Charles Le Bot, executive director of French company Exail, said that the company sees an increasing potential for reality in flight and maintenance simulators. French aviation training specialist ICARE has recently selected Exail’s next-generation EASA FTD2/FNPT II simulator to train its users’ A320 pilots.

Exail’s EASA FTD2/FNPT II training simulator must be delivered on 6 July before it is approved by DGAC (French General Directorate of Civil Aviation) in July. AFI KLM E&I also recently selected Exail to develop and supply a complete flight simulator for the French Air Force and Space military aircrew as part of its cockpit upgrade.

The company believes that VR development has the potential to improve education in the industry and the ability to provide a greater experience at a lower cost.

“We have added virtual reality goggles to be able to see mixed reality. You see the material environment such as the cockpit, your hands, in ‘real’ but anything exterior is virtual reality,” Le Bot says. “Virtual reality is not yet something that is approved for pilot training. It’s being studied and the regulations should and will evolve. We are at the start of VR technology to be able to integrate it into training within the regulations.” 

Further ahead, Exail, which also makes Boeing 737 simulators, sees the potential that VR technology could replace some existing simulation technologies. “We already have the technological bricks in place,” Le Bot says.  

The training segment is set to experience strong demand. “Airbus is growing its A320 production to 75 per month. Depending on the airline, 10-16 pilots are needed per aircraft. There is a big need for pilots and a big shortage of pilots,” Le Bot says. “Around 11-13,000 ab initio pilots are needed worldwide per year and we want to position ourselves in this market.” 

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