Lithuanian maintenance provider FL Technics is testing virtual-reality training aids in an effort to shorten the time it takes to train aircraft mechanics.
FL Technics says it is trialling a first VR module, which simulates the opening of the thrust reverser on Boeing 737NGs, and that it intends "to expand its list of modules in the coming month to the cover the full scope of [basic] maintenance training".
Trainees using the thrust-reverser program need to select the correct tools for the procedures, open the nacelle cover and reverse mechanism, and follow safety procedures.
The system will record any financial damage that may be incurred if the task is not completed as required, FL Technics says.
FL Technics
FL Technics' head of IT and innovations Ramunas Paskevicius states: "We are currently testing the modules in-house and this will give us a better idea of how they fit into the business.
"We are hoping to make the [training] process shorter, and prepare mechanics as fast as possible with no loss in quality," he adds.
Chief executive Zilvinas Lapinskas envisions that a typically three-month process to enrol a new mechanic in the operation could become a three-week one.
"Once we've reached that target, we’ll be looking into the possibilities of taking our training product to market," he says.
Source: FlightGlobal.com
