The aim of the Vertical Reference Training Course is to develop participants’ ability to carry out conventional flight manoeuvres such as lifting off and landing the helicopter, as well as executing various hovering exercises while using Vertical Reference points. The course appeals to both experienced commercial helicopter pilots and pilots holding a private licence.

The skills acquired in this course enable participants to grasp the basics of Long Line Flying in an effortless and effective way and offer them greater flight security when manoeuvring the helicopter during external landings on unknown territories.
The principles acquired from flight schools will be consolidated and developed, but from a vertical rather than a horizontal perspective.

The training course covers various hovering routines combined with lifting off and landing the helicopter on marked helipads on which the aircraft must be manoeuvred within a tolerance of +/- 3 inches. As the training units progress, the hovering exercises move away from the helipads to the so-called heliports which are landing areas constructed especially for this training. They consist of two parallel, fixed, wooden beams, available in a one-storey or multi-storey version.
The landing routines carried out on these heliports are aimed at simulating the subsequent landing on logs during the logging procedure.

A type rating for the corresponding training helicopter is not required for participation in the Vertical Reference Training course. R22 and R44 type helicopters are available. Of course participants are free to use their own helicopters for the training.

Upon successful completion of the course participants are surprised at how confident they feel and how much their newly acquired knowledge helps them to handle their helicopter.