2023 International & Regional Pilot Training Conference
WATS is entirely dedicated to airline simulation and training, allowing you to discover the latest innovative training solutions for pilots. Supported by the training industry and subject matter experts, the WATS 2023 International & Regional Pilot Training Conference provided practical solutions for those day to day challenges and offered key insights into the future of the industry.
The conference theme for WATS 2023 was Enabling the World Airline Industry.
Moderator & WATS 2022 Conference Chair
Rick Adams
Rick is Editor in Chief of The Journal of Civil Aviation Training (CAT) magazine and Editor of Military Simulation & Training (MS&T) magazine, the premier international publications in the airline and defence domains. He is also Chair of the World Aviation Training Summit (WATS), the largest annual gathering of global aviation training professionals.
Rick was Editor for five years of the ICAO Journal, the official magazine of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the United Nations agency for aviation. He has also written for other aviation publications such as Aviation International News (AIN), Flight, Arabian Aerospace, IATA, Rotor & Wing, Military Technology, Naval Forces, Helicopters, Wings, and others.
Rick is a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS).
Day 1 – Tuesday 18th April 2023
0900-1030 Session 1: Opening Remarks & Airline Flight Training Leaders Panel (all streams)
Room i1/2/3/4
1. Daniel Serfaty, CEO, Aptima, Inc.
Adaptive Individualized Training in Aviation
2. Airline Flight Training Leaders Panel
Moderated by Capt. Paul Preidecker
- Kirk Limacher, Vice President Flight Operations, United Airlines
- Jeffrey Winter, Vice President Flight Operations, JetBlue
- Brad Lambert, Vice President Flight Operations, Frontier Airlines
- Paul Kinstedt, Senior Vice President, Chief Operating Officer, Republic Airways
- Chris Broom, Vice President, Commercial Training Solutions, Boeing Global Services
- Captain Stéphan Labrucherie, Head of Flight Training Worldwide, Airbus
1030-1115 Coffee Break: sponsored by EPST & COMPASS
1115-1245 Session 2: Staying the Course: Regulatory Roundup (all streams)
Room i1/2/3/4
Continuity of safety is everyone’s goal, while integrating new aircraft types and new training technology.
1. Lee Abbott, Training and Simulation Group Manager, AFS-280 & Ben Lafargue, AQP Section Manager, Training and Simulation Group, AFS-280, Federal Aviation Administration
FAA Update – The Agency’s Strategic Approach to Major Initiatives and Training-Centric Matters such as Standardized Curriculum and Powered Lift.
2. Dr. Kathy Abbott, Chief Scientific and Technical Advisor, Flight Deck Human Factors, Federal Aviation Administration
FAA Flight Path Management Advisory Circular: Current and Future Directions
3. Boris Padilla, Regional Head of Commercial Services, IATA
Global and Regional Outlook for Airline Operations
1245-1415 Lunch: Celebrating WATS 25th Anniversary
1415-1545 Session 3: Forging New Standards: Industry Influencers
Room i2/3
Aircraft OEMs, ab initio flight schools, and simulationists are raising the bar on quality training.
1. Captain Jean-Michel Bigarré, Founder & President, Aircraft Manufacturer Flight Training Association
Progress Report: Aircraft Manufacturer Flight Training Association (AMFTA)
2. Captain Andy O’Shea, FRAeS, CEO, Airline Pilot Club & Ian Cooper, COO, Skyborne Airline Academy
Quality: Everyone Wins
3. Damon F. Curry, President, SISO
Status of Simulation Interoperability Standards
1545-1630 Coffee Break: sponsored by EPST & COMPASS
1630-1800 Session 4: Are We There Yet? Evolution of eVTOL
Room i2/3
The eVTOL concept is gathering momentum and money; training will play a crucial role in the new market’s success.
1. Lt. Col. Andrew Anderson, Director of Operations, Detachment 62, Headquarters Air Education and Training Command & Dr. Kent C. Halverson, Principal Scientist & Senior Director, Training, Learning & Readiness Division, Aptima Inc.
Training a New Generation of Pilots: Open Issues in eVTOL Pilot Training
2. Chris Courtney, Director of Advanced Air Mobility, Captain Chris Ranganathan, Chief Learning Officer, CAE Civil Aviation Training Solutions & Sergio Quito, Senior Advisor, Safety & Flight Operations, GOL
The Intricacies of Training for the Take-Off of eVTOL
3. Miguel Cara’, Head of Business Development Americas & Luiz Mauad, VP Services & Operations Solutions, Eve Air Mobility (Embraer Group)
Eve’s Vision on Training for eVTOL
1800-1900 Networking Reception: including the sponsored Unreal Lounge
Day 2 – Wednesday 19th April 2023
0900-1030 Session 5: Going the Distance: Sustainability in Aviation Training
Room i2/3
The civil aviation sector is increasing efforts to decrease carbon emissions; how can the training community help achieve global goals?
