High Tech

LIFT ACADEMY ELEVATES FLIGHT TRAINING TECHNOLOGIES

Technology. It’s prevalent in everyone’s lives, and the commercial airlines are no exception. More sophisticated technologies are being incorporated into today’s aircraft—specifically in the cockpit, making flying more precise, easier and most importantly, safer. It only makes sense that pilot training institutions like Leadership In Flight Training (LIFT) Academy are making sure its students receive instruction using the most up-to-date technologies available.

Ed Bagden, Associate Director of Flight Operations & Safety at LIFT—which is owned and operated by Republic Airways—talked about the high tech they’re using (and flying) and the reasons behind their implementation. “LIFT Academy is a technology-focused organization throughout all levels of the operation. Many of the decisions we made when choosing the best hardware and technology for LIFT were driven by our experience as an airline training pilots for the past 40 years,” Bagden said. “Pilots at LIFT use manuals and procedures that closely mirror those at Republic Airways. While these procedures have been adapted to the single-pilot training environment, the core philosophy has not changed, and these skills are highly transferrable when LIFT graduates transition to Republic as First Officers through LIFT’s classroom-to-cockpit pathway.”

ELECTRONIC FLIGHT BAGS

On day one at LIFT, students are issued an iPad as their Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) just like the airline pilots use, complete with a LIFT Academy custom version of Garmin Pilot software and Jeppesen charts, which are also used by Republic Airways pilots every day. LIFT pilots are able to overlay the approved practice areas on top of any aeronautical chart, enhancing situational awareness during training flights. Every student also receives a Bose A20 Aviation Headset, the exclusive provider of headsets to LIFT.

FLIGHT SIMULATORS

Flight simulators are the backbone of hands-on training at any airline, and high-fidelity simulators are a core part of the training experience at LIFT Academy. LIFT’s simulators are produced by Diamond Simulation, part of the Diamond Aircraft family. Built “one-to-one” with the aircraft, these simulators create a more immersive environment for the pilot and ease the transfer of skills from simulator to aircraft. They feature 180-degree wraparound visual displays, a full cockpit with working canopy, accurate control loading and the ability to simulate many emergencies and environmental phenomena that would be unsafe or impossible in the aircraft.

TRAINING AIRCRAFT

When it came time to choose its training fleet, LIFT leadership found exactly what they were looking for with the Diamond Aircraft DA40NG and DA42-VI. In addition to a high safety evaluation, the aircraft featured the following assets—and more—that fit LIFT’s demanding requirements:

Avionics. LIFT’s entire fleet is equipped with Garmin G1000NXi avionics and the GFC700 autopilot. Stick and rudder skill will always be the foundation of any pilot’s training, but teaching proper automation and systems management is of near-equal importance, especially to pilots who will be flying highly automated jet aircraft such as Republic Airways Embraer 170/175. The avionics on all LIFT aircraft have synthetic vision, a safety enhancement that correlates to the primary flight director symbology in the Embraer 170/175 aircraft.

Engine Control. What revs LIFT students up about this aircraft is the electronic engine control unit (EECU), a redundant active control system that controls all engine functions. Gone are the three levers—six in a twin-engine airplane—used to control the throttle, propeller RPM and fuel mixture. Each engine is controlled by a single lever, with the EECU taking all sensor inputs and setting the optimal values for all engine controls—fuel, propeller pitch, turbocharger wastegate and more, while more accurately reflecting the operation of a jet engine.

Green and Lean. Diesel powerplants, while common internationally, have not yet gained momentum in the general U.S. aviation market due to the ubiquitous availability of aviation gas, or avgas. LIFT Academy sees a number of advantages to diesel power, which is one of the reasons they chose Diamond Aircraft as a partner. LIFT experiences an average burn of about five gallons of Jet A fuel per hour in the DA40NG and 10 gallons per hour in the DA42-VI multi-engine aircraft. This level of efficiency is unheard of in the traditional world of avgas-burning training aircraft and helps LIFT reduce their environmental footprint and dramatically reduces the emissions of lead into the atmosphere.

THE TECH DIFFERENCE

There is no denying the importance of integrating real-world technologies into pilot training. “We believe that introducing advanced jet aircraft competencies and technologies on day one instead of tacking them on during simulator training at the airline builds a stronger, more well-rounded airline pilot,” Bagden states. “When I was a Captain and Manager of Flight Operations for Republic Airways, I helped develop manuals, procedures and safety programs for the airline. In my position at LIFT, I ensure that we maintain a regular and open dialogue with our partners at Republic to guarantee that we are doing everything possible to best prepare our students for their future as airline pilots.”

LEARN MORE ABOUT LIFT ACADEMY AT FLYWITHLIFT.COM