Market Intelligence: North America

US University Announces Flight Training Partnership with Able Flight

Combining the training experience of a major university flight school, and the unique mission of an aviation nonprofit for people with physical disabilities, Able Flight and Southern Illinois University Carbondale will partner on a joint flight training project beginning this year. In May 2024, five Able Flight Scholarship recipients will arrive at the SIU Carbondale campus, where they will stay in university housing and be trained at Southern Illinois Airport by SIU Aviation instructors during an intensive flight training program as they earn their Sport Pilot Certificates.

Able Flight will select scholarship recipients for training at SIU Carbondale from its pool of candidates and will provide two specially adapted Vashon Ranger Light Sport Aircraft in which the student pilots will learn to fly. SIU instructors will receive factory-provided transitional training in the Ranger. At the conclusion of the 2024 training session, Able Flight and SIU will evaluate the program’s success to build upon it in future years.

Housed in the Glenn Poshard Transportation Education Center, one of the top facilities in the country, SIU Aviation is part of the College of Health and Human Sciences.

“SIU Carbondale has a long and proud history of accessibility for people with disabilities, so we are very excited about our partnership with Able Flight, which shares our values of providing opportunities,” said Robert D. Morgan, CHHS dean. “This collaboration allows us to further develop much-needed pilots for the aviation workforce and to ensure a rich learning environment for our students. We are grateful to Able Flight for supporting students with specialized aircraft and scholarships, and we look forward to Able Flight Scholars joining the Saluki family.”

Morgan added that the agreement fits in well with the university’s Imagine 2030 strategic plan and its pillars addressing partnerships and diversity, equity and inclusion.

Able Flight Executive Director Charles Stites said, “We’re excited to work with Southern Illinois University to create this opportunity for our scholarship recipients. SIU has an outstanding nationally recognized aviation program and world class facilities, and they have whole-heartedly welcomed Able Flight. During their time there, our scholarship recipients will be immersed in flying in a demanding but supportive setting and have the chance to explore opportunities for future undergraduate and graduate degrees in aviation.”

The flight training program will begin in late May and will expand on Able Flight’s long-term partnership at Purdue University which will also take place again this year.

Source: Able Flight
Photo Credit: Southern Illinois University Carbondale

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Global Aviation Training Solution Provider CAE Shares Whitepaper on Technician Extended Reality Training

In a recent white paper publication, global pilot and aircraft maintenance training provider CAE has projected a significant demand for skilled aircraft maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) technicians over the next decade. The company estimates a requirement for approximately 402,000 technicians, prompting a call for innovative training solutions to meet this demand.

Partnering with Xennial, CAE proposes a pioneering approach to training utilizing extended reality (XR) technology. This includes augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), offering a blend of physical and digital elements to enhance the learning experience.

CAE’s recent trial implementation of XR technology in technician training programs for Gulfstream G500/600 and G650 aircraft has shown promising results. Douglas Fajardo, CEO of Xennial, highlights the capability to create a full digital twin of an aircraft, revolutionizing training methodologies saying, “Virtual Reality has transformed the landscape of aircraft technician training by offering a realistic and hands-on learning experience. For example, we have the ability to build a full digital twin of a Gulfstream aircraft at this point, with all of the features of its physical twin. VR can now empower technicians to familiarize themselves with aircraft systems, components, and procedures in a simulated immersive environment, fostering a new era of competency, adaptability, and safety in the aviation maintenance industry.”

The deployment of VR hardware, such as headsets and hand-tracking technology, is set to transform technician training, with AI integration further expanding its potential. Alexandre Prevost, CAE’s division president for business aviation and helicopter training, emphasizes the value of VR in mitigating risks associated with traditional training methods, “Aviation is one of the industries where the adoption of emerging technologies is accelerating. Virtual Reality, especially when it comes to aircraft technician training, is proving to be a high value solution. One of the main reasons VR is used in maintenance training is to lower the risks associated with traditional training methods.”

VR training offers several advantages over conventional approaches, including reduced dependency on physical equipment, shorter aircraft downtime, adaptability to new aircraft models, and cost-effectiveness for repetitive practice.

Citing a 2020 PricewaterhouseCoopers study, CAE asserts that VR training can be completed four times faster than classroom training and one-third quicker than e-learning, while also enhancing trainees’ confidence and emotional connection to the content.

In a move to enhance pilot training realism, CAE has integrated Epic Games’ Unreal Engine 3D visuals into its full flight simulators. The Prodigy image generator with Unreal Engine is set to become standard on new and existing CAE level-D simulators, starting with the Airbus A320 simulator.

The whitepaper can be found here.

Source: CAE
Photo Credit: CAE

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Aviation Training Management Solutions Provider Qualtero and Leading Provider of Artificial Intelligence Technologies Charles River Analytics to Showcase Fox-KWYN™ Adaptive Training Solution

Qualtero, a pioneer in innovative aviation training management solutions, and Charles River Analytics, a leading provider of artificial intelligence technologies, have unveiled Fox-KWYN™, an adaptive training solution set to transform the way aviation organizations approach training management. Both are thrilled to announce that they will be demonstrating their new adaptive training solution at WATS 2024.

