Flight simulator manufacturer Frasca International announced that it has been named subcontractor for the Navy TH-57 Aircrew Training Services Contract on Monday. Frasca says it will be providing ten Flight Simulation Training Devices (FTDs) as part of the ground-based training systems for the TH-57 helicopter. According to the company, the FTDs will be used for initial rotary wing training at Naval Air Station Whiting Field near Milton, Florida.
Included in the package are seven Level 7 TH-57 FTDs. The Level 7s use Frasca’s Motion Cueing System, which was specifically designed for rotorcraft simulation, and have a 240-degree by 70-degree field of view visual display. The remaining three FTDs will be Level 6 simulators with a 180-degree by 40-degree field of view display and a vibration system. Frasca says all of the FTDs will be networked “for real-world training scenarios and formation flying” an be controllable via a single remote central control station if desired.
All of the FTDs can be configured as either the Bravo and Charlie versions of the TH-57 and will include Frasca’s Blade Element Modeling, which allows edge-of-envelope flight maneuvers like retreating blade stalls, vortex rings, loss of trail rotor effectiveness and settling with power. The primary contract was awarded to FlightSafety Services Corporation by the Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division and includes contract instructional services, contractor operations and maintenance services, and FSTDs.
