Alaska Airlines has officially announced an investment in Loft Dynamics, an industry leader in virtual flight training and the developer of the only FAA- and EASA-qualified virtual reality (VR) helicopter flight simulator.
According to certain, the stated investment, which is made through Alaska’s corporate venture capital arm i.e. Alaska Star Ventures, should be able support the development of world’s first ever hyper-realistic, full-motion Boeing 737 VR simulator. This development will be facilitated using extended reality (XR) technology and techniques, with the goal of enhancing Alaska’s pilot training program and informing future training solutions across the industry.
To understand the significance of such a development, we must take into account how traditional full-motion simulators have long been the gold standard for airline training, as they translate to an essential and proven method for pilot instruction. Having said so, the stated technology also comes with substantial carbon footprint, high cost, and operational constraints that limit their scalability and accessibility.
This would spell the need for a more flexible solution, and to address the given need, VR has now emerged as a suitable solution.
Anyway, once the VR simulators are developed, built and approved, Alaska and Loft will install them at individual Alaska bases for pilot training.
“Alaska has a long history of pioneering aviation advancements, from launching the first online ticket sales to becoming the first airline to design and implement satellite-based approaches. Now, by investing in the development of full-motion VR simulators, Alaska is once again moving the industry forward,” said Fabi Riesen, founder and CEO at Loft Dynamics. “With aviation safety as a top priority and a global pilot shortage still looming, this partnership paves the way for airlines worldwide to train the next generation of exceptional pilots more efficiently and effectively than ever before.”
Talk about what these VR simulators will feature on a more specific note, we begin from their six-degrees-of-freedom full-motion platform, which comes bearing improved pilot motion cueing that replicates real-world physics, force feedback from flight controls, and all haptic sensations of the aircraft.
Next up, there is on the offer a 360-degree panoramic 3D view. This view will effectively provide you with correct visual cues inside and outside the aircraft. The simulators in question will also have an advanced full-body pose tracking facility that makes it possible for pilots to see their hand and body movements in real-time within the VR environment.
Another detail worth a mention here is rooted in the potential for customizable training scenarios and environments. Both these components basically link-up to help pilots practice any situation, condition, as well as maneuver safely and realistically.
Alongside that, we have the prospect of a compact size, which mandates no more than 1/12th the space of legacy full-flight simulators, allowing for increased accessibility and flexibility.
“Pilot training has significantly evolved over the past 30 years, from training solely in an aircraft to using full-flight simulators. With the potential of Loft’s hyper-realistic VR simulator, we could be transforming commercial pilot training as we know it today,” said Capt. Jeff Severns, managing director of flight operations training at Alaska Airlines. “These VR simulators could provide a fully immersive, high-fidelity, data-driven experience that replicates real-world flight scenarios — all in a device compact enough to fit in a standard office. This accessibility could allow pilots to refine their skills.”
Hold on, we still have a couple of bits left to unpack, considering we haven’t yet touched upon simulators’ virtual demonstration mode. This mode ensures that instructors can record immersive lessons, including visuals, audio, and control inputs for pilots to replay and learn from during future simulator sessions.
Rounding up highlights would be the LoftSPATIAL app for Apple Vision Pro. When connected to the simulator, the stated app enables pilots to use spatial computing to train anytime, anywhere.
“Our investment in Loft Dynamics underscores our conviction in this technology, which enables hyper-realistic training of complex scenarios more effectively and more relevantly,” said Pasha Saleh, director of corporate development at Alaska Airlines. “Over time, this technology would enable us to bring critical training closer to the pilot base, reducing unnecessary travel and time while delivering industry-leading pilot training.”
