It takes roughly 2 years to become an airline pilot. For many, this means training via a simulator for thousands of hours using state-of-the-art machines and software that prepare them for any situation. American airplane manufacturer Boeing is aiming to simplify and take this to the next level with the launch of their Virtual Airplane Procedures Trainer (VAPT) next-generation training tools. These tools, powered by Microsoft’s software and cloud technology, aim to equip training teams with flexible, portable tools that run on their laptop or iPads.
Harnessing Microsoft’s Flight Simulator
Using Microsoft’s technology with Azure and popular Flight Simulator software, VAPT is designed to train teams with realistic flight-deck practice. With 3D simulations on devices as small as iPads, it reduces familiarization time before working with more intensive flight training courses. The training software is also highly customizable, and training operators can manage content through an intuitive, self-service authoring tool to distribute lessons instantly to their pilots.
The keyword here is accessibility, with the software being accessible anytime, anywhere, even offline. Another aim of the software is cost efficiency, as it will save significant time during full-flight familiarization, thereby reducing costs. Pilots can track their progress as they continue lessons and track performance data along with points of improvement. Currently, VAPT is only available for Boeing’s 737 MAX aircraft, with more coming soon.
Train anywhere, but not everything
While VAPT seems promising on paper, we should note that it is limited to flight deck training. Since it runs on mobile platforms and laptops on battery, it does not fully replace a real flight simulation or actual aircraft flying. Actual training still requires thousands of hours on full-flight cockpit simulations. The airline puts in a huge investment for pilots to undergo refresher training every six months. Plus, since this is Boeing-initiated, planes from Airbus will definitely not be covered here.
Another technology company is looking into what could be a more promising technology with the integration of AR and VR. Canada Aviation Electronics is looking into a VR training program to be deployed on Apple Vision Pro headsets. Just like VAPT, they are also aiming to bring flight training anywhere, but this time using full simulations using spatial computing. This brings the full cockpit experience in a virtual environment with full immersion. It becomes a sort of replacement for an instruction manual, but it’s closer to the full flight simulators for the complete training experience.
Flight training in the future
Boeing’s VAPT looks to bring a bite-sized version of flight training experience anywhere, and it looks like the kind of flexible system that airlines and flight schools can deploy. However, as mentioned earlier, it’s quite limited in functionality and has Boeing exclusivity. I think the future is more on the AR and VR side of things, with the flight deck trainers as supplemental technology.
In the near future, as the technology gets better, it’s a possibility that they don’t need to invest thousands in full-flight simulators anymore, with advanced VR headsets augmenting some of that cost for the visual aspect of the trainer. On the software side, Microsoft Flight Simulator already supports VR with breathtaking results in gaming applications. As the technology gets better and an actual physical cockpit or flight deck works with similar software, it opens the gateway for fully immersive remote training with physical controls.
Flight training is always hand-in-hand with cutting-edge technology, and it will be interesting to see where the approaches to training mobility will lead. One thing that Boeing got right is partnering with Microsoft, as they are one of the leaders in cloud and flight simulator software. In the next decade or so, flight training will change rapidly, and technology will be the biggest factor in bringing the full training experience anywhere.
Photo credit: The feature image is symbolic and has been taken by Caleb Woods. The image in the body was provided by Boeing for press usage.
Sources: Airbus
