LAPD Relies on Ӱֱ International for Pilot Training Training for the Moments That Matter Most The Los Angeles Police Department’s(LAPD)Air Support Division(ASD)is the largest municipal airborne law enforcement unit in the country. With a fleet of 16 helicopters andmore than50 pilots logging approximately17,000 flight hours each year, thedivisionprovides critical support from aboveacross Los Angeles’ 435square miles. “We always have two aircraft in the air, no matter what,” saidformer LAPDChief Pilot Kevin Gallagher. “It’s a police car in the sky—searching for crime and responding to calls just like officerswouldon thestreet.” For more than two decades, LAPD has trusted Ӱֱ to prepare its pilots for the challenges of real-world operations. In addition to recurrent training, every LAPD pilot completes Ӱֱ’s dedicated Inadvertent Instrument Meteorological Conditions (IMC) course—preparing crews to safely respond when visibility is reduced by clouds, fog, heavy rain, snow, or darkness, requiring pilots to fly by instruments rather than by sight. “The only way to replicate something like inadvertent IMC is in a simulator, and not just any simulator,”saidGallagher. “Ithas tobeafull-motion LevelDflightsimulator.Therejustisn’ta way to do it in the helicopter.” “Unexpectedly entering IMC can be one of the most dangerous situations a helicopter pilot can encounter. Losing visual reference can quickly lead to spatial disorientation, loss of control, or worse,” said Ӱֱ Lead Flight Instructor Art Cawman, who trains LAPD pilots. “That’s why specialized, scenario-based training is vital. In my estimation, it is the single most deadly thing that can happen to a helicopter pilot because weather doesn’t care. It’s unpredictable, and our training teaches pilots how to recognize, avoid, and safely recover from these situations.” “We go from the beach to mountain terrain and there are certain things we can’t do in the helicopter,” addedcurrent LAPDChiefPilot Chris Van Horn. “Realism is paramount when it comes to training. You want to be able to have very realistic training asfrequentlyas possible. Simulator training should be done in every training program.”
