Aviation schools and military training programs are on the leading edge of the learning process with AI and Augmented Reality. This article explains how these technologies can enhance efficiency, safety, and accessibility during training and on the job.
Aviation, a field that demands precision, skill, and continuous learning, has historically relied on traditional training methods. However, the landscape is rapidly changing, thanks to the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Augmented Reality (AR) into aviation education. To date, flight schools and aircraft maintenance training programs have used a combination of traditional classroom lectures and hands-on live training to prepare future aviation professionals. These methods, however, are not without their limitations due to cost, risk, and resource availability. In this blog, we will explore how these cutting-edge technologies are reshaping the way future aviators and aircraft mechanics are trained and educated, ushering in a new era of efficiency, readiness, and effectiveness.
The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Aviation Training
Traditionally, aviation training involved a blend of classroom lectures and hands-on experience. However, in recent years, flight schools and training programs have diverted from this model, introducing evidence-based training (EBT) and competency-based training and assessment (CBTA) (Farrugia, 2023). Enter AI-driven simulations, providing aspiring pilots with realistic virtual environments and adaptive learning systems. These AI algorithms can analyze training data in real-time, determine strengths and weaknesses each pilot possesses, and tailor a training program and flight simulation directly to the needs of each individual, optimizing training and making it as efficient and comprehensive as possible (Farrugia, 2023). These simulations offer a level of immersion that was previously unattainable, enabling trainees to develop their skills in a controlled yet authentic setting of real-life scenarios with risks to self and aircraft removed (Farrugia, 2023).
Augmented Reality in Aviation Maintenance Training
According to Alexander S. Gillis, Technical Writer and Editor for Tech Target, augmented reality, or AR, “is the integration of digital information with the user’s environment in real-time.” Gillis goes on to say that “unlike virtual reality (VR), which creates a totally artificial environment, AR users experience a real-world environment with generated perceptual information overlaid on top of it.”
For aircraft mechanics, the introduction of Augmented Reality has been a game-changer. AR applications facilitate hands-on training through interactive maintenance simulations, allowing mechanics to practice tasks in a virtual environment before tackling them on real aircraft. AR-enabled smart glasses are often utilized by mechanical training programs, allowing trainees to access real-time data or even guide and troubleshoot to common problems to enhance learning without ever deviating from the task at hand (Adamska, 2023). Moreover, AR can facilitate safety in aviation maintenance practices by providing details about potential hazards in certain situations, improving situational awareness of the mechanic, and decreasing the chance of workplace accidents.
Like AI in flight training, AR in maintenance allows trainees the opportunity to practice in real-life, real-time environments with a significantly decreased risk to self, machine, or future passengers before ever working on a real aircraft, all while simulating the stresses and intensity of a real-life maintenance scenario that may arise in the workforce (Adamska, 2023).
Finally, AR enables remote training capabilities, breaking down geographical barriers and enhancing teamwork and communication among mechanics from all over the world, both in real life and training. This opens incredible new doors for maintenance education programs, eliminating the mandate for on-site learning and allowing for a broader geographic pool of potential students. Programs that were previously limited by the need to get students on campus can now have AR partnerships around the globe, bringing in new students from new backgrounds with new ideas and improving the quality of the student being turned out into a technologically evolving workforce (Adamska, 2023).
Advantages of AI and AR in Aviation Education
The benefits of incorporating AI and AR into aviation training are substantial. By allowing real-time, low-risk training in adaptive scenarios, future pilots can be better prepared for any situation through repetitive exposure and training and improve decision-making by having more experience than ever before before sitting in an aircraft cockpit.
Maintenance technicians will be able to virtually work on problems and troubleshoot issues with even the most advanced aircraft on the market, including the emerging electrified aircraft, to the point where very few mechanical issues or problem-solving scenarios will be experienced for the first time in the field. However, AR and AI integration in integration, as in any industry, is not without challenges.
