Story ID: 
Parrot Helps Pilots Transmit
By: Matt Thurber
Caption: King Schools, distributor for Redbird Flight Simulation’s desktop TD and TD2 flight training devices, demonstrated a new Redbird feature, the Parrot contex
Word Count: 178
King Schools, distributor for Redbird Flight Simulation’s desktop TD and TD2 flight training devices, demonstrated a new Redbird feature, the Parrot context-aware ATC simulator. Parrot responds to student radio calls depending on the “position” of the simulator. For example, before takeoff from a busy airport, the student will have to call clearance delivery to obtain a clearance, then ground, then tower. Approaching an airport, the student won’t be able to receive ATIS information until the simulated airplane is within proper reception range. Parrot will not respond if a student dials the wrong frequency when switching, say, from center to approach. If the student can’t figure out the problem, he or she can say “help” and Parrot will explain the problem. Parrot is an add-on option for Redbird simulators and comes in two versions, a home product for $2,995 for the desktop sims and one or two users and the pro version for flight schools with an unlimited number of voice profiles. To use Parrot, students have to spend 15 minutes training the system to recognize their voices.