Flight Simulators Skyrocket

The demand, use, and adoption of flight simulators is skyrocketing.

The aviation industry has always been a leader in the use of training simulators, and they continue to push simulators to the forefront of training. A recent BBC New article, Flight Simulator Development Set to Soar, includes an interview with David Ownes, senior director of flight crew training at Airbus, who predicts the number of full-flight simulators will double in the next 10 to 20 years.

• There are currently 900 full-flight simulators in the world, estimated to double by 2032..
• By 2032, the number of jet airliners will double, to 40,000.
• By 2032, 517,000 new pilots will require training.

"The demand for training seems destined to increase significantly over the next 20 years as air travel grows, and the full-flight simulator is a vital part in the support of this growth."

Globally, as airline travel is predicted to continue to increase over the next 20 years, the aviation industry is forecasting unprecedented growth. Manufacturers that provide training for operators, airlines that have their own training centres, and third-party training facilities all around the world are all scrambling to buy as many simulators as they possibly can at the moment.

Interview with David Ownes, Airbus Senior Director of Flight Crew Training

Crash Shows Need For Simulators

A recent Air France crash, in which an Air Bus A330-200 jetliner plunged from 38,000 feet into the Atlantic Ocean, demonstrates the need for more realistic flight simulators that are capable of simulating the violent nature of aerodynamic stalls. A recent Bloomberg News article, Air France Crash Shows Need for Realistic Flight Simulators, reports that the FAA may soon require simulators to realistically portray stalls so that pilots experience realistic virtual portrayals of stalls in their training and learn how to react correctly. Simulators have the ability to recreate the surprise and confusion pilots face in real-life situations, a component that is critical to proper training.

South Africa Air Force Helicopter Simulator Cuts Costs

A recent Engineering News article, Helicopter Simulator to Boost South African Air Force Training While Cutting Costs, reports that Eurocopter recently unveiled the first full flight helicopter simulator in South Africa, a full motion simulator with six degrees of freedom, allowing it to completely reproduce the motions of a Eurocopter AS332 Super Puma helicopter. The simulator will provide valuable training as well as significantly cut the helicopter training costs, since training in the simulator costs approximately 25% of training in a real-world helicopter.

Aviation Growth Equates to Simulator-Based Training Growth

With the surge in growth of the aviation industry, the simualtor-training industry is set to follow in close succession. If, as expected, the number of jetliners swells to 40,000 by 2032, the there will be a need for about 517,000 new pilots in the next 20 years, and flight simulators will provide a considerable amount of the training they will require. Flight simulators allow pilots to train on a more frequent basis and for more specific maneuvers and emergency procedures, training that is essential when it comes to aviation safety. With the average flight simulator costing $25 million USD to purchase, and another $1 Million to maintain anually, it's estimated that the flight simulator market will be worth at least $25 billion USD over the next 20 years.

Training Simulator Return On Investment

Every time that we begin the development of a new training simulator project, it's important that we identify the return on investment (ROI) that clients can expect to receive. While most companies want to provide the best possible training to their employees, it often comes down to the bottom line and what their budget will support. Training simulators provide significant ROI to clients, as well as excellent training for operators.

When calculating the return on investment that a training simulator offers there are 2 main avenues to focus on. The first is that you will be able to reduce costs by avoiding accidents, and the financial burden that accompanies them. The second is that you will be able to increase revenue by having a more efficient and productive workforce, capable of moving more product in less time.

Take for example a forklift operator training simulator. The goal of a forklift training simulator is to minimize the risks posed by using a forklift in the workplace, and increase employee efficiency. However, when looking at the same project from an ROI perspective the goals of the project are cost reductions and increased revenue.

1. Cost Reductions: In order to understand the cost reductions that a forklift training simulation provides, one must first understand how a company would be affected financially if an employee had a forklift accident.
   






