2023 Maintenance Training Conference
WATS is entirely dedicated to airline simulation and training, allowing you to discover the latest innovative training solutions for maintenance teams. Supported by the training industry and subject matter experts, the WATS 2022 Maintenance 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.
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. Peter Cerdá, Regional Vice President for the Americas, IATA
Global and Regional Outlook for Airline Operations
1245-1415 Lunch: celebrating WATS 25th Anniversary
1415-1545 Session 3: Evolution of Airworthiness Human Factors: Panel Discussion
Room i1
1. Dr. Maggie Ma, Technical Fellow, Boeing Commercial Airplane Division
The World View of HF
2. Dr. Bill Johnson, President, Drbillj.com
The Inspectors View of Evolving HF Challenges
3. Cengiz Turkoglu, Senior Lecturer & Quality Manager, Cranfield University National Flying Laboratory Centre
A View from Europe
1545-1630 Coffee Break: sponsored by EPST & COMPASS
1630-1800 Session 4: Competency-Based Training Assessment: Panel Discussion
Room i1
1. Lydia Kes, Head of Research & Development Aviation Education, MBO College Airport
2. Jason Stanelle, Associate Technical Fellow, Chief of Design, Commercial Maintenance Training, Boeing Global Services
3. Christian Popp, Chief Customer Officer, MINT Software Systems (USA)
1800-1900 Networking Reception: including the sponsored Unreal Lounge
Day 2 – Wednesday 19th April 2023
0900-1030 Session 5: Development Tools for Virtual Reality Training
Room i1
1. Cengiz Turkoglu,Senior Lecturer & Quality Manager, Cranfield University & Kenneth Ogbeifun, Safety Specialist, Flybe
Potential Use of 360 Videos and Virtual Reality Tools for Frontline Operators in Aviation
2. Eric Liga, Chief Scientist, NetEdge VR
Revolutionizing Ground Crew Training
3. Anca Gosling, Director of Aviation Training Content & Development, Aeroclass
Training the Next Generation: Innovative Way to Learn Aviation English via 3D Images
4. Joseph Merry, President, Jet Maintenance Consulting Corporation
Do It Yourself VR Training Development
1030-1115 Coffee Break: sponsored by Moog
1115-1245 Session 6: Next Gen Trainees & Training Methods
Room i1
1. Panagiotis Poligenis, Head of Strategy, Business Development & Innovation, Lufthansa Technical Training GmbH
Aircraft Maintenance Training for the Next Generation
2. Dragos Budeanu, Senior Manager, Engineering and Maintenance, International Air Transport Association (IATA)
Aviation Maintenance Training Crossroads
3. George Perrin, Senior Manager Tech Ops Training, Spirit Airlines
Next Gen Trainees & Training Methods
1245-1415 Lunch: sponsored by CAT Magazine
1415-1545 Session 7: Factors and Attitudes that Supersede Technical Knowledge and Skill
Room i1
1. Dawn Whyte, Aviation Career Coach, Dawn Whyte Aviation Career Coaching
How to Build Resilience
2. Steve Harnden, Maintenance Training Instructor, GP Strategies
I Didn’t See That Coming – More Than Technical Skills
3. Michelle Arredondo, Maintenance Instructor, Ascent Aviation Services
Development and Training for Technical Publications
1545-1630 Coffee Break: sponsored by Moog
1630-1800 Session 8: Exhibition Time
Day 2 – 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, Organisational Human Factors, Davidson:McKay
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. Sebastian Lozé, Unreal Engine Business Director, Simulations, Epic Games
Deploying Training and AI-based Scenarios on the Cloud
1245 Closing Remarks
