LAPD Relies on FlightSafety International for Pilot Training

Training for the Moments That Matter Most

The Los Angeles Police Department’s (LAPD) Air Support Division (ASD) is the largest municipal airborne law enforcement unit in the country. With a fleet of 16 helicopters and more than 50 pilots logging approximately 17,000 flight hours each year, the division provides critical support from above across Los Angeles’ 435 square miles. 

“We always have two aircraft in the air, no matter what,” said former LAPD Chief Pilot Kevin Gallagher. “It’s a police car in the sky—searching for crime and responding to calls just like officers would on the street.” 

For more than two decades, LAPD has trusted FlightSafety to prepare its pilots for the challenges of real-world operations. In addition to recurrent training, every LAPD pilot completes FlightSafety’s dedicated Inadvertent Instrument Meteorological Conditions (IMC) course—preparing crews to safely respond when visibility is reduced by clouds, fog, heavy rain, snow, or darkness, requiring pilots to fly by instruments rather than by sight. 

 “The only way to replicate something like inadvertent IMC is in a simulator, and not just any simulator,” said Gallagher. “It has to be a full-motion Level D flight simulator. There just isn’t a way to do it in the helicopter.” 

“Unexpectedly entering IMC can be one of the most dangerous situations a helicopter pilot can encounter. Losing visual reference can quickly lead to spatial disorientation, loss of control, or worse,” said FlightSafety Lead Flight Instructor Art Cawman, who trains LAPD pilots. “That’s why specialized, scenario-based training is vital. In my estimation, it is the single most deadly thing that can happen to a helicopter pilot because weather doesn’t care. It’s unpredictable, and our training teaches pilots how to recognize, avoid, and safely recover from these situations.”  

“We go from the beach to mountain terrain and there are certain things we can’t do in the helicopter,” added current LAPD Chief Pilot Chris Van Horn. “Realism is paramount when it comes to training. You want to be able to have very realistic training as frequently as possible. Simulator training should be done in every training program.”