• Lawsuits and Liabilities: Companies regularly suffer large financial losses due to lawsuits and liabilities after a forklift accident. In addition to attorney fees, court costs and settlement amounts, companies often end up paying medical bills, disability payments, and funeral costs. Compare these amounts to the cost to develop a forklift training simulator, and your return on investment has just been handed to you.




• Injury or Death: In addition to the costs associated with forklift accidents, keeping employees safe should be every company's goal. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) estimates that there are approximately 85 forklift fatalities every year, in addition to 34,900 serious injuries and 61,800 non-serious injuries every year. OSHA also estimates that 70% of workplace accidents could have been avoided with proper training. Training simulators are one of the most effective learning tools and will help your company reduce their number of accidents immediately.




• Material Loss: Forklift accidents can damage not only the forklift, but other valuable company equipment, facilities, or merchandise. While a collision with a wall or shelf may be inconsequential, crashing a forklift into a gas or electrical system is dangerous and costly. Employees who experience accidents in the virtual world are able to learn from those mistakes, and are less likely to have accidents in the real-world.
  



• Maintenance Costs: Reductions in maintenance costs are not usually associated with safety training, but that's a mistake. Once a company is using a simulator to train their employees, their maintenance costs will drop since operators will no longer be misusing the equipment - causing unnecessary wear-and-tear on the machine.




2. Increased Revenue: In addition to reducing costs; training simulators allow your employees to become more efficient - producing more in less time, leading to more profit for the company. With a workforce that is well trained, employees will have fewer accidents, preform their jobs faster, and work more confidently - ultimately leading to a higher performing workforce. Training simulators lead to higher efficiency levels by providing a lifelike experience for operators to train within, so they can master their techniques and work more safely and quickly.
   






• Learn Best Practices: Novice operators who start their training on the simulator will be able to master every control of the machine and learn to apply best practices before they every step foot into a real-world piece of equipment. With less "on the job training" taking place, employees can hit the ground running and be more productive sooner.




• Practice in a Virtual Environment: In addition to learning how to operate a piece of heavy equipment, operators must become comfortable operating machinery within a workplace environment. Simulators allow your operators to master the spatial relations challenges posed by working in a busy warehouse that includes other forklifts, tight spaces, blind corners, foot traffic, etc.




• Operator Performance Tracking: Training simulators can track every bit of data that is generated during a simulation session, allowing for a performance tracking system to be implemented. This performance tracking system allows managers to see how their employees' training is coming along, identifying the best-of-the-best and the worst-of-the-worst, and seeing what specific skills certain employees may need to focus on. Simulators can track subtle behaviors that can go unnoticed in real-world training. Identification and correction of these mistakes further contributes to the ROI delivered by a training simulator.

Training simulators allow companies to provide their employees with a safe and cost-effective virtual training solution that allows operators to learn from their mistakes, rather than suffer from them. If a training simulator can prevent one accident from happening it can pay for itself, and can increase a company's bottom line.

ForgeFX Develops a Military Training Simulator for Dynamic Defense Materials

ForgeFX partnered with Dynamic Defense Materials to develop the McCurdy's Armor™ Military Training Simulator. This custom software solution is an interactive real-time 3D training simulator that allows soldiers to prepare for the assembly of the portable McCurdy's Armor™ system, in a safe and cost-effective way.


Military Training Simulator

Training for Mission Critical Tasks

It's a serious business when it comes to training people for war-ready professions. These people will be asked to perform mission critical tasks where lives hang in the balance of the outcome. Military training simulators allow soldiers to prepare for their operations well before they deploy to the battlefield, allowing them to achieve a higher rate of success.


3D Virtual Training Environment

McCurdy's Armor™ is a unique Lego™-like armor system that easily snaps together, allowing for the assembly of structures to meet any need. With proper training an essential requirement, Dynamic Defense Materials partnered with ForgeFX to develop this interactive 3D simulator that trains military personnel how to assemble the armor system rapidly. Military training simulators help keep soldiers well-trained and safe all around the world.


