Adaptive Training System Debuts for Flight Schools

Climb Aeronautics has launched an adaptive training management system designed for use by flight schools, colleges, universities, independent instructors, and student pilots. The system is introduced with the release of Climb’s Commercial Multi-Engine Add-On Rating course, available on the company’s website.

Founded by instructors and developers Susan Tholen and Robert Montgomery, Climb’s training management system tracks student progress on individual tasks and uses that data to determine when subsequent tasks are assigned or unlocked. The approach is intended to support different training paths and pacing among student pilots.

“There is a huge difference between ‘learning’ and ‘training,’” says Montgomery. “Learning involves straight lines, hard and fast rules, and teaching to the test. Training is a messy journey of discovery where mistakes are important, repetition builds performance, and opinions may vary. The goal of Climb is to bring the messiness back into flight training while retaining the rigor and record keeping we need to ensure quality.”

Tholen added, “As a CFI I found it incredibly frustrating to have a lesson that didn't make sense for the student, and then if I provided training on things that were a better fit for helping them along, I couldn't record that fact easily in a syllabus due to arbitrary constraints. I wanted a system that tracked how well the student had done on which maneuvers and gave me tools to see that in a way that helped me select the best items to do next. That's the paradigm we used to build the Climb TMS.”

The initial Commercial Multi-Engine Add-On Rating course was developed in partnership with Aviation Supplies & Academics. The course is priced at $125 and is available now. Climb is also developing private pilot and instrument airplane courses, with planned releases in the first quarter of 2026.