Training by simulator is often a cost-effective alternative to on-the-job training, and that can certainly be the case for those required to work in busy ramp conditions
Global Ground Support, the Kansas-headquartered specialist in ground support equipment, has for many years offered an extremely high-tech de-icing simulator package. Indeed, it is the only de-icing vehicle supplier to offer a simulator of its own design and build, explains Global Ground Support’s executive vice president worldwide sales service & marketing, Jeff Walsh.
It has been offering a de-icing simulator, first built for US carrier JetBlue, for nearly a decade, and there are more than 70 of them currently in use around the world with various airlines and handlers.
However, just this year – in January – a whole new variant, the Generation 2 Virtual Reality Deicing Simulator, was released to the market, full of new features and of a wholly new design.
The advent of virtual reality onto the commercially available stage was something that Global wanted to incorporate, and so over the course of about 18 months, the whole system was redesigned. Gen 2 employs the best of VR, the simulated environment it creates fully surrounding the user.
While Gen 1 was two-dimensional in its portrayal of the world and only allowed for with one de-icing unit with one operator to tackle one aircraft, Gen 2 allows for up to eight drivers and sprayers from various remote locations to train together. The software monitors performance and offers a score, allowing training to take place in a competitive, game-type mode. A score can be given to those being trained based on actual Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) holdover times.
The software models 18 different aircraft types, incorporates full fluid dynamics variables, different wind dynamic variations and can even alter the operating environment to simulate day/dawn/dusk/night de-icing operations.
It is so lifelike, says Walsh, that some customers regard an employee’s time spent on the simulator as exactly equivalent to time spent de-icing in the real world.
With de-icing fluid not coming cheap (perhaps as much as £4 or US$5.15 per gallon), the potential cost savings achievable through simulator training are obvious. Plus, as Walsh points out, it’s difficult to provide realistic de-icing training to personnel in a Northern Hemisphere June!
Customers of the Global Ground Support simulator include Air Canada, JetBlue, American Airlines, ASIG (now part of Menzies), Integrated Deicing Services (IDS) and – a major customer – the United States Air Force. Gen 2 has already been sold into the USAF, while numerous private sector airline and handling customers are also seeing their systems upgraded.
Feedback on Gen 2 has been “beyond incredible”, says Walsh.
