RUAG has optimised its course offering to provide operators and maintenance facilities with tailor-made solutions to train crew for check flights following the re-regulation by EASA. Maintenance check flights (MCFs) are conducted to check an aircraft after maintenance work has been carried out, and pilots and technicians examine all those systems that cannot be inspected on the ground. Helicopter manufacturers and authorities demand these MCFs as a safety measure before the helicopter is released back into operation.

MCFs are not part of the daily routine of a helicopter crew. Due to these new EASA regulations, many helicopter operators are now obliged to train their crew for test flights and to record all procedures in a manual. If MCFs are carried out safely, competently, efficiently and carefully, it results in less risk as well as a cost reduction for the operator.

As of 2020, RUAG is offering a new, customer-specific MCF course portfolio according to these EASA guidelines. It includes theory and simulator trainings as well as training with the customer's own helicopter. In addition, customers benefit from consulting by experienced factory and test pilots who specialise exclusively in factory and test flights and who regularly conduct MCFs. They support helicopter operators in the preparation of manuals and checklists as well as safety briefings and risk analyses.