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Aeronautics School stays ahead of flight training trends
Virtual reality, augmented reality and artificial intelligence were once buzzwords about the future. Now, this modern technology is becoming commonplace in our homes, workplaces and classrooms. Liberty University’s School of Aeronautics is at the forefront of revolutionizing pilot training using the latest technological advances, sending out graduates well-prepared to meet the growing needs of the industry.
Integrating the new technology is the primary focus of Kevin Martin, director of technology and innovation, working out of the simulation center in Demos Hall and the university’s Aerospace Laboratories for Engineering Research and Education (CERE). In the fall, Liberty became one of the following. Elementary schools also attach electronic flight bags (EFBs) — tablets equipped with flight-data tracking software — to simulators (called flight training devices, or FTDs) in addition to the aircraft. EFBs can access flight history data directly from aircraft avionics using CloudAhoy, a post-flight reporting program, and AirSync, a cloud-based service.
“We actually did the systems integration of the aircraft and the simulators. It’s all cloud-based,” said Martin. “Technology-wise, everything we do is focused on our students’ experience, whether it’s virtual reality headsets or artificial intelligence flight simulators that allow students to learn how to fly before they even get on a plane.”
Another app, ForeFlight, helps with flight planning and check-in, along with charts, weather and airport information, document management and more. The apps agree to provide a fluid, efficient system.
Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) tablets were introduced to the School of Aeronautics’ flight training operations at the beginning of the fall semester. (Photo by Matt Reynolds)
“This really takes our program to that major step, to be able to pull all that data in,” Martin said.
90 FBS are issued to all Liberty flight instructors and certain flight professors, with AirSync software installed on a total of 27 aircraft (two more on the way) and all FTDs.
Director of Flight Operations Ian Dutkus said of AirSync getting up and running, “We were able to investigate potential and report aircraft issues more efficiently and return aircraft at a much more efficient rate. This efficiency allowed us to achieve a higher schedule efficiency percentage in support of overall student achievement goals.”
Both the aircraft and simulators are equipped with Garmin 1000 avionics, which provide pilots with a wealth of flight-critical information on high-resolution screens.
“We’re going to look at our entire fleet over time and start pulling those data analytics, because they’re coming directly from the aircraft, to really ask what do we need to do to train better, what do we need to be smarter about,” Martin said. And I can enhance the experience. It allows you to visualize what you wrote in your notes instead of trying to remember them. Most pilots are hands-on, visual learners, so it really gives them that ability. It also helps us exchange and communicate information faster, which saves money at the end of the day.
Students can get hands-on practice with the school’s three Garmin G1000 desktop trainers that replicate the cockpit equipment.
Flight instructors and student pilots work together in one of the Freedom Flight Training Devices (FTD) using an Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) tablet. (Photo by Chase Giles)
Johnny Hewitt, director of flight training, said the use of advanced technology has not only made the briefing process more standardized, but also boosted the overall learning process and student performance.
“The ability to see and play back the actual G1000 flight data after every flight and simulator lesson has completely changed the game,” he said. “Our students now share a heightened awareness of their performance in flight, and that will only continue to aid their success throughout their training with LUSOA.”
Andrew Walton, director of safety at the School of Aeronautics, said the new technology would be invaluable to safe flight training practices.
“The ability to detect engine abnormalities immediately after each flight will have a direct impact on safe operations. Additionally, we are working with the FAA to quickly upload this data to a secure database for Liberty and other flight schools where we can view aggregate data for safety trends.”
Another technology that has changed the direction of flight training is virtual reality.
“VR is the future of aviation training because it allows you to have a more immersive experience,” Martin said. “We started researching VR and related hardware and found FlightSim really good at building systems that work really well in VR.”
VR is being used to train airport management students at Dulles (Va.) and Seattle-Tacoma (Wash.) International Airports by viewing computer-generated imagery (CGI) through a headset.
“The more we can trick the brain into believing it’s an experience in a simulated world, the more intensity and impact you get, so the more connections you have,” Martin said. “Now, with virtual reality, the students can walk and practice in reality. Everything is geospatially accurate, meaning if that particular object is 6 feet away in the software, you have to walk 6 feet to get to it. The mind sees that and does an amazing job of relating it to reality.
Student-pilots also use robust VR systems at CERE, while SOA has testbeds for faculty, staff, students and industry partners to explore a variety of new technologies. On campus, you can find seven TakeFlight simulators equipped with AI technology, which Martin hopes to enhance with VR headsets this fall.
“TakeFlight is amazing because the artificial intelligence instructor is in there and teaches you how to fly — how to launch, how to taxi, how to take off, how to take off, how to circle, climb, descend, turn — without human interaction,” he said. . “When you’re in flight, he’s talking to you, telling you what to do, giving you feedback, and going through a lot of lessons based on FAA standards. Those are no-cost, self-paced learning tools. Students can come in here and practice as much as they want to get good, and they do it before they hit a big sim, a flight instructor, or a plane. This saves us a lot of time as they know taxis on foot which many people struggle with.
A VR system has also been added to the school’s UAS (Unmanned Aerial Systems, or commonly called drones) simulator.
“Obviously, we want to build the very latest technology and be able to use that, but expanding on that will expand our field by attracting more people to this Christian university to go out into the world. The gospel of Christ is this kind of training,” Braden Johnson (’22), Liberty UAS Operations. said the coordinator.
Martin added, “That’s the goal Training champions for ChristHe said.
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