A millimetre-accurate digital twin of a search and rescue helicopter, captured without taking it out of service.
Client
Atlantic Airways
Faroe Islands
Digitising a search and rescue helicopter
Atlantic Airways flies a Leonardo AW139 on search and rescue across the Faroe Islands, with a crew on standby 24 hours a day, every day of the year. Crews on this aircraft type train and recertify regularly, and Atlantic Airways was building a new training centre in the Faroe Islands focused on rescue work such as hoist operations and FLIR.
We were commissioned to create a digital twin of the helicopter for that training: detailed enough that trainees could read the cables, labels and switches, and accurate to the millimetre.
The challenge: zero downtime
A rescue helicopter cannot be grounded for a scan. Working with the Atlantic Airways team, we planned the capture around the aircraft’s annual maintenance, when it is stripped down and rebuilt. That gave us access to parts that are normally hidden, without adding a single hour of downtime.
The AW139 scan, from the hangar to the finished digital twin.
Fourteen components, one dataset
We scanned the whole aircraft and 14 separate components, each with the method that suited it best:
- Tail rotor
- Gearbox
- Tail
- Engine
- Rear compartment
- Main rotor
- Open top hatches
- Cabin
- Fuel tanks
- Cockpit
- Nose with instruments
- Bottom hatches (left and right)
- Compartment hatch
Data fusion. LiDAR captured the overall shape, photogrammetry the colour and surface detail, and structured light scanning with an Artec Leo the tight, intricate areas. We merged all three into a single, consistent dataset and validated it to keep millimetre accuracy across every part.
Every detail that matters for training: removable components, occluded areas, connections, labels and certificates, and damage or surface defects.
From scan to training tool
We designed and installed a 43-inch touchscreen stand at Atlantic Airways’ headquarters, so the team can walk trainees through the helicopter and its parts without taking the real one out of service. The data is also hosted on our secure online viewer, where we can update individual sections as the aircraft changes.
Explore the interactive model.
Beyond the simulator
The same dataset supports maintenance planning and virtual inspections, VR and spatial training, engineering analysis, and long-term digital asset management in Volustor, our secure asset platform. Read the full story in our article, Precision digitisation with Atlantic Airways.
Frequently asked questions
What did Visualskies scan for Atlantic Airways?
Visualskies created a millimetre-accurate digital twin of Atlantic Airways’ Leonardo AW139 search and rescue helicopter, scanning the whole aircraft and 14 separate components for simulator and crew training.
How was the helicopter scanned without downtime?
The capture was planned around the helicopter’s annual maintenance, when it is stripped down and rebuilt, so the rescue service lost no flying time and hidden components could be scanned.
Which scanning methods were used?
LiDAR for overall geometry, photogrammetry for colour and surface detail, and structured light scanning with an Artec Leo for intricate parts, merged into one validated dataset.
How does Atlantic Airways use the digital twin?
Trainees explore the helicopter on a 43-inch touchscreen stand at Atlantic Airways’ headquarters and through Visualskies’ secure online viewer, which can be updated as the aircraft changes.
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