Virtual Reality’s Impact on Flight Training Continues to Grow

KLM Airlines and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University are two entities using this new technology.

Tuesday, April 26, 2022 at 07:41 AM ET

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Jayla Thirtyacre, a senior in the Prescott Campus Cyber Intelligence and Security program, with math and computer science minors, tests the controls in Embry-Riddle’s virtual reality flight simulator. [Photo: David Thirtyacre/Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University]

Key Takeaways:

Virtual Reality (VR) is proving highly effective in flight training, significantly reducing procedure completion times and overall training costs for both airlines (e.g., KLM) and academic institutions (e.g., Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University).
VR applications are diverse, encompassing aircraft familiarization, detailed walkarounds, emergency procedure simulations (including multiplayer scenarios like cabin fires), and AI-driven air traffic control communication training.
The technology fosters better-prepared and more confident pilots with reduced anxiety, ultimately contributing to addressing the pilot shortage by making flight training more accessible, efficient, and sustainable.

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VR is here to stay.

In December, I offered a window into how virtual reality was being implemented in flight training and suggested it could be an essential tool in lowering training costs for the next generation of pilots. I couldn’t anticipate the overwhelming interest that I’d receive from readers eager to learn more. It has only expanded my perspective on how critical this technology will be in training moving forward. Since then, two things have caught my attention that merit an update. In February, Chris Koomen, a virtual reality engineer and specialist at Air France–KLM Airlines Group, posted this viral walkaround video that his department produced. A pilot in training would be able to use the Oculus Quest 2 for business headset goggles and module for initial training on the 787.