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Cirrus Aircraft Showcases VR Training Developments at NBAA-BACE 2024

USA – Cirrus Aircraft, an aircraft manufacturer, is expanding its training solutions, incorporating advanced technologies such as augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR), and enhancing its customer support through its Cirrus Assist mobile units. The company aims to improve flight training and ownership experience for pilots operating its Vision Jet and SR aircraft models.

  • Cirrus launched its specialized training course a few years ago, focusing on both ground and in-aircraft training experiences using AR/VR technology.
  • The company is developing a virtual reality training program using the Apple Vision Pro VR headset. Features include:
    • Preflight walkaround and startup procedure simulations.
    • Familiarization with avionics and visual cues for various maneuvers.
    • Practice for air traffic control (ATC) communication.
  • Users can interactively explore aircraft components; for example, selecting the jet engine visualizes the fuel system and its connections.
  • While the AR/VR program is still under development, the company showcased a demo at NBAA-BACE, highlighting its realistic and immersive capabilities.
  • CEO Zean Nielsen emphasized that reducing the cost of aircraft ownership begins with efficient training solutions. Virtual training could enable pilots to master avionics and ATC communication at home, reducing expensive in-aircraft training time.
  • Cirrus’s training offerings include customized programs for both new and recurrent training, supported by full-motion flight simulators and a network of certified instructors.
  • The Cirrus Assist mobile units, available in Arizona, Florida, and Utah, aim to enhance support for aircraft-on-ground events and other urgent maintenance needs.
  • The company continues to refine its Vision Jet series, with the latest G2+ model featuring advanced technologies such as Garmin Autoland Safe Return, inflight Wi-Fi, and improved takeoff capabilities.

Statements:

  • “One of the things that I want to do with Cirrus is drive the cost of ownership down, and the cost of ownership starts with learning how to fly,” said CEO Zean Nielsen.
  • “What if you could learn all that at home? What if you could be an expert in the avionics before you set foot in the aircraft? So now you can just focus your time on stick and rudder, takeoffs and landings, slow flight, steep turns—all of that.”
  • “We have yet to decide how we want to implement it in our training approach. What we don’t want it to be is gimmicky,” Nielsen stated regarding the AR/VR training integration.

Source: Cirrus Aircraft and Media Reporting

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Flight Simulator Manufacturer FTD.aero Celebrates Successful Re-qualification of 2 EASA FNPT II MCC Devices

Rome, Italy and Warsaw, Poland – Flight simulator manufacturer FTD.aero celebrates two successful recurrent qualification of company’s EASA FNPT II MCC flight simulation training devices, installed last year in Rome, Italy and Warsaw, Poland.

The success of two simultaneous re-evaluations confirmed not only compliance with the EASA certification standards but also FTD.aero’s commitment to quality and heavy-duty operational readiness of company-built devices.

Installed just over a year ago, both simulators have been tailored to meet the rigorous training demands of APS MCC programs enabling students to gain hands-on experience in extremely realistic airliner cockpit environments. Each simulator has undergone meticulous inspection and recurrent testing on-site by the EASA Inspectors, underscoring FTD.aero’s commitment to upholding and exceeding minimum regulatory requirements.

After over a year of intensive use in real-life training sessions, both customers commend FTD.aero’s support team for its professionalism and responsiveness. In addition to providing immediate assistance, FTD.aero’s customer support provides proactive approach, such as software improvements, hardware upgrades, real-time monitoring and preventive maintenance ensuring maximum uptime and seamless training continuity for both centers. This ongoing support plays a critical role in keeping the simulators in peak condition, enabling uninterrupted training schedules and enhanced learning outcomes for the students.

As FTD.aero looks ahead, the company is committed to furthering its reach and pushing the boundaries of simulation fidelity and device performance, ensuring that aviation training institutions worldwide have the tools needed to equip pilots with confidence, precision and safety. The company’s offer will be showcased at booth 234 at the European Airline Training Symposium  in Cascais, Portugal between 5th and 7th of November.

Source: FTD.aero
Photo Credit: Urbe Aero

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Garmin Introduces its Newest and the Most Advanced Integrated Flight Deck Yet – G3000 PRIME

Olathe, Kansas, USA – Garmin introduced G3000® PRIME, its most advanced integrated flight deck yet. Setting a new standard in integrated avionics, Garmin’s G3000 PRIME redefines the flight deck experience with sleek, intuitive, all-touchscreen displays and a highly flexible open system architecture that seamlessly adapts to serve a broad and dynamic market. With a state-of-the-art user interface design and advanced connectivity, G3000 PRIME leverages cutting-edge technologies that can enhance safety potential and efficiency while minimizing pilot workload in every phase of flight. Now FAA TSO certified, G3000 PRIME is ready to elevate and serve Part 23 turbine, military and advanced air mobility (AAM) markets.

