Pathfinder Aviation will install Alaska’s first Airbus H125 virtual reality flight simulator at its main base in Anchorage, with the Loft Dynamics device due to arrive in October 2026. The system is set to give the helicopter operator year-round, aircraft-specific training for pilots working in Alaska’s challenging weather and flying conditions.
The simulator will support proficiency and mission training from the start, including inadvertent IMC avoidance, Part 135 emergency procedures, Part 133 external-load operations and normal and abnormal procedures. It will also be used for whiteout conditions and mountain, pinnacle, slope and confined-site operations.
Loft Dynamics is developing scenery based on Pathfinder’s heli-ski operating areas in the Chugach Mountains, including the Valdez/Thompson Pass region and north Cordova. The simulator will initially serve Pathfinder’s internal pilot group, with access later expected to expand to other helicopter operators and pilots in the region as demand develops.
Pathfinder also plans to pursue FAA Level 7 flight training device qualification, then fold available FAA training credits into its formal training programmes.