Training simulators improve success rates.

Custom 3D Simulation Software

ForgeFX custom developed this real-time 3D simulation software that provides virtual hands-on training and instruction on the configuration of McCurdy's Armor™. The program is a downloadable Windows-based desktop application, developed with the Microsoft XNA Framework. XNA is the programming environment and set of managed libraries, based on the Microsoft.NET Framework, that allows developers to use Visual Studio to create games that run on Windows-based computers, as well as the Xbox 360 console and Windows Phone.


Simulation-based training is safe.

Simulation-Based Training

Step-by-step, soldiers become participants in the construction of different types of structures, directly experiencing how the armor system works, and taking that muscle memory with them into the real-world. To learn more, please read the case study on the ForgeFX web site: McCurdy's Armor™ Military Training Simulator

If you're charged with training people for mission critical tasks, you're aware of the challenges and risks associated with conducting training on real-world equipment. Interactive 3D training simulators allow you to provide your operators with a safe and cost-effective virtual training solution. For an assessment of needs that are specific to your project, please contact us so we can review your requirements and put forward a project plan, including a technology recommendation.

Heavy Equipment Training Simulators Provide Immediate Cost Savings

Heavy equipment operator training simulators allow organizations to improve their bottom lines by reducing fuel consumption, limiting wear-and-tear on real-world equipment, and reducing accidents caused by inexperienced operators. Operators that receive simulation-based training demonstrate increased levels of productivity, pride in their profession, and higher levels of quality work. Organizations that train their heavy equipment operators on simulators report decreased levels of customer complaints, equipment downtime, accidents, and worker turnover. Manufacturers that offer training simulators with their products can expect higher levels of sales, customer satisfaction, and repeat business. In industries like mining and construction, that rely on heavy equipment and the people that operate them, these are all important components of running a successful and profitable business.

In this age of hyper-competition, companies that are able to differentiate themselves from their competitors will succeed, while those who don't will risk becoming obsolete. Many heavy equipment manufacturers have already deployed operator training simulators, while many others are rapidly developing them, in order to set themselves apart and stay ahead of their competition.

Volvo Wheel Loader Simulation

When it comes to training for heavy equipment operation, without risking injury to operator or machine, The Volvo wheel loader simulator is a great example of this concept. It provides an economical and efficient way of increasing safety and productivity. The simulator tracks operator's performance and compiles their statistics, making the simulation a valuable tool for tracking employee's development over time. Inexperienced operators can train in a safe environment and achieve higher levels of productivity in a shorter amount of time, while experienced operators can sharpen their skills and practice for more difficult maneuvers.


Volvo Wheel Loader Simulator Demo Video

Hitachi Mining and Excavator Simulator

The Hitachi EX5500-5 hydraulic shovel training simulator, developed with Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) controls and instrumentation, provides authentic training that leads to increased productivity and safety while reducing unscheduled maintenance on real-world equipment. Since vehicle efficiency can vary up to 40% based on the experience of an operator, simulation-based training can quickly lead to cost savings for any organization.


Hitachi Mining and Excavator Simulator Demo Video

Simulation-based training is the best way to keep personnel safe, machinery free from mishaps, and avoid unplanned maintenance costs caused by under-trained operators. Operator training simulators help organizations dramatically lower costs and address safety and production concerns while ensuring training can be conducted at anytime, regardless of weather conditions, increasing fuel costs, or other prohibitive real-world barriers.

Simulation Software is Cost-Effective for Emergency Response Training

When it comes to training for mission critical tasks, emergency response and first responder rank as some of the most important and difficult activities to train for. In today's economy, where emergency management agencies worldwide are finding their budgets slashed, it's becoming even harder to train for disasters. This is where simulation-based training software comes in, a safe and cost-effective method to train for something you hope may never happen, but something agencies must be prepared for. Simulation-based training is used to prepare for every kind of emergency, from public health, to hazardous materials, to natural disasters, to homeland security threats.