“Twenty years ago, Garmin redefined the general aviation cockpit with the G1000, our first integrated flight deck. Ten years later, we introduced the G3000, bringing the first touch screens to the light turbine cockpit, and revolutionary technologies like the award-winning Garmin Autoland. With over 30,000 Garmin integrated flight decks now in service, we are proud to introduce G3000 PRIME, the industry’s most intuitive and advanced flight deck to date.” –Phil Straub, Garmin Executive Vice President and Managing Director, Aviation.

Stunning edge-to-edge glass flight displays

G3000 PRIME features expansive 14-inch touchscreen primary display units (PDU) with edge-to-edge, sunlight-readable, fingerprint-resistant glass, redefining expectations in cockpit aesthetics and functionality. The vibrant displays include multiple performance enhancements such as quadruple the memory and gigabit system connectivity that is up to 100 times faster. New, faster multi-core processors more than double the processing power – leveraging Garmin’s experience certifying multi-core technology for civil and military aviation markets as early as 2017. Additionally, higher display refresh rates provide crisp, smooth animations and an impressively responsive and fluid experience.

Complementary secondary display units (SDU) provide data entry and system control, with the added capability to display multi-function applications. The high-resolution, 7-inch SDUs boast a 40% increase in screen area over prior Garmin touch controllers. Additionally, in certain aircraft applications, the SDUs can double as an integrated standby flight instrument display, removing the need for a dedicated standby flight instrument in the panel.

G3000 PRIME’s new advanced multi-touch touchscreen interface, capable of recognizing up to 10 touchscreen inputs at once, allows both pilot and copilot to interact with the same display simultaneously. The enhanced multi-touch technology also enables on-screen hand stabilization, allowing pilots to give precise touchscreen inputs while simultaneously resting their fingers on the display. Support for dedicated control devices allow for intuitive physical control of commonly used functions through Garmin-designed products and third-party devices, as well as hands-on throttle-and-stick (HOTAS) controller designs for the military and defense markets.

Modern & intuitive new user interface

G3000 PRIME boasts a modern, yet familiar user interface, blending Garmin’s rich experience in avionics design with a sleek, contemporary look and feel. Enhanced fonts and iconography ensure clarity and familiarity, while smartly organized and shallow application menus provide quick access to critical functions.

Primary Flight Windows (PFW) and Multi-Function Windows (MFW) maximize situational awareness with full-screen or split-screen options. New quick access bars allow pilots to open common apps such as maps, traffic, weather and charts with one touch. While viewing maps, pilots can touch anywhere to open a radial menu with options for accessing additional airport, weather, or airspace information, or quickly adjusting a flight plan via graphical editing. Interactive engine and electrical indications allow pilots to quickly open systems controls and information such as cabin environmental controls, synoptics and more.

To further ease information management, the Window Manager feature allows pilots to configure app display, window sizing, and more across the entire flight deck from one SDU. The Window Manager also provides multiple preset options that can configure all displays with one command, eliminating the need for operators to manually configure each window for various phases of flight.

Advanced flight tools

G3000 PRIME provides enhanced flight management system (FMS) tools like the Modified Flight Plan, which allows pilots to use both the PDU and SDUs to provide a side-by-side graphical preview of flight plan changes, including performance calculation comparisons or what-if scenarios. During initialization, pilots can also elect to set up an Emergency Return function, which simplifies pilot responses to in-flight emergencies shortly after takeoff. Recently introduced to Garmin integrated flight decks,

Taxiway Routing has been further improved to provide automated route guidance on the 2D navigational maps and 3D Synthetic Vision Technology (SVT™) depictions.

G3000 PRIME provides advanced automation with smart checklists that are linked to crew alerting system (CAS) messages. When pilots receive a CAS message that is associated with a checklist, pilots may simply tap the message to open the appropriate checklist with a single touch. The checklists can also now sense indications and show within the checklist that the item is in the correct position, value or configuration – or provide pilots the option to quickly view detailed synoptics. Integration with Garmin-designed Electronic Power Distribution Systems replaces traditional switches with intuitive electronic circuit breakers, providing enhanced automation and ensuring a streamlined and modern cockpit experience.

Unmatched safety-enhancing innovations

G3000 PRIME features a wide array of industry-leading advanced safety-enhancing technologies available only from Garmin, including Autonomí, Garmin’s family of autonomous safety-enhancing technologies. Collier Trophy recipient, Garmin Autoland, can take complete control of the flight to land the aircraft in an emergency situation where the pilot is unable to do so1. Additional safety tools such as Smart Glide™, Smart Rudder Bias, Electronic Stability Protection (ESP™), Emergency Descent Mode (EDM) and Garmin Autothrottle further ensure confidence in every flight.

Garmin’s terminal safety solutions add even more capabilities to G3000 PRIME-equipped aircraft. Recently announced Runway Occupancy Awareness (ROA) technology analyzes GPS and ADS-B traffic information relevant to the airport’s runways and taxiways to assess and alert the flight crew of a possible runway incursion or collision. ROA builds upon Garmin’s other terminal safety solutions including Runway Overrun Awareness and Alerting System (ROAAS), 3D SafeTaxi® and Garmin SurfaceWatch™.

