Airbus has come up with an interesting solution to offer pilot training without a flight simulator or on-site procedure trainer. The software solution called the Airbus Virtual Procedure Trainer (VPT) immerses trainees within a virtual cockpit and coaches them on Airbus Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
According to Airbus, the VPT uses virtual reality to allow the trainees to drill procedures repeatedly within a fully interactive cockpit. Trainees can act intuitively on each switch and lever, following the correct sequence whilst building their muscle memory and procedural knowledge.
Lufthansa Group will be the launch customer for the new solution.
Gilad Scherpf, Head of Aviation Training Development Lufthansa Group, said: “As part of a unique partnership, training experts will be mutually shared to provide an innovative, integrated pilot training approach. Airbus and Lufthansa Aviation Training will deliver state-of-the-art A320 procedure training for Lufthansa Group airlines across VR, PC, and iPad devices. The resulting training enhancements will enable further use cases as well as regulatory acceptance. This will be based on the jointly gathered data while aiming at a trainee-centric, flexible solution to support key competencies.”
Fabrice Hamel, VP of Airbus Flight Operations & Training, said: “Using our Virtual Procedure Trainer, pilots have demonstrably learned procedures more effectively and efficiently, offering the potential to shorten their Type Rating course. The new tool also offers much more flexibility because trainees can choose to train alone with an AI, or together online”.
VPT can be purchased stand-alone or with the MATe Suite (Airbus training solution for aircraft systems). It is available on PC-tethered Virtual Reality devices or flat-screen devices such as laptops and iPads.