The overall aim of the pilot training course is to provide the knowledge and experience in relation to civil or military night vision goggles (NVG) operations, their associated equipment, cockpit lighting and compatibility issues. The course content is tailored to the customer’s requirements. Flight crews are given practical exposure to improve their awareness of the safety hazards associated with NVG operations.
Course Subjects
As an overview, the course will include at least the following subjects:
- Aeromedical factors relating to the use of NVGs to include how to protect night vision, how the eyes adapt to operate at night, self-imposed stresses that affect night vision, effects of lighting (internal and external) on night vision, cues utilized to estimate distance and depth perception at night, and visual illusions.
- NVG performance and scene interpretation.
- Normal, abnormal, and emergency operations of civil and military NVG equipment.
- NVG operations flight planning to include night terrain interpretation and the factors affecting it.
Training Using NVGs
The training to use NVGs may be performed in an aircraft or simulator suitable for the purpose, and should include at least the following subjects:
- Preparation and use of internal and external aircraft lighting systems for NVG operations.
- Pre-flight preparation of NVGs for NVG operations. Proper piloting techniques (during normal, abnormal, and emergency aircraft operations) when using NVGs during the takeoff, climb, en-route, descent, and landing phases of flight that includes unaided flight and aided flight.
- Normal, abnormal, and emergency operations of the NVG during flight.
- Inadvertent IMC and aircraft recovery procedures, including unusual attitude recovery procedures.
Phase One
This phase is intended to provide flight crews with a detailed grounding in the associated academics and some practical training in NVG handling and preparation.
Phase Two
This phase builds on the newly acquired knowledge and experience and reinforces it with actual NVG flight experience under the supervision of a NVG qualified instructor pilot on a Bell 206 or, on the customer’s own NVG-compatible helicopter.
Phase Three
This phase includes flight instruction in-country on the customer’s own aircraft, to further consolidate the tactical relevance of the training.
The ITTC facility features a 27,000 sq.ft. hangar, big enough to house ITTC’s expanding fleet of aircraft. The administration and classroom building have been extended by 15,000 square feet and feature six additional classrooms, a simulator centre, a state of the art Telemetry Room, additional student facilities and change rooms. The new building features additional briefing rooms, a flight crew ready room and much enlarged canteen area.
CYXU is a modern regional airport 5 nm north east of the city of London, Ontario. The airport is an international gateway airport with direct flights from Chicago and Detroit and Immigration and Customs facilities. It is as of 2009 the 20th busiest airport in Canada, which makes for efficient school operations with little to no delays due to traffic. The airport is south of Toronto and outside the Toronto (CYYZ) FIR and has close access to large sections of Class E and G airspace minimizing transit times for the execution of flight exercises which can be flown up to FL180 on a VFR flight plan but are Controlled VFR (CVFR) with flight control by Toronto Center above 12000 feet. Two dedicated test areas Delta and Juliet a low altitude one to 12000 and a high altitude one over Lake Huron, up to FL350, north west of London may be used by the school under an agreement with NAV Canada, the Canadian Air Traffic Control Authority. The school therefore enjoys a very favourable air traffic environment for its training operations.