Last month an article in Emergency Management magazine included the following quote from Dale Hall, former director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Manufacturing Engineering Laboratory:

"Simulation is a valuable tool for emergency response and can be used for vulnerability assessment, planning, training and decision support. It was identified as the only feasible approach when it is difficult to do real-life experiments, as is the case for homeland security applications."

The article references a number of different emergency response training simulator systems that are currently in use to provide training and education to first responders.

Advanced Disaster Management Simulator

The New York City Office of Emergency Management has partnered with Environmental Tectonics Corp. to use their Advanced Disaster Management Simulator. The software allows them to test their ability to implement the citywide incident management system. High-fidelity 3D graphics, complex interactivity, and audio create a highly immersive, chaotic and stressful environment for first responders to train in.

HYDRA Simulator

The Los Angeles Police Department is the first governmental agency in the US to deploy a HYDRA simulator, an immersive simulator for critical incident training. The simulator system, located in the Ahmanson Recruit Training Center, allows the police to train for everything from earthquakes to acts of terrorism, which may give law enforcement a significant advantage during the next disaster.

Ops-Plus

Dartmouth College's Interactive Media Laboratory and Institute for Security Technology Studies created the Ops-Plus for WMD Hazmat program to help first responders train for terrorism response. Ops-Plus, part of the Virtual Terrorism Response Academy, allows officials to train in an immersive 3D environment for threats ranging from chemical, to biological, to radiological, to nuclear.

It requires highly specialized training to be a first responder when it comes to disasters. Using immersive 3D simulators to train for disaster management allows first responders to gain this training without having to put themselves in harm's way. There may be no better way to develop first responder skills than to experience an actual disaster, but real-world disasters are rare and no place for inexperienced responders to gain on-the-job training. Disaster training simulators enable life-like training that can help agencies develop disaster management strategies that can ultimately save lives in a real-world disaster.

U.S. Department of Defense Announces Latest Contract Awards

Even in a tight economic climate like the one we're in now, the military continues to invest millions of dollars in training simulation technology. The reason? Training simulators work. The ROI that training simulators deliver is tangible: fewer resources are used, fewer engine-use hours are logged on real-world equipment, trainees are kept out of harms way, and operators can practice difficult maneuvers repeatedly until they are fully mastered.

The U.S. Department of Defense released a list today of their latest contract awards. Two projects of interest on the list are the following 2 training simulator projects, with budgets totaling more than $21 million to be spent by the end of the fiscal year.

1. VSD, LLC, a Virginia Beach, VA based company was awarded a $15 million undefinitized contract to develop four offshore support vessel training simulators to be used by Iraqi Naval Forces. The Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division in Orlando, Fla., is the contracting agency. The simulators are scheduled to be completed in October 2011.
2. Cubic Applications, Inc., a Lacey, Washington based company was awarded a $6.7 million firm-fixed-price contract to develop a virtual constructive & gaming-integrated training environment in support of Army training strategies for the U.S. Army National Simulation Center. The Mission & Installation Contracting Command in Fort Eustis, Virginia is the contracting agency. The simulators are scheduled to be completed in August 2011.

U.S. Department of Defense Contract List, September 29, 2010

VSTEP Releases RescueSim Platform

The thing to note about this product is that it is not simply a one-off simulation, but is instead a fully-featured toolkit to construct a variety of unique simulation scenarios (within the limits of the building blocks that are provided).

From http://www.rescuesim.com/:

RescueSim is training software that prepares public safety and security professionals for real-life incidents in a virtual environment.

RescueSim allows emergency crews to experience the incident as they would in real-life. They assess the situation and determine the best response strategy, implement it and then observe the consequences of their decisions.

RescueSim offers important benefits:

• Train people whenever, wherever without time-consuming planning and preparation
• Improve operational preparedness of the emergency response organisation
• Reduce training costs
• Learn new skills in a safe environment