HotSeat Chassis recently sent a demo unit for its new low-cost helicopter trainer—Heli Sim—to Rotor & Wing’s offices in Rockville, Md. Editor-at-Large Ernie Stephens, who formerly served as a police sergeant and chief pilot and is currently flying for the Maryland State Police (MSP), put the simulator through its paces, using—among other rotorcraft—the Eurocopter AS365 Dauphin. The Dauphin is currently in service with MSP. While firing up the Heli Sim and adjusting the settings, Stephens was quick to point out that the virtual rotorcraft “sounds like a Dauphin,” including the “winding noise coming from the back.” The instruments for the AS365 all responded like an N1 or N2 variant of the helicopter, Stephens said, adding that the displays are “accurate down to the test switches for the [emergency] fire bottles.” Constructed around a steel tubular frame, Heli Sim comes with Flight Link Cyclic III Plus, a collective with throttle, foot pedals, flatscreen display and six-speaker surround sound.

“They got the instruments right. They got the sounds and graphics down as well,” Stephens said while taking the Dauphin through a number of scenarios, including scenic views of downtown New York City and Washington, DC. —By Andrew D. Parker, Managing Editor