Challenges and Considerations
While the benefits are evident, it’s important to address concerns related to AI and AR in aviation. Security concerns are always paramount when it comes to technology, and ensuring encryption of sensitive data and information within AI and AR models is essential. Furthermore, as with any new development or innovation, resistance to the adoption of new technological training to augment, and in some cases replace, existing training methods will be present from traditionalists. Cases would need to be made in each specific situation on how the advent of new training methods like AI and AR will not only improve the outcomes for the students, but improve the safety, efficiency, and quality of the industry.
Success Stories and Case Studies
Advanced technologies in aviation education are not just a dream of the future. Schools are already integrating these advancements into their curriculum to set themselves apart from the competition and provide a world-class experience for their students.
Liberty University School of Aeronautics is already integrating flight data from electronic flight monitoring software to both flight simulators and physical aircraft, improving debriefing of students, diagnostics of aircraft issues, and allowing returning aircraft in the fleet to service faster and safer than ever before. According to Kevin Martin, Director of Technology and Innovations at Liberty, the technology has been a huge benefit to students (“Sky-high Tech,” 2023). “I can pull students’ flight information up on any computer to debrief on a nice big screen, enhancing the experience.”
Liberty is also utilizing new technologies to improve its maintenance and safety training. According to Andrew Walton, director of safety for the School of Aeronautics, “The ability to detect engine anomalies immediately after each flight has a direct impact on safe operations. Additionally, we are working with the FAA to make it possible for Liberty and other flight schools to more quickly upload this data to a protected database where we look through aggregate data for safety trends. (Sky-high Tech,” 2023).
Liberty is not the only institution adopting new technologies into its aviation programs to improve safety and efficiency. Faculty at Arizona State University are working to develop a new air traffic management software to improve safety Weisman and Faller, 2023). Delphi Training Corporation and the University of Alberta are working together to reduce time and cost in training new pilots with the aim of reducing the workforce shortage currently plaguing the industry (Lilwall, 2023). Finally, Prude Polytechnic Center for Research and Education in Advanced Transportation Ecosystems (CREATE), recently received a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for its AI and AR Research which spans over a dozen partners across the industry (Pompella, 2023).
The marriage of AI and AR with aviation education marks a revolutionary shift in how we prepare the next generation of aviators and aircraft mechanics. The industry must embrace these technologies proactively, recognizing the myriad benefits they bring while navigating the challenges responsibly. As we soar into the future, the synergy between human expertise and technological innovation will undoubtedly define the evolution of aviation training.
Adamska, I. (2023, July 13). Augmented Reality in Aviation Maintenance. NSFLOW. November 21, 2023, https://nsflow.com/blog/augmented-reality-in-aviation-maintenance#:~:text=By%20combining%20AR%20with%20digital,them%20on%20the%20actual%20aircraft.
Farrugia, K. (2023, September 21). Pilot training: How AI can shape its future. Raven. https://raven.aero/news/pilot-training-how-ai-can-shape-its-future/#:~:text=For%20example%2C%20AI%20can%20analyze,training%20that%20addresses%20specific%20issues.
Lilwall, S. (2023, January 12). Using AI in aviation training could help ease pilot shortage: News: Amii. Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute | AI for good and for all. https://www.amii.ca/latest-from-amii/using-ai-aviation-training-could-help-ease-pilot-shortage/
Pompella, N. (n.d.). NSF funds AI, Augmented Reality Research in Purdue Polytechnic’s aviation programs. NSF funds AI, augmented reality research in Purdue Polytechnic’s aviation programs – Purdue Polytechnic Institute. https://polytechnic.purdue.edu/newsroom/nsf-funds-ai-augmented-reality-research-purdue-polytechnic%E2%80%99s-aviation-programs
Sky-high Tech. Liberty Journal. (2023, April 4). https://www.liberty.edu/journal/article/sky-high-tech-school-of-aeronautics-staying-ahead-of-flight-training-trends/
Weisman, H., & Faller, M. B. (2023, October 19). Revolutionizing Air Traffic Control using AI. ASU News. https://news.asu.edu/20231019-revolutionizing-air-traffic-control-using-ai
