Queensland-based helicopter simulator manufacturer Ryan Aerospace last week won a Queensland Premier's Export Award in the Small Business Category.
Ryan Aerospace took out the award ahead of diversified innovation company Venlo Investments, network software developer AKIPS and skin care company Grahams Natural Alternatives.
Managing Director Chris Ryan said he was delighted to receive the award saying that it was a recognition of some really hard work by his small, but growing, team.
Ryan Aerospace has won some major military contracts in the United States in the last year, but has also seen significant growth in Asia and Europe.
Using virtual reality technology and investing heavily in research and development, Ryan Aerospace developed a helicopter simulator known as the Helimod III.
In December 2018, the US Army tested the sim at and were so impressed by the training system that they committed to completely changing the way they train their helicopter pilots. As a result, Ryan Aerospace won a world-wide search and received a purchase order for 32 Helimod IIIs.
With its partners and resellers in the US, Precision Flight Controls, Ryan Aerospace has also developed a higher-end system for the Bell 206 and Bell 407 that has been certified by the FAA as an Advanced Aviation Training Device (AATD). The unit can simulate multiple single and multi-engine helicopters and comes with a full PC rack system, complete with licensed software.
Ryan Aerospace is now automatically a finalist in the Australian National Export Awards. Winners will be announced at a Gala event to be held in Canberra in December.