1. Dr. Eva Maleviti, Program Coordinator, MS in Sustainability in Aviation & Aerospace & Dr. Bettina Mrusek, Department Chair, College of Aviation, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Sustainable ATO – Flying to Net Zero
2. Michael Vercio, Senior Vice President, Simulation Systems, FlightSafety International & Dr Jason Furtado, Associate Professor, University of Oklahoma School of Meteorology
Navigating Climate Change Risks Through Cutting-Edge Training & Device Technologies
3. Dr. Nick Wilson, Associate Professor, Aviation, University of North Dakota
Feasibility of Electric-Powered Aircraft in Collegiate Aviation
1030-1115 Coffee Break: sponsored by Moog
1115-1245 Session 6: Demographics, Biometrics and Automation
Room i2/3
Boomers are on the way out; can Gen Z take over in the cockpit?
1. Lindsay Grant, Principal, Oliver Wyman
How the Pilot Shortage is Changing the Pilot Workforce
2. First Officer Samantha Brown, Lead Human Factors Team Member, ALPA-International / United Airlines First Officer
Automation Versus Pilot Manual Flying Skills
3. Naila Ayala, PhD Candidate, Developmental Visuomotor Neuroscience Lab, Waterloo University
What the Future Holds for Eye-Tracking in the Cockpit
1245-1415 Lunch: sponsored by CAT Magazine
1415-1545 Session 7: Alphabet Overload; AQP, CBTA, EBT
Room i2/3
No matter how you label it, flight training should be about competency
1. Dr. Douglas Farrow, Senior Partner, Nuovo Advisors
Clearing the Confusion About AQP, CBTA and EBT
2. Tony Shen, President, Wayman Aviation Academy
Flight School CBTA/EBT Implementation
3. Vin Parker, Director of Learning and Development, Flight Operations Training, Republic Airways
AQP, CBTA and Resilience Engineering
1545-1630 Coffee Break: sponsored by Moog
1630-1800 Session 8: Delivering on Data
Room i2/3
Too much data? What’s relevant, and how do we translate it into training effectiveness and efficiency?
1. D. Richard Meikle, Executive Vice President Operations and Safety, FlightSafety International & Luke Bowman, Product Director, GE Digital, Aviation Software
Symbiotic Fusion of Simulator and Aircraft Data
2. Scott Nutter, Principal & Dr. Paul Gay, Performance Engineer, Touch & Go Solutions
The Flywheel Effect – Turning Data into Results
3. David Coward, VP and GM Training Services, L3Harris Commercial Aviation
The Evolution of Data in Pilot Training
1630-1800 BREAKOUT SESSION: The Cadet Experience: It All Starts Here
Room i1
Training an airline pilot requires time; the flight school foundation is critical to future career success. WATS presents a new focus on airline-focused training organizations.
1. Captain Philip Adrian, CEO, MPS
Training the Next Generation Through Next-Generation Training
2. Paul BJ Ransbury, CEO, Aviation Performance Solutions (APS)
Flight School Upset Training
3. Captain (Ret.) Peter Wolfe & Captain (Ret.) Randy Hamilton, Professional Aviation Board of Certification
Enhancing Preparation for Flying Careers
Day 3 – Thursday 20th April 2023
0900-1030 Session 9: Startle, Conflict, Fatigue & Resilience (Pilot & Maintenance)
Room i2/3
When things go wrong – personally or in the aircraft – how can pilots learn to cope and respond appropriately?
1. Captain Ping Lee, Chief Pilot, Human Factor CRM Team, EVA Airways
Startle and Resilience
2. Jordan Wareham, Sr. Director Regulatory Compliance / 119 Director of Safety, Spirit Airlines & Eric A. Olson, CEO, EMO Advisors, Inc.
Generating Essential Conflict: How Creating Resilience Strategies Against Destructive Conflict Increases Operational Safety
3. Norman MacLeod, Consultant, Astrom Training
What FRMS Cannot Tell You – Pilot Fatigue and Mental Health
1030-1115 Coffee Break
1115-1245 Session 10: AI, the Cloud and VR/XR in the Training Matrix (all streams)
Room i2/3
Will ChatGPT and the Metaverse take over aviation training? What’s the reality?
1. Dr. Julian Abich IV, Senior Human Factors Engineer, Quantum Improvements Consulting
Improving the Probability of XR Adoption for Training
2. Dr. Robert ‘Bob’ Thomas, Assistant Professor and Chief Ground Instructor, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Developing and Testing of a Virtual Reality Aviation Illusion Trainer
3. Sébastian Lozé, Unreal Engine Business Director, Simulations, Epic Games
Deploying Training and AI-based Scenarios on the Cloud
1245 Closing Remarks
