Air Greenland operates in some of the world’s harshest flying conditions. Here’s how Loft Dynamics’ VR simulators made training for Europe’s most complex license safer, as well as more affordable and sustainable.
At the top of the world, where Arctic winds shape every flight, Air Greenland faces some of the harshest flying conditions on the planet. As a 64-year-old flag carrier, the airline conducts a wide range of essential operations — from passenger flights and charters to search and rescue missions — under Europe’s most complicated operating license. For Air Greenland, pilot training is not just about meeting regulations; it’s about ensuring safety and operational readiness in some of the most unforgiving conditions on Earth.
The Challenge: High Costs and Limited Access
Air Greenland spent years evaluating flight simulation training devices (FSTDs) in search of a training platform that could meet its unique operating challenges. This need was particularly urgent for Air Greenland, as the company was sending its pilots to simulator centers far away in Europe to meet training and checking requirements. This meant Air Greenland was investing inordinate time and resources in regular pilot training, a status quo that unnecessarily increased the company’s overhead and environmental impact.
The Solution: Immersive, Safe, and Accessible Training
In November 2022, Air Greenland received an FAA and EASA-qualified Loft Dynamics H125 VR simulator — a device that has drastically improved the efficiency and effectiveness of the company’s pilot training.
Air Greenland pilots are now able to conduct training and proficiency checks at their home base in Nuuk, which saves the company time and money while enabling it to train a much wider range of normal and non-normal procedures. Air Greenland can perform license and operator proficiency checks on-site, which means pilots no longer have to travel thousands of kilometers for training. The simulator also ensures greater safety, environmental sustainability, and lower mechanical costs, as helicopters don’t have to spend as much time in the air.
Marco Peyer is an Air Greenland instructor, and he explains that the process of finding the right simulator was difficult: “We found nothing suitable — only systems that posed a risk of negative training. That changed when we discovered the Loft Dynamics VR FSTD, which enables pilots to effectively practice normal and abnormal flight situations without risk. This doesn’t just mean practicing emergency procedures that could not be replicated in an aircraft — it also means reducing accident risk across the board by providing a safe and realistic alternative for regular training and checking.”
The Loft simulator offers more thorough and rigorous training, greater accessibility and efficiency, and significantly lower costs
The Technology: A Purpose-built and Data-driven VR FSTD
Air Greenland also chose Loft Dynamics because it provides an upgradable and tailored training solution. Loft Dynamics worked closely with Air Greenland to customize the simulator with mission-specific capabilities:
- HESLO feature: The only EASA- and FAA-qualified VR HESLO simulation enables Air Greenland pilots to practice an array of sling load operations.
- Customized scenery: A Greenlandic scenery package that covers a 25-nautical-mile area around Nuuk. “This enhancement allows us to improve realism by replicating the harsh environment in which our pilots operate,” Peyer said, “which has a significant impact on real-world pilot decision-making.”
- Specialized training scenarios: The Air Greenland FSTD is customized to provide vital mission-specific features and scenarios, such as geophysical survey training. Peyer explains that “this solution was developed by Loft Dynamics on request from Air Greenland because there is no way to receive expensive and delicate geophysical survey equipment solely for training.”
Peyer emphasizes the importance of evidence-based training enabled by the Loft Dynamics FSTD, and points out that the simulator “offers more thorough and rigorous training, greater accessibility and efficiency, and significantly lower costs.”
As Air Greenland CEO Jacob Nitter Sørensen puts it: “We’re committed to setting the highest standards by providing our pilots with the best possible training, and this partnership with Loft Dynamics is a significant step forward.”
Comprehensive Customer Service
Loft Dynamics goes beyond producing cutting-edge simulators — the company also offers full-service technical and operational support. This includes:
- Installation and qualification. Specialists from the company installed the device and performed the qualification along with experts from EASA.
- All updates and maintenance are handled remotely from the Loft Dynamics HQ in Zurich.
- Local training. The company also provided operational training for local operators, instructors, reference pilots, and technicians.
- Requalification assistance. Annual requalifications are performed on-site by EASA/NAA and Loft Dynamics specialists. Quarterly QTG runs are performed by Air Greenland reference pilots with remote assistance from Loft Dynamics.
This hands-on partnership allows Air Greenland to focus on its mission, knowing the simulator is supported by a responsive and experienced team.
What Air Greenland Pilots are Saying
Beyond the convenience of having a Loft Dynamics VR FSTD available at all times in Nuuk, Air Greenland pilots report that the simulator provides effective and realistic flight training. “My experience in the Loft Dynamics H125 VR simulator was very good,” said, Air Greenland pilot, Emil Adsten. “Hovering and doing maneuvers close to the ground was far more realistic than what I have experienced in a traditional FFS. In the Loft Dynamics simulator, the motion also felt more accurate and the 3D panoramic view was more immersive.”
The Results: Safer, Smarter, and More Sustainable
Since integrating Loft Dynamics’ VR simulator, Air Greenland has:
- Reduced travel for training, which has resulted in cost savings and a lighter environmental footprint.
- Lowered maintenance costs by decreasing in-air training time.
- Increased safety by enabling systematic and evidence-based training, which can identify and address deficiencies under controlled conditions.
- Enabled Air Greenland pilots to train for scenarios and in environments they actually confront regularly. From geophysical survey operations to HESLO simulations, the Loft Dynamics FSTD helps Air Greenland focus on mission-specific training.
For organizations like Air Greenland, Loft Dynamics provides a tailored training solution that meets uniquely complex and difficult operational challenges while reducing the burden on pilots and equipment. Most importantly, Loft Dynamics simulators allow pilots to train more safely than ever before.
To see what the most cutting-edge and widely qualified VR flight simulator on the market can do for your organization, please reach out to our sales team or book a demo today.
About Air Greenland
Air Greenland is the country’s national flag carrier, and it holds Europe’s most complicated operating license: AOC. This license comes with increased safety requirements and enables several different types of aircraft and helicopters to operate under very difficult conditions. Air Greenland provides a wide range of services, from passenger flights to charter assignments on its helicopters. These operations meet the need for passenger transport, mineral exploration, sightseeing, scientific expeditions, search and rescue, and the maintenance of vital telecommunications infrastructure. Air Greenland is aware of its environmental impact, and has implemented a new and more efficient fleet. This fleet includes widebody Airbus A330neo aircraft, as well as seven H155 and nine H125 helicopters. The fleet also consists of eight De Havilland Dash 8-200 aircraft, two Airbus H225 helicopters, and one Beechcraft King Air. Air Greenland now has two simulators for the H155 and H125.
