Fractional aircraft provider PlaneSense has partnered with VRpilot on a virtual reality (VR) cockpit procedure trainer for its nearly 300 pilots. The Portsmouth, New Hampshire-based company operates a fleet of 43 Pilatus PC-12 turboprop singles and 14 PC-24 twinjets.
With the VRpilot solution, PlaneSense can efficiently provide in-house cockpit familiarization instruction to new hires and upgrading captains. Dubbed VRflow, the platform will enable the Pilatus operator to add more dimension and functionality to flight crew instruction while also reducing the costs and complexity of training at different locations.
“PlaneSense is known for its rigorous pilot training. We have always been on the leading edge of technology in our aircraft and our training,” said v-p of flight operations Kevin Gordon. “Partnering with VRpilot and its innovative product makes perfect sense to improve fidelity and efficiency in our training program.”
According to the companies, studies show that VR-assisted learning has the potential to improve knowledge retention by up to 400 percent. PlaneSense will use off-the-shelf Pico 4 Enterprise VR headsets to run the VRflow platform.
PlaneSense does all PC-12 pilot training in-house but leases simulator time from FlightSafety International. The company does subcontract out the simulator-based portion for PC-24 pilot training to FlightSafety, a spokeswoman told AIN.