Loft Dynamics has partnered with Scott Urschel, CEO and founder of Pylon Aviation, to act as an independent sales agent and strategic partner and help to bring the company’s VR simulators across North America.
“In the world of rotorcraft, few names carry as much respect, trust, and deep-rooted experience as Scott Urschel,” said Fabi Riesen, founder and CEO of Loft Dynamics. “A lifelong aviator and revered expert in helicopter training, flight testing, and aircraft operations, Scott has spent decades helping pilots – and the helicopters they fly – reach their full potential.
Riesen continued: “Today, we’re proud to share that he’s joining forces with us to usher in a safer, more immersive, and more accessible era of pilot training across North America. This partnership is about more than expanding our reach – it’s about rethinking how helicopter pilots train: moving away from infrequent, high-risk, and resource-heavy methods, and toward a model that’s realistic, repeatable, and radically safer. That’s where VR changes everything.”
Urschel has over 11,000 flight hours across 35 helicopter types and 100 fixed-wing aircraft. He has dedicated much of his work to helping develop training, testing, and certification programmes, including high-speed envelope expansions and NVG certifications.
The collaboration builds upon Loft Dynamics’ view that training methods for helicopter flying have remained unchanged for too long, resulting in underprepared pilots in difficult scenarios. The company sees its VR simulators as the answer, able to provide high-risk, mission-critical manoeuvres in an immersive environment. The simulators are also the only VR simulators to be qualified by both the FAA and EASA.
“For as long as I’ve been flying, we’ve accepted that some of the most dangerous manoeuvres just can’t be trained safely. We’ve worked around that reality, but it’s come at a cost,” said Urschel. “What Loft Dynamics has built changes that equation. For the first time, pilots can train for the real-world scenarios that matter most – safely, repeatedly, and with total immersion. It’s the most meaningful advancement I’ve seen in pilot training in decades, and it’s finally available at scale.”
Urschel continued: “I’ve used the sim myself and even trained my son on it, and watching him grow confident and capable in that environment was one of the most rewarding moments of my career. Without a doubt, this technology sets a new standard in aviation training and will shape the next generation of pilots to be the most prepared, most skilled, and safest we’ve ever seen. I’m proud to stand behind Loft’s VR solutions and to help bring them to more operators across North America.”
Photo: Loft Dynamics
