The AirportCollege is right at the forefront of what digitization and Virtual Reality have to offer and spent 2019 designing the training of the future with the launch of The Next Generation Training Development Initiative.
Nothing beats experience – everyone knows that. Proper, hands-on experience is what teaches you the most about a situation. Practice makes perfect, as opposed to bookish theory.
Yet, when it comes to flight safety and avoiding accidents, gaining experience in a fail-safe environment is by far more preferable than having to go through the actual emergency situation for
real. That, naturally, is why flight simulators exist and have been around ever since Edwin Link brought his Link Trainer onto the market back in 1929.
Flight simulation is rapidly evolving now that so-called “Immersive technology” is available. Virtual Reality, or immersive technology, enables the emulation of the physical world, whereby the
user enters a digitally simulated world and the brain is tricked into thinking it is real, since the user is able to “see”, “hear” and “feel” his way through the situation – thus is “immersed” in
the setting.
Flight simulation is a natural candidate for Virtual Reality, priming pilots and preparing them for danger scenarios so that when such a crisis arises, they are able to remain calm and carry out
well-trained procedures to safely land the plane and its passengers.
Aviation training in general can benefit from Virtual Reality
Whilst flight simulation in the cockpit is a natural candidate for Virtual Reality, all other processes around flight safety are just as valid. The benefits of Virtual Reality training are clear:
- The biggest one is the Freedom to Fail: nothing can go seriously happen and no one can get hurt in a VR environment. The bonus is, that you can review what went wrong and work out how to avoid the mistake in future.
- Learning is fun: “gamification” is a far cry from dry, static classroom scenarios. Since users are “immersed” in their highly realistic, virtual world, they are far more engaged.
- Better retention: because of this engagement, and the fact that VR makes use of auditory, visual and kinesthetic senses, users are better able to remember what they have learned.
- Cost-effective: no risk of damage to equipment, can be carried out onsite and as often as required.
- Flexible: while you can ensure that all users learn the same scenarios, you can also prepare them for the unpredictable by having them go through rarer situations.
A Gartner Research report published by Amy Teng in April last year, foresees that “By 2022, immersive solutions will be evaluated and adopted in 35% of large-enterprise businesses in the training and simulation industry, up from less than 1% today.”
Out now! Virtual Reality (VR) Aircraft Walkaround Check
The AirportCollege has just brought out the Aircraft Walkaround Check as one of its Virtual Reality training modules, and, as its CEO, Pertti Mero, confirms, the feedback is excellent: “We
have combined training and gaming elements in our VR solution and the initial feedback from our customers is very positive. Our advanced scenarios and detailed feedback can take aviation training
to the next level.”
It is one module within The Next Generation Training Development Initiative which looks into “current and emerging learning technologies with the objective to identify solutions that will
become part of our future training portfolio.”
Pertti Mero points out: “Accessing real aviation equipment, such as Aircraft and GSE, in hands-on training is often costly and difficult. In Virtual Reality trainees can practice skills in a
safe and realistic environment. Some of the drills may consist of situations or incidents which are not possible to practice in real life.”
Looking for a tailor-made training?
The AirportCollege is constantly working on broadening and adapting its future training portfolio and is therefore always open to new ideas and feedback from its customers. If you can envisage a
training scenario which would be ideal as Virtual Reality and which is not yet part of the AirportCollege portfolio, simply contact pertti.mero@airportcollege.com to discuss how to proceed.
The sky is virtually the limit when it comes to immersive technology trainings!
Brigitte Gledhill
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