Our products let crew members first learn at their own pace, then practice with guidance in real time, and finally test their ability while using the airline’s specific procedures and verbiage. Aircraft models are working, flying cockpits – specific enough to let crew members rehearse motions using controls in the same relative positions as their line-flying counterpart. It strokes more neural pathways than video, or reading.

Variation and randomization help ensure that crews still go through the thought process, building quick-decision response as well, a critical skill in scenarios requiring immediate action.

Products work both on crew member iPads, and in Virtual reality. They all use the same Learn, Practice, Test paradigm.

Learn Mode

The learner gets guidance on what control to act on, what to do, then waits for their response. When that step is complete, the next step flashes with instructions near the control.

Practice Mode

Once they’re doing well, they move to Practice Mode where the hints and flashing are available, but each step must be completed within a prescribed time. Otherwise, a message offers where they went wrong and offers to restart or exit.

Test Yourself

The final mode for a given scenario is Test. Learners feel ready. They get no hints and must complete the tasks in time. Their time is displayed (in the Flow Trainer) to provide a small competitive effect.

The Pilot Response Trainer is built on a 3D flight simulator with custom flight code that’s optimized for training. It’s easy where it needs to be but realistic enough to model typical jet flight behavior, including roll/pitch inertia, attitude reactions to power changes, stalls and others. Relevant warnings and sounds improve the experience. Random elements further help with realism. For example, crew members don’t know whether they will need to reject a takeoff since stimuli (like a fire bell) may happen past V1.

Flight scenarios are built according to your company’s Quick Reference Handbook (QRH) and operations manual.

Scenarios can include Trim Runaway, Rejected Takeoff (RTO), Stall Recovery, Go-Arounds, Evacuations, and just about anything else that is procedure based as most situations are. Even upset recovery can be handled. It handles emergencies that aren’t necessarily step by step. Evacuations, for example, only requires that crew members get the speedbrakes and flaps down before shutting off the engines, and shutting off the engines before calling for an evacuation.

RTO is a good example. The jet is rolling down the runway when a cockpit window opens. If it happens below 80 knots, aborting or continuing are acceptable responses. Reaching up to close the window, at least for the pilot flying, is not. The sim allows the pilot to reach up and close it but will display a note saying “Not recommended: abort (if below 80 kts) or continue”. If the pilot is below 80 kts and decides to reject, he must do so in the correct order and within the maximum time limits to succeed.

The Cockpit Flow Trainer lets pilots learn then rehearse cockpit flows using Learn, Practice, and Test Yourself like the response trainer.

Some items handled those with no control to move, like looking at a logbook, checking the flight release, or briefing flight attendants.

It’s also a system trainer. In Learn mode, when the pilot switches on certain critical systems, highlights appear flashing to show what individual switches or indications change status or become energized. It’s a powerful, visual learning tool to understand the implications of each action as well as a reminder on where to look to make sure the system responded properly.

The Systems Trainer adds functioning diagrams to expose what’s happening behind the scenes as a pilot makes changes.

Our Learn/Practice/Test training tools can be imposed on top of this to help teach understanding in a highly effective manner. All without instructor supervision. It CAN be instructor led, and there’s a place for that, but being self-contained gives a lot of power in one place.