This cutting-edge AI algorithm analyzes performance data to provide evidence-based insights and recommendations that allow aviation organizations to improve training and plan it with the utmost efficiency and effectiveness, providing operation-wide and trainee-by-trainee recommendations, while saving resources.

The key features of the Fox-KWYN™ Adaptive Training Solution include delivering the shortest possible learning pathways tailored to each trainee, performance-based planning using trainee performance forecasts and insights, proficiency-centric advancements beyond syllabus timelines, historical performance analysis to continuously improve training methodologies, resource optimization to save costs without compromising quality, and personalized training objectives to increase trainee success rates by addressing unique learning needs.

“We are excited about the possibilities that Fox-KWYN™ brings to the world of aviation training management,” said Yuval Sive, VP of Sales at Qualtero. “By combining Qualtero’s domain expertise with Charles River Analytics’ advanced AI capabilities, we are confident that Fox-KWYN™ will redefine how organizations approach and deliver training,”

About Qualtero

Qualtero, formerly Britannica Knowledge Systems, is an industry-leading visionary of training management solutions with 30+ years of serving world-leading defense, security, aerospace, and airline training operations.

About Charles River Analytics

Charles River Analytics brings foundational research to life, creating human-centered intelligent systems at the edge of what’s possible, through deep partnerships with our customers.

Source: Qualtero
Photo Credit: Qualtero

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US Based National Flight Training Alliance Salutes Work of FAA’s ARC Committee; Welcomes New Approach to Handling Mental Health Issues in the Aviation Industry

The Washington, D.C., United States based National Flight Training Alliance (NFTA), an organization working to unify, promote and protect America’s flight training industry, is honored to have served since December 2023 on the FAA’s Aviation Rulemaking Committee on Pilot Mental Health Rulemaking Committee (ARC), formed to break down barriers that prevent pilots from reporting mental health issues to the agency, and fully supports the ARC report recommendations provided to the FAA and announced by the agency on April 1, 2024.

As noted in the report, which can be viewed here, the summary of the ARC recommendations are to:

  • Create a non-punitive pathway for disclosing mental health conditions and treatments;
  • Revise and evaluate the requirements for reporting and certification/qualification of psychotherapy (talk therapy), depression/anxiety; attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder;
  • Ensure that aeromedical screening protocols and requirements are based on Safety Management System principles (i.e., proportionate, relevant, and risk-based), and appropriately communicated to applicants;
  • Expand the use and promotion of Peer Support Programs;
  • Develop mental health literacy, education, and awareness campaigns;
  • Increase mental health training and improve quality assurance for Aviation Medical Examiners (AMEs);
  • Modernize the FAA’s information management system/Aviation Medical Certification Subsystem.

“The flight training industry is the gateway to the aviation industry, and the first place where a culture change can truly take place among the future generation of aspiring pilots and air traffic controllers,” Captain Lee Collins, CEO of NFTA and an ARC committee member, said. “For far too long, earlier generations of pilots were fearful of reporting any kind of physical or mental health challenge for fear of job loss and related stigma. With these recommended changes, a culture shift supporting overall physical and mental health is a realistic and attainable goal. NFTA and our member organizations possess the collective knowledge, information and educational opportunities to impart positive change within the aviation community at the training level and are committed to doing so in cooperation with other aviation stakeholders and the FAA.”

Collins said that NFTA will continue to monitor the status of these recommendations as the FAA reviews for next steps.

About National Flight Training Alliance

Working to unify, promote and protect America’s flight training industry, the National Flight Training Alliance (NFTA) is comprised of American flight training providers and industry-wide aviation stakeholders committed to producing the finest professional pilots in the world. We represent the future of aviation, meeting the strong demand for pilots by embracing new technologies and methodologies and using our collective membership voice to form policy positions that directly and positively impact industry governance.

Source: National Flight Training Alliance
Photo Credit: National Flight Training Alliance

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Major US Airline’s Cadet Pilot Program in Partnership with Hillsboro Aero Academy Opens April 2024 Application Window

Alaska Airlines’ Ascend Pilot Academy application period will be open from April 1st – April 7th, 2024. Ascend Pilot Academy, in partnership with Hillsboro Aero Academy, aims to provide aspiring pilots a simpler, more financially accessible path to becoming a student pilot. Enrolled cadets will be eligible for access to financial aid, and a stipend up to $27,000 upon signing on to work for Horizon Air and eventually Alaska Airlines.

Academy Application Requirements:

  • Valid driver’s license
  • Hold a First Class Medical (required at time of application)
  • Ability to work a variety of schedules to include nights, weekends, and holidays.
  • Ability to communicate in English
  • High school diploma or equivalent
  • Minimum age of 18
  • Authorization to work in the U.S.
  • Hold a valid passport allowing unrestricted travel to and from the US

Source: Hillsboro Aero Academy
Photo Credit: Hillsboro Aero Academy

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