Flight training takes off with virtual reality

By SCOTT FIRSING

Virtual reality (VR) has been touted for over a decade as the next technology to enhance flight training.

But the early days of VR saw hiccups like nausea and eye and neck soreness due to heavy headsets.

However, after years of evolution, VR technology is now here to stay, and is quickly being incorporated into various facets of aviation.

Why are people so excited about VR and flight training?

Because it works. Studies show VR-assisted learning can improve knowledge retention by up to 400%. This adds tremendous value to the time spent studying.

Because of this, airlines around the world are incorporating VR technology into their training curricula. In January 2024, US-based CommuteAir, a regional airline, began issuing VR headsets from Visionary Training Resources to new hire pilots during the first weeks of their initial training.

In the real world, pilots who can better remember an emergency checklist thanks to VR-assisted learning is a game changer. Furthermore, the mobility of the headsets means pilots can practice at any time and at any location around the world.

Practicing emergencies is part of the reason why the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) Air Wing Unit purchased an Airbus Helicopter H125 VR simulator from Swiss-based Loft Dynamics.

The LAPD’s goal is to train for maneuvers and scenarios you do not want to do in a real helicopter, according to officials.

“It’s incredibly challenging for any pilot today to realistically train for the dangerous maneuvers and diverse scenarios in which we fly,” said Kevin Gallagher, LAPD chief pilot. “Learning and mastering the skills and procedures needed to fly under Instrument Flight Rules and to survive an inadvertent instrument meteorological conditions (IIMC) flight is no exception.”

“In an emergency, you think you rise to the level of your training. Not true. You fall to the level of your training,” he added.

American universities with flight programs, such as Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, have also seen the benefits linked with VR.

Embry-Riddle research found that VR training was able to reduce the amount of time it takes pilots-in-training to make it to their first solo flight by 30% in the program’s inaugural year.

Not Just For Pilots

Using VR in aviation maintenance training also offers almost endless possibilities.

For instance, students can be immersed inside a turboprop engine without the need for a physical prototype. They also can be instantly transported into virtual hangars and workshops, which saves time and money.

These VR experiences help students learn the complexities of aviation machinery, from identifying each part and its function to its relevance in the larger scheme of operations.

Moreover, you can develop training modules like real world routine maintenance tasks to critical emergency repairs.

What has changed in VR?

Visual and other technological advances have helped alleviate early VR problems. If your body’s senses are not in sync, such as your vision and motion, it can cause nausea, disorientation, eye strain, and drowsiness.

Advancements in interpupillary-distance adjustment (IPD), headset lenses, and related software have all helped limit sickness. This virtual environment is now better than what is detected with 20/20 vision.

Officials with VR headset manufacturer Varjo explain that their low latency headsets “can display virtual scenes in real-life fidelity and allow users to perceive objects at realistic visibility distances.”

With latency under 20 milliseconds, this delay is undetectable and helps avoid the creation of false sensations and simulator sickness.

Better VR visuals, combined with accurate motion cueing and other sensory inputs, has taken the VR experience to the next level.

“The way the older visual systems are presented is simply wrong,” said Loft Dynamics Founder and CEO Fabi Riesen. “It’s not representative. VR is going to replace the older full flight simulators that use multiple projectors. Take a picture because it is a Kodak moment.”

Because VR training works and is more cost effective, global aviation regulators are taking notice. EASA was the first regulator to approve VR technology in 2021 after Loft Dynamics received certification for a VR flight simulation training device. All indications are that the FAA is not far behind.

Flight training officials are urging the FAA to incorporate this new technology into regulations that “sorely need to be updated.”

“The benefits they bring to learning is clear,” said Lee Collins, CEO of the National Flight Training Alliance (NFTA).

While regulators catch up to the times, private technology companies and even the military continue to help push VR forward. The Air Force’s new experimental program called Project Fusion focuses on how pilots learn. They want to explore and prototype a training environment that produces pilots in an accelerated and learning-focused manner.

At the same time, engineers at private companies are scaling up capabilities around synthetic environments, more advanced modeling, and incorporating AI. The future will likely combine these developments with cloud-based learning management systems and adapted learning.

The most exciting part of “virtual reality” is that it’s still only the beginning. Expect the coming years and decades to bring even more innovation, which is only truly limited by human imagination.

Scott Firsing PhD is the owner of Scott Sky Advisors, an aviation consultancy in Austin, Texas, that assists aircraft OEMs and simulator companies. He is also on the board of the University Aviation Association (UAA) and the National Flight Training Alliance (NFTA).