US Border Protection Pilots Train With VR

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Air and Marine Operations (AMO), which operates the world’s largest and most diverse law enforcement aviation fleet, has awarded a contract to Davenport Aviation to provide the Loft Dynamics virtual reality (VR) flight simulator. The simulator is the first VR flight simulator qualified by both the FAA and EASA. CBP will install Loft’s Airbus H125 VR flight simulator at its Oklahoma City training center—marking the first use of VR flight training by a U.S. federal law enforcement agency and reflecting a broader industry shift toward safer, more immersive and more accessible pilot training.

AMO flies more than 240 aircraft, including more than 100 Airbus H125 helicopters, and carries out complex, high-risk missions ranging from drug interdiction and human trafficking prevention to disaster response and 24/7 border surveillance. Its 600-plus pilots operate in fast-changing conditions with little margin for error. Until now, their training has depended entirely on live helicopter flights, which are limited by aircraft and instructor availability, weather and the inherent risk of practicing emergency procedures in the air.

This contract makes CBP the first branch of the Department of Homeland Security to use VR for aerial training. While the agency has previously used virtual reality for ground-based use-of-force exercises, this marks its first deployment of immersive simulation for aviation.

CBP is also the second major U.S. law enforcement agency — following the Los Angeles Police Department — to contract with a company that relies on Loft Dynamics’ VR technology.