How Virtual Reality Trains Today's Airline Pilots For Tomorrow's Problems

What do airline pilots, police, and the military allcalled the box, you will be sweaty, & feel
have in common? They all use sophisticatedmentally exhausted.
virtual reality technology to train individuals. AirlineToday's airline pilots goes into the simulator once
pilots, and corporate pilots both use multi-milliona year if your a first officer, or twice a year if
dollar full motion level C,& D simulators thatyour a captain. Both pilots are graded either pass,
completely wrap around the cockpit view. Sittingor fail. The simulator is a good way for pilots to
in a motion simulator is like being in a virtual realityreview stuff they don't normally encounter. This
game. The cockpit of the simulator totally mimics,helps to keep them on their toes. Typically they
& feels the same compared to the actualreview preflight checks, low visibility take offs,or
airplane.problems after take off. In flight, they practice
The purpose of a virtual reality simulation is torecovery from stalls and navigation stuff like
condition, & modify your behavior so toentering & exiting of a holding patterns. They
respond to any type of emergency efficiently.practice steep turns to improve their scan &
Ironically, this technique is also used to modify thehand eye coordination.
behavior of fearful fliers too. The simulation canThey also practice four approaches into various
simulate any emergency more realistically thenchallenging airports in low visibility. Usually two of
the actual airplane. You can simulate an enginethese approaches will end up in a missed
failure, or fire as you take off. You could putapproach, or go-around with one engine failed.
obstacles on the departure such as mountains toWhile they are doing all of this they must practice
load up the stress level of flight crews. You couldgood communications in dealing with these
change to multiple environments like day, night,emergencies, dealing with flight attendants, and
dusk, or rain. You could change the weather likepassengers. When they come out the simulator
adding rain, snow, or thunderstorms. You couldwith a passing mark, the feeling is usually relief,
even add moderate turbulence as a distraction.and mostly confidence that you could deal with
Whatever the environment you want, theany type of emergency that comes your way
instructor can recreate it. By the time a typicalonce back on duty.
flight crew comes out the simulator that's also