Technology Enables Ground Support Equipment Training

Airside International article: Technology Enables GSE Training.

This article discusses the 3D training simulator ForgeFX developed for Global Ground Support. Airside International is a quarterly magazine aimed at airport authorities, airlines, equipment providers, and infrastructure developers. The article includes an interview with Jeffrey Walsh, Vice President of Sales and Service for Global Ground Support, Greg Meyers, President for ForgeFX, and Adam Kane, Technical Director for ForgeFX.



Global Ground Support offers the market the 3D simulation software developed by ForgeFX as part of a package with their equipment. The first simulator was delivered in December 2007 to JetBlue. The deicing simulation has been a huge success and has generated an incredible amount of interest. Global has a simulator with a customer who does not even have any of their trucks, but because the controls are very similar between competitors’ vehicles and their vehicles, they get a lot of the benefit from the 3D simulator.

It is possible to train a ground support operator to use a deicer correctly through simulation-based training in just 30 minutes. In the past, companies would take their new employees, put them through 8, 12, or 16 hours of classroom deicing training, then they would put them in a truck for one, two, or four hours depending upon the customer to teach them how to use the truck. Unfortunately, most of this training took place in August, September, or October. Those new employees might not actually spray an aircraft for several months, they then get into a very complicated piece of equipment in which to perform difficult tasks in a timely fashion. The only piece of equipment on the ramp that is more complicated to operate than a deicer is an aircraft, this clearly demonstrates the need for high quality training.

The training simulation goes beyond just teaching an employee how the controls of the truck work. It gets into the whys of the actual deicing process. It trains not only on truck operation but also on the processes and procedures involved in deicing an aircraft correctly, safely, and cost effectively.

Jeffrey Walsh, Vice President of Sales and Service for Global Ground Support, was able to take his 20 years of airline, airport, deicing, and flying experience; couple it with ForgeFX's simulation development expertise, to create a new deicing training program that brought deicing and simulators to the next level. Global Ground Support is striving to make this simulation equipment increasingly real every day. The next update to the simulator will show the fluid flowing off the wings. It will also have wind speed and wind direction and all sorts of other components that make it even more real. Simulations can never be too real.

Full article: Technology Enables GSE Training
Project case study: Interactive 3D deicing training simulator.

Global Ground Support and ForgeFX Partner to Develop an Interactive 3D Deicing Training Simulator

San Francisco, CA, United States, 02/09/2009 - ForgeFX, a leading interactive 3D simulation and serious game developer, has produced and deployed an aircraft deicing training simulator for Global Ground Support's clients. The simulator allows airport ground support equipment operators to train for the deicing process with more flexibility and a lower cost than traditional training.



Ice, snow, freezing rain, and other contaminants can build up on an aircraft making it dangerous to fly. Deicing is a complex, multi-step process that if done properly returns the aircraft to a clean safe state.

Proper deicing is mission critical, requires a high level of dexterity and spatial relations ability, an intimate knowledge of the aircraft, and the impact of different weather conditions. The challenge is that training is costly, requires the availability of expensive equipment, and must be comprehensive, covering a wide variety of factors including plane type, weather conditions, time of day, wind speed, contamination type, etc.

Global Ground Support’s simulator, based on their model 2200TEAP, addresses these issues. The simulation allows the user to train across a variety of factors. The training simulation offers the ability for users to practice and take a performance test while deicing a virtual aircraft. The simulation tracks the performance of users and records their scores for review by the instructor. The simulation provides both an overall score, as well as a detailed score breakdown, for each simulation session. This scoring system encourages healthy competition among users while learning the correct procedures.

The operator sits in a virtual cab which is attached to a boom arm, which is attached to a truck. The operator of the simulation has full control over the 2200TEAP’s boom arm, cab rotation, truck location, nozzle settings, fluid selection, cab lights, type of plane, time of day, and weather conditions. This gives airlines the ability to train their operators without risking damage to the real-world equipment. Also, virtual training doesn’t use up consumables such as fuel and expensive fluids. Deicing operators must be careful when deicing an aircraft, since a collision between deicing equipment and a plane is costly. A collision requires planes to be grounded and flight delays - a costly mistake in reality becomes a valuable lesson when simulated.

Case Study: Interactive 3D Deicing Training Simulator

ForgeFX’s solid track record in the development of effective simulation products was key to Global Ground Support‘s selection of the ForgeFX team. Representing industry leaders such as Adobe, Pearson Education, Farmers Insurance, Heifer International, and Pfizer, ForgeFX consistently delivers interactive 3D simulations that help achieve their client’s project goals while optimizing their bottom lines.

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Read more at: http://www.darfurisdying.com/

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Welcome

ForgeFX is an interactive 3D simulation, serious game, and training simulation development company . We provide software development services for clients looking to create both online and offline interactive content. Our clients compete in the education, training, and entertainment industries.

It's no secret that we learn best by doing, and real-life experience is the best way to learn. When it comes to making critical decisions, the key to success is comprehensive training and feedback. In the real world, this can be expensive, impractical, and depending on the tasks even hazardous.

ForgeFX creates realistic interactive simulations that give users the ability to learn effectively while reducing physical and financial risks. We provide custom-developed interactive simulations to our clients. Whether you are trying to educate, train, inform, or entertain, interactive 3D simulations fully engage your target audience.

There are also other important business benefits that interactive 3D simulations bring to the table. A subtle, but important, benefit is that of differentiation. The internet has given people more choice than ever, making it critical that you stand out from your competitors.

With the increasingly mainstream adoption of near-cinematic quality 3D entertainment experiences, you need to be able to compete for your audiences' attention. Interactive 3D simulations, in addition to their instructional effectiveness, deliver a powerful “wow” factor that should not be underestimated. The vast internet audience coupled with the rapid adoption of 3D technologies makes interactive simulations easier to deploy than ever before.

This blog will contain posts relevant to the interactive 3D simulation industry.