Flight training technology company Loft Dynamics announced Thursday it has raised $24 million in series B funding as it develops and refines virtual reality training systems for commercial airline pilots.
Loft Dynamics, which is co-headquartered in Santa Monica, California, and Zurich, developed the world’s only FAA- and EASA-qualified virtual reality (VR) helicopter simulator. It is now preparing to roll out next-generation simulators for the helicopter market and the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320.
The systems use VR headsets, haptics, and other tools to refine trainees’ skills.
In an interview with FLYING this week, Loft Dynamics founder and CEO Fabi Riesen said the technology will reduce pilot training bottlenecks and spare carriers the cost of sending new hires hundreds or even thousands of miles away to train with full flight simulators, which are large and expensive to operate and maintain.
“Pilot training hasn’t kept pace with the rest of aviation,” Riesen said. “We’re still sending trainees across the country to sit in $10 [million]-$20 million, warehouse-sized domes—technology that hasn’t evolved in decades. In an era of pilot shortages and increasing air mobility, that’s simply no longer sustainable. We’re building a new standard—one that’s far more realistic and accessible.”
Loft’s latest funding round was led by The Friedkin Group consortium, with participation from Alaska Airlines and current shareholders Sky Dayton, Craft Ventures, and UP Partners. Alaska is investing through its corporate venture capital arm, Alaska Star Ventures.
“We are excited to support Loft Dynamics in bringing FAA-qualified VR technology to commercial airline training,” Pasha Saleh, corporate development director at Alaska, said in a statement. “We look forward to working closely with Loft to revolutionize pilot training, making it more immersive and effective. This investment will not only enhance our industry-leading training program but also pave the way for future training solutions across the aviation industry.”
As part of The Friedkin Group’s investment, chairman and CEO Dan Friedkin will join Loft’s board of directors.
Loft has now raised a total of $60 million.
‘Swiss Army Knife’
Loft’s fixed-wing aircraft simulators will include a multicrew replica cockpit with haptics, body- and eye-tracking, and training intelligence to measure pilot performance and deliver feedback. A new feature, LoftWIN, allows instructors to record lessons that trainees can replay and study.
“You get a first-class training session from the best flight instructors, and with that, the pilot can fly by him or herself, and then with the data we can benchmark and spot very easily where the next improvement could be made,” Riesen said. “And that’s a completely new way of using VR.”
Loft is also developing a spatial computing-powered training kit that will allow pilots to train remotely, review sessions, and access training content from their base or home. The kit, which Riesen referred to as a “Swiss Army knife in the pocket” of a pilot, is meant to help trainees continuously sharpen their skills without relying on expensive flight training devices or crude, homebuilt cockpit replicas.
Taken together, Riesen said, Loft’s new offerings will expand training opportunities and allow pilots to gain experience on some of the aircraft they will actually fly in commercial service.
“Think about if you were to get full access to a Boeing 737 simulator—it’s probably much more valuable than just flying a Cessna up and down the beach,” he said. “You basically get familiar with the aircraft, and you can train all the emergencies and accidents to learn the decision-making, which you will not do if you just fly a Cessna.”
