It’s been a busy time for Affordable Custom Welding! We just wrapped up a really unique trainer project. It’s a trainer for helicopter rescue hoisting. The company has a training program used by sheriff’s departments, the Coast Guard, Air Force, Army, National Guard, and many other agencies in the US and from around the world. The only other option for rescuers to train their hoist crews is to just fly a helicopter, which is extremely expensive.
This trainer is configurable to 23 different helicopters. The skids and steps are removable, the door can be locked in place for different door opening sizes, and there is a trolley system with a telescoping arm to represent the correct hoist location for each helicopter. There are also different mounts to attach the different types of hoists to each helicopter employee.
There is aircraft tracking inside the box which allows for the interior of the trainer to be set up with seats or other obstacles just like a real helicopter would have.
ACW will be building a second one of these in Colorado in the near future for the National Guard, where they will bring all their helicopter rescue personnel in for training. Kinda neat to know this will train someone who will likely go to use that training to save a life, or many of them!