next generation ECL 2.0 Digital Electric Control Loading system and more.
Aerodynamic data required to support the FTD’s Level 7 qualification was collected by Frasca’s flight test department. This involved instrumenting the aircraft with dozens of sensors and flying hundreds of very specific maneuvers. This data was used by Frasca’s Aero engineering department to precisely model the aircrafts performance.
“Level 7 FTD’s are very complicated devices. Many of the tests are the same as required for a Level D Full Flight Simulator. Frasca undertook a significant investment to develop the capability to collect aircraft data and develop quality aerodynamic models. We flight tested the aircraft to FAA Level D standards and then developed the Aerodynamics model to meet Level 7 standards. Receiving the FAA’s Level 7 qualification is a significant validation of Frasca’s engineering processes.” commented John Frasca, Vice President of Frasca International, Inc.
Two additional FTDs are being completed by Frasca for FlightSafety and will also undergo FAA Level 7 qualification. A Bell 206B/206L reconfigurable FTD is installed at FlightSafety’s Learning Center in Lafayette, LA and a Bell 407 FTD is nearing completion at the Frasca factory and will also be installed at the Lafayette facility.
