“Know your machine”: Pilot training by Bell

Flying a helicopter means being prepared. It takes training – up in the aircraft and on the ground. For pilots at Air Zermatt in Switzerland, ground instruction on simulators happens at the Bell Training Academy in Valencia, Spain. Hear what one helicopter pilot does at her annual training with Bell.
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April 3, 2025
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1:30
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Commercial
Bell 429
Training
HEMS

My name is Julie May. I am a pilot since 2019. I think a lot of situations you cannot simulate in the real helicopter can happen in reality, and if you don't have training, it's not good, because as a pilot it's your job to know your machine. And it's really important to see them on a yearly basis to be able to recognize what's happening. So I did my training on the real helicopter, and then we have to go once a year for training and examination in Valencia. And I really liked it -- you cannot try everything on the real helicopter. You have, for example, one engine switched to OEI training -- it means that you can simulate one engine out situation, and of course you can try that in the real helicopter, but when you're a flight instructor on the helicopter, you like to know everything about the helicopter, and down there you can really try everything, and you have a precise program, but you can also ask questions and just improve your knowledge, and that is a really good experience.

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Bell offers solutions for air medical services with a range of products customized to your needs. Dating back to the original Model 47, Bell helicopters have been involved in the medical aviation industry for decades. When speed and time are critical, Bell aircraft deliver.
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