ADVANCED TRAINING PROGRAMMES
Advanced General Flying
Preparing helicopter crews for unfamiliar operational environments.
Beyond Licence-Level Flying
Advanced General Flying bridges the gap between holding a helicopter licence and applying those skills in an operational environment. The programme is designed for defence, security and government aviation crews required to operate beyond familiar airfields, established procedures and routine training conditions.
HAFT integrates advanced aircraft handling with operational planning, navigation, terrain assessment and crew coordination. Pilots learn to use the helicopter as an operational tool for moving personnel and equipment, supporting remote locations and responding where conventional access or infrastructure is limited.
The objective is not a separate rating or endorsement. It is the development of adaptable helicopter crews capable of applying established flying skills to changing operational requirements.
Operating Beyond
Established Infrastructure
Remote and deployed operations introduce variables that may not be encountered during routine flying. Crews may face unfamiliar terrain, limited weather information, unprepared landing areas, reduced ground support and more complex fuel, payload and aircraft-performance considerations.
Depending on the client’s requirements, training can include confined and restricted-area operations, non-standard landing sites, advanced navigation, terrain and obstacle assessment, high-density-altitude considerations, operational fuel planning and personnel or equipment movement.
HAFT progressively exposes crews to these conditions within a structured training environment. The emphasis remains on understanding why a technique is required, when it should be used and when aircraft, environmental or operational limitations require an alternative approach.
Decision-Making
Under Changing Conditions
Operational flying rarely follows a fixed plan. Weather can deteriorate, landing areas may prove unsuitable, payloads can change and planned routes may become unavailable. Advanced General Flying uses scenarios that require crews to interpret information, reassess conditions and adapt while maintaining control of the aircraft and preserving safety margins.
Training develops communication, workload management, situational awareness, Threat and Error Management and coordinated decision-making. Pilots learn to evaluate power, performance, terrain, weather, fuel, crew capacity and operational urgency before committing to a course of action.
The programme prepares crews to manage situations they may not have encountered before. Greater capability is demonstrated not by operating closer to the limit, but by recognising those limits, preserving options and changing the plan when conditions require it.
