Video by Cooper Slough

By JAMES BELL
Hays Post

For many, it might be the coolest video game system in town, but the simulator being installed at The Tactical Experience is much more than a video game — it is a valuable tool for military, police and residents looking to sharpen tactical skills in a safe setting.

Brad Crawford, The Tactical Experience owner, brought the system to Hays after a career in the military.

Originally from Cincinnati, Crawford served in the military for the last 15 years, but decided Hays was a good fit with his wife’s family in the area. She is originally from Victoria.

“I couldn’t continue service, so what I decided to do is get out in the civilian sector and use all the experience I have and do something really cool,” he said.

Opening the simulator, located at the Hadley Center in downtown Hays, gave Crawford an opportunity to continue teaching – something he said he really enjoys.

Initially, Crawford looked at opening a live fire range but found the cost to be prohibitive. He then looked at the technology available and realized there was a virtual way to do business with the shooting industry.

“It just worked hand-in-hand. I got in touch with some of the guys in the industry, and they were actually really interested in the concept of a commercial deal with this because this is usually a military or law enforcement technology,” he said.

The technology used at the Experience is what Crawford used during his time as a trainer in the military and provides numerous options to give an experience similar to what trainees would experience in the real world.

“It’s probably the best stuff you’re going to get. We use this kind of simulation technologies in the military to train soldiers going overseas because it’s cost effective,” Crawford said. “I’ve been deployed five times, and I can tell you some of the stuff that happens in this simulator is very realistic.”

The simulator also offers advantages to standard range training.

“There are certain things you can do in a real steel application setting, and there are certain things that you can’t because of safety considerations. With this, you are a little more open to the things you can do,” Crawford said.

He also said it broadens the experience, adding things trainees can do that they may not do in a real world training setting.

“We can actually put aggressor forces in there that come at you … you have to use everything in your tool box,” he said.

Support forces can also be added during a simulation.

“It’s just amazing what we can do,” Crawford said.

As an added benefit the simulator can also record performance, in order to track training progress as users return to the simulator.

“When somebody comes in, as a repeat customer, we can pull all the old data that they had and compare to the new data and actually see the progressive learning curve,” Crawford said.

While the current simulator is already impressive, around the middle of next month a MILO Range will also be added, giving users even more training options, including the full range of law enforcement tools, including tasers, OC spray and batons.

The Experience

The options available to users are almost limitless, and a number of integrated technologies in the simulator provide a simulation that can be invaluable to military, police or residents wanting to sharpen their skills and can provide a good amount of fun for anyone just wanting to have a realistic firearms or flight experience.

For a fully immersive environment, an Oculus Rift system is available at the simulator. Oculus Rift is the premiere virtual reality hardware available on the market today.

“Basically, you are in a fully immersive world when you put those things on,” Crawford said. “You really feel like you are in it.”

While the level of reality with the Oculus system might not be suitable for everyone, the full-size simulator is better, Crawford said, but even the full-size simulator offers features that create a realistic environment complete with on-screen visual tracking.

The simulator is like a sandbox can be developed into scenario specific situations from range firing, home defense scenarios that include barricades to simulate obstacles in the room, flight operations and vehicle training.

Weapons used in the simulator are real weapons, with modified laser bolt assemblies that include combat shotguns, sniper rifles, pistols, OC spray, batons and service rifles.

Those weapons will soon feature a CO2 blowback system.

“When you actually pull the trigger the bolt will go back and give pretty good recoil,” Crawford said. “This is a really good tool because we can actually use these for training.”

Auditory feedback is provided by a Dolby Surround Sound system, which gives realistic audio to the simulation, and a smoke machine in the room gives sensory feedback to explosions in the simulator.

“With the simulator, I can do everything from shooting at a range to shooting off the side of a helicopter. It’s really just what the client wants,” Crawford said. “We can design a template and they can come in and have some fun.”

While a user is in a simulation Crawford can also manipulate the simulator behind the scenes, adapting the scenario in real time giving the user an even more realistic training experience.

The Experience details

Crawford is currently in talks with law enforcement in the area and military recruiters to set up training time blocks, and a mobile operation is also available for those departments looking to use the simulator to beef-up training — but the system is available for individual use, as well.

Individual sessions will be booked on their website, along with the type of simulation desired.

The cost for an individual session is $60 an hour, with reservations, and $100 for two people at once.

The simulator will be open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

The simulator is located in the Hadley Center, 205 E. Seventh, and can be easily accessed from Eighth Street, with parking available near the door.

The Tactical Experience opened to customers Saturday after a Hays Area Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting Friday afternoon.

Customers can schedule simulator times by visiting their booking website, which allows the customer to see times available and select their desired scenario.

For more about the range, visit their website or facebook page.