DRF Luftrettung Links Approved hoistAR Training with H145 Full Flight Simulator

Germany – German helicopter emergency medical services operator DRF Luftrettung has formally confirmed Luftfahrt-Bundesamt (LBA) approval of the training syllabus for its hoistAR XR winch simulator, developed jointly with Reiser Simulation and Training. The approval enables crews from DRF’s five German stations operating winch-equipped helicopters to incorporate virtual training into their syllabus alongside existing live-flight exercises.

• Crews at five DRF Luftrettung stations with winch-equipped helicopters can now use the approved hoistAR syllabus for virtual training, complementing live winch training conducted twice each year. DRF states that it is the first air rescue operator in Europe whose winch-operation training syllabus has been approved by a national aviation authority.
• The mobile hoistAR system supports two operating modes. In standalone configuration it can be transported to operating locations and used independently for hoist-operator training; in “slave to FFS” mode it can connect with the Reiser-manufactured Airbus H145 Full Flight Simulator operated by Lufthansa Aviation Training in Frankfurt, allowing pilots and hoist operators to train together within the same coordinated scenario.
• The simulator uses Extended Reality technology, an XY-axis motion platform and simulated cable and load movement. DRF states that its trailer-based configuration allows the system to be deployed away from a fixed simulation center and used for training independent of weather and time of day.
• DRF Akademie’s wider synthetic helicopter training portfolio at Lufthansa Aviation Training in Frankfurt currently includes an EASA Level D H145/H135 Full Flight Simulator and an H145 D3 H10 Flight Training Device Level 3, in addition to the mobile hoistAR system. The H145 D3 FTD entered training use during 2026 and incorporates mixed-reality technology.
• AFM previously reported in March 2026 that DRF Akademie was acquiring the additional H145 D3 H10 FTD Level 3 from Reiser Simulation and Training and that the device was designed to integrate with hoistAR. AFM subsequently reported its commissioning at Lufthansa Aviation Training’s Frankfurt facility in July 2026.
• DRF Luftrettung currently operates 33 helicopter stations at 31 locations in Germany, with five locations using rescue-winched helicopters. Its operational helicopter fleet has been standardized around Airbus H135s and five-blade H145s following completion of its fleet transition in December 2025; current aircraft quantities by type were not independently confirmed. 

About DRF Luftrettung
DRF Luftrettung is a German air rescue organization headquartered in Filderstadt, operating 33 helicopter stations at 31 locations in Germany. Its current helicopter fleet consists exclusively of Airbus H135 and five-blade H145 aircraft, while the wider DRF Group operates 50 helicopters across 42 stations in Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein and Switzerland. DRF Akademie, a wholly owned subsidiary of DRF Stiftung Luftrettung, provides training for the DRF Group and external customers across flight operations, emergency medicine, maintenance and management. Its Frankfurt synthetic helicopter training capability comprises an H145/H135 Level D FFS, H145 D3 Level 3 FTD and the hoistAR winch training system.

About Reiser Simulation and Training
Reiser Simulation and Training is a Germany-based developer and manufacturer of civil and military aviation training systems covering Full Flight Simulators, Flight Training Devices and XR-based mission and crew-training systems. It developed hoistAR jointly with DRF Luftrettung and also manufactured the H145/H135 Level D FFS and H145 D3 XR training device used within DRF Akademie’s Frankfurt training environment.

Source: DRF Luftrettung