September 14, 2020

Vehicle Environmental Test Center Expands AR and VR Use

SCT continues to observe and report on industries around the globe embracing virtual reality, augmented reality and mixed reality throughout their systems and products’ life cycles. One recent, attention-getting case of these technologies being used to gain efficiencies on the “front end” of products life cycles, can be gleaned at Allison Transmission’s new Vehicle Environmental Test center. Marty Kauchak reports.

The Allison Transmission brand is familiar around the globe, with the company noting “it is the largest global manufacturer of medium- and heavy-duty fully automatic transmissions and a supplier of commercial vehicle propulsion solutions, including electric hybrid and fully electric propulsion systems.”

To help Allison maintain its edge in this sector, the company recently opened the VET center to conduct year-round testing, replicating vehicle environments and duty cycles, compressing product development times and supporting innovation for the industry.

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The Next Pilot Shortage PREMIUM

The accession pipeline in the US for new pilots, increasingly dependent on learning technologies, is being restored, and none too soon, as a pilot shortage is eyed toward the mid-part of this decade. Marty Kauchak reports. Civil aviation remains on a turbulent path in the attempt to return to pre-Covid-19 operating levels. With lackluster passenger demand and the unsteady pace of restoring domestic and international routes, the industry is no longer facing the pilot shortage with which it was grappling just a few months ago. Reopened flight training programs, which increasingly rely on distance learning and other technologies to help select and retain aspiring pilots, are part of the strategy to help minimize a predicted next pilot shortage for later this decade. Looking to read the full article? Become a Premium Club member and gain full access today!

A Conversation With Kit Darby PREMIUM

CAT Editor-in-Chief Rick Adams, FRAeS, talks with Kit Darby, one of the leading experts on professional pilot careers about the state of the North American aviation market – recovery, retirements, furloughs, pay packages, and advice for moving to the head of the queue when hiring restarts (perhaps sooner than you think). The first section of this five part series is on Airline Recovery Scenarios and the Impact of Pilot Retirements. Kit Darby outlines possible airline recovery models, pilot retirements at the major US airlines, scenarios for the resumption of pilot hiring, and a comparison of airline early-retirement offers.