Steady Sky - Photos from an airsoft helicopter experience

Our 6th tactical helicopter experience is in the books! April 2026 saw our return to North Bay and our introduction to helicopter operations. These military simulation experiences take people like you and teach them the safe boarding procedures for rotary wing aircraft. Then we send them on a mission that requires speed and agility; a task well suited for an air mobile unit.

These unique experiences aren't offered anywhere else in Canada, which is great because we get to keep all the excitement to ourselves!

Shaka from the trainees at Blackline Simulations

The Story

While we run these regularly, it was time to switch it up. The big change during this evolution was the new scenario. Our students were called to secure and aid a covert unit intelligence unit. They had been on the run from a collapsing security situation when they'd been attacked by local security forces. While they managed to escape, they'd taken casualties and their vehicles had broken down shortly thereafter. During the extraction of injured operators, the flights are cut short by the detection of shoulder mounted surface to air missiles. With a quick pivot in tasking, the unit established an ambush for the enemy and eliminated the threat.

A team member stands on the tarmac in front of the AS350

We've got a number of blog posts that detail the suggestions and tips given to us by participants if you're interested in preparing for a class like this, but for now, we just wanted to share some of the amazing pictures that came out of this event.

As always, we're heavily supported by a crew of amazing volunteers. We leaned on the local airsoft community for our enemy forces, recruited some of our regular participants to role play as our intel unit and team leads, were lucky enough to have an SFX makeup artist, and bring back our crew of professional photographers. You'll find them linked below.

Full disclosure, this is a photo heavy post. So lets get into it!

The Training

Trainees in the hallway at Blackline Simulations

Helicopters Canada classroom instruction for trainees

Mission briefing for Blackline Rotary Wing missions

Team leads meet on the tarmac at Blackline Events

Students practice boarding and exit procedures

Gear adjustment before training begins

Students practice boarding one of the helicopters

View from inside the helicopter out to students

Student waiting to practice boarding helicopters at Blackline Rotary Wing training

Observing students loading helicopter

Looking out of the cabin at students at Blackline Simulations

Chalks wait to board at Blackline Rotary Wing Training

Exit procedures with Blackline and Helicopters Canada

Students move to board the helicopter

Ground training for rotary wing operations

Air Mobile Deploys

Smoke signals the landing zone at Blackline Simulations

Final kit checks before air mobile operations

Final team lead meeting before the helicopters arrive

Moving to the LZ

Going live - boarding the helicopter for a lift to the target

Looking up at Blackline participants riding in the helicopter

Inbound to target - air mobile teams arrive

Helicopter circles before landing at Blackline Simulations

Looking at incoming troops as they descend onto the target

Helicopter comes in to touch down near the stranded unit

Personnel pull security on the LZ at Blackline Simulations

Keeping watch from the gravel pile

Security teams watch the LZ at Blackline Simulations

Casualties board an outgoing helicopter

Keeping watch at Blackline Rotary Wing Training

Helicopter comes in to land near intelligence officer

Casualties are moved to the helicopter at Blackline Simulations

Operations personnel keep security on the landing zone

Casualties are prepared for extraction

Treating a neck injury on a simulated casualty at Blackline

Low profile security team checks the perimeter

Chalks are seen waiting on the ground from the departing helicopter

In flight cabin shot from Blackline Simulations

Teams approach the LZ by air at Blackline Rotary Wing Training

Teams wait to board as their helicopter lands

Two helicopters ready to take off with their air mobile personnel

Helicopter comes into land near waiting operations personnel

Moving to Intercept the Threats

Teams wait for the enemy forces

Engaging enemy forces from behind the snow banks

Pointing out targets for friendly forces

Personnel make their way up a hill in knee deep snow at Blackline Simulations

Looking down the hill as personnel climb up

Observing the area from the ridgeline

Preparing an ambush on a road at Blackline Rotary Wing Training

Checking disabled enemy forces for intelligence

Setting up the ambush for enemy forces

Blackline personnel moving through the area

Blackline personnel on security

Low level jet passes near the area of operations at Blackline Helicopter training

Moving across the quarry on route to their ambush position

Operations personnel hold the line from a hill top

Air mobile units moving into position

Blackline participants climb the ridge to their new target

Team lead observes the movement of his unit

A short stop taken by a team lead at Blackline Simulations helicopter training

An enemy role player is searched for intelligence at Blackline Simulations

Rocky and snowy terrain near an air mobile participant

Team member prepares to destroy a surface to air missile at Blackline Simulations

Helicopter trainees move through a rocky and snowy quarry

A prop FIM-92 missile is used by Blackline Simulations participants

A large force moves through the area of operations

We'll post more selected photos in the future. If you have a link to photos you or someone else took during the event, drop them in the comments and we'll embed them here!

Credits

Photographers:

Anthony Gugliotta (Instagram) (YouTube)

Will Delaney (Instagram) (YouTube) (Website)

Eddy G

Ryan T

Ontario Geardo (Instagram)

Teams:

Makeup:

House of Quartz Makeup (Website)

The Big Whirly Machines:

Helicopters Canada