Seamless connectivity and integration

Stay fully connected while flying behind G3000 PRIME using a variety of supported connectivity options such as Wi-Fi, LTE, Bluetooth®, SiriusXM, Connext Satellite Services and more. Garmin’s PlaneSync™ connected aircraft management system automatically updates databases2, logs flight and engine data and allows aircraft owners and operators to remotely check fuel and systems status via the Garmin Pilot™ app3. Automated cockpit functions such as flight plan uploads over PlaneSync ensure pilots have access to real-time data, enhancing their operational efficiency and decision-making. G3000 PRIME also supports Controller Pilot Data Link Communication (CPDLC), including the FAA Data Comm and Eurocontrol Link 2000+ programs, for faster departure clearance (DCL) — as well as enroute exchange of data link messages with air route traffic control centers.

G3000 PRIME has received FAA TSO certification. Initial aircraft delivering with G3000 PRIME will be announced by aircraft manufacturers.

About Garmin International, Inc.
Garmin International Inc. is a subsidiary of Garmin Ltd. (NYSE: GRMN). Garmin Ltd. is incorporated in Switzerland, and its principal subsidiaries are located in the United States, Taiwan and the United Kingdom. Garmin, G3000 and SafeTaxi are registered trademarks and SVT, Smart Glide, ESP, SurfaceWatch, PlaneSync and Garmin Pilot are trademarks of Garmin Ltd. or its subsidiaries.

Source: Garmin
Photo Credit: Garmin

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Global Pilot Training Group Simaero to Host Thales to Discuss Advancements in Evidence Based Training PERCEVAL Project

Global operator of full flight simulator training centers Simaero will host the Thales Aerospace team at EATS 2024 to discuss advancements in Evidence-Based Training (EBT) through the PERCEVAL research project.

In March 2024 Thales announced that

  • Thales had formed a consortium with ENAC, l’ENS Paris-Saclay, Simaero, AviaSim and Corsair to develop a tooled methodology for evaluating pilot behaviour under the PERCEVAL project (Pilot bEhaviouR and CompEtency EVALuation).
  • The consortium brings together the expertise of all the stakeholders in the airline pilot training community, including airlines, training centres, civil aviation schools, and public and private research organisations.
  • This Thales-led research project is designed to meet the new flight safety requirements of the French Civil Aviation Authority (DGAC) and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).

Sponsored by the French Civil Aviation Authority (DGAC), the PERCEVAL project (Pilot bEhaviouR and CompEtency EVALuation) will be conducted by a Thales-led consortium including the ENAC national civil aviation school, the research Centre Borelli from l’ENS Paris-Saclay, the Corsair airline and the Simaero and AviaSim training centres to validate a new approach to behavioural evaluation of airline pilots and air traffic controllers.

Training programmes are changing rapidly in the civil aviation sector, particularly with the introduction of Evidence-Based Training (EBT) concepts and other new training and evaluation methods. One major benefit of the new approach is its focus on non-technical skills and their role in building trust and developing the capacity of crew members to recognise unexpected or unpredictable situations.

By bringing together all the stakeholders in the training community, the consortium will leverage this collective intelligence to reshape the future of airline pilot training and improve flight safety by continuing to reduce the risk of human error.

From ab initio training to recurrent training and crew training, the consortium has all the resources needed to design, develop and test this new technological concept. As consortium leader, Thales brings to the table the knowledge and technology from its research into human factors analysis for aircraft pilots based on a multi-modal approach combining voice, eye movements and motor skills.

Source: SIMAERO and Thales
Photo Credit: SIMAERO

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Training Aircraft Manufacturer Bye Aerospace Advances eFlyer 2 Prototype Meeting Partners at NBAA 2024

Las Vegas, USA – Rod Zastrow, CEO and President of Bye Aerospace, highlighted his experience at the 2024 NBAA Convention alongside CFO Jim Dunn, focusing on advancing collaborations for the company’s all-electric aircraft development.

Zastrow engaged with system partners such as Safran, supplying the aircraft’s electric motor, and Garmin, providing avionics solutions, as Bye Aerospace prepares for critical system integration in 2025. According to Zastrow, the eFlyer 2 prototype, Serial Number 001, is currently being fabricated at Bye Aerospace’s facilities in Englewood (Denver). This aircraft will be the company’s first full-scale model to undergo testing and integration, with the goal of establishing a new standard for electric flight training. The eFlyer series aims to revolutionize aviation training with zero-emission operations, lower noise levels, and reduced operating costs, offering significant benefits to flight schools and aviation communities.

Statement:

“Another great experience attending this year’s National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) convention with our eFlyer Team’s CFO, Jim Dunn. Enjoyed speaking with some of our functional system partners such as Safran (electric motor) and Garmin (avionics), and preparing for system integration in 2025 for our eFlyer 2 Serial Number 001 full-scale prototype now being fabricated at our facilities in Englewood (Denver), CO,” said Zastrow.

Source: Rod Zastrow (Bye Aerospace)
Photo Credit: Bye Aerospace

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