Steady Sky - Photos from an airsoft helicopter experience

Blackline Control
Apr 15
2 min read

Updated: Apr 16

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!