Matt Thurber, editor-in-chief at AIN Media Group, has been flying since 1975 and writing about aviation since 1978 and now has the best job in the world, running editorial operations for Aviation International News, Business Jet Traveler, and FutureFlight.aero. In addition to working as an A&amp;P mechanic on everything from Piper Cubs to turboprops, Matt taught flying at his father’s flight school in Plymouth, Mass., in the early 1980s, flew for an aircraft owner/pilot, and for two summer seasons hunted swordfish near the George’s Banks off the East Coast from a Piper Super Cub. An ATP certificated fixed-wing pilot and CFII and commercial helicopter pilot, Matt is type-rated in the Citation 500 and Gulfstream V/550. Based in the Pacific Northwest, Matt and his team cover the entire aviation scene including business aircraft, helicopters, avionics, safety, manufacturing, charter, fractionals, technology, air transport, advanced air mobility, defense, and other subjects of interest to AIN, BJT, and FutureFlight readers.

Editor-in-Chief

Matt Thurber

Developers have been struggling to devise compelling uses for the Apple Vision Pro virtual reality headset, but the creators of the Flight Sight app believe they have cracked the code with their Robinson R44 immersive training content. Rogue Labs, which is developing the app, is using the Blackmagic Ursa Cine Immersive digital film camera and the DaVinci Resolve Studio to capture and edit the training material. Rogue Labs expects to release the app in the third quarter.
The app takes advantage of the Vision Pro to deliver immersive video “to put pilots in training in real-world scenarios so they can familiarize themselves with maneuvers and procedures without ever leaving the ground,” according to Blackmagic Design. There will also be interactive learning using 3D helicopter models and an immersive airport environment, airport procedure maps to help students visualize arrival and departure procedures, and sightseeing experiences.
“This format enables us to present flight training in a way that feels both physically engaging and instructionally effective,” said Rogue Labs senior product manager Corey Walter. “Capturing maneuvers from the pilot’s point of view introduces performance training objectives in an unparalleled way, where the brain registers the event as something the student has done in real life. Research shows that immersive first-person video can create a powerful sense of presence and trigger memory systems in the brain, helping learners feel like they’ve ‘already done it once’ before stepping into a real aircraft.”
Students will be able to watch an experienced instructor flying the R44 while the Ursa Cine camera captures the action from the right (pilot’s) seat. Maneuvers and procedures range from startup to advanced autorotations and include the preflight inspection process.
“The helicopter shots require a wide 3D field of view of the cockpit so viewers can see everything in the aircraft in detail, including what the instructor is doing with their hands and feet, the changing gauges, and the 180-degree world outside the helicopter’s windows,” said Rogue Labs founder Matt Barnes. “Shooting inside a helicopter is challenging because it is a tight fit. We found that completely eliminating the natural helicopter shake makes it feel fake. However, we can’t have too much shake, or you aren’t able to read the gauges, and people might become sick.”
“Only the resolution and quality provided by the combination of the Ursa Cine Immersive, DaVinci Resolve, and Apple Immersive Video met the strict requirements we set for this project, and, in fact, exceeded our requirements. We are very happy with the tools we have at our disposal, and we feel like we are living in the future.”

News about simulators and training procedures, as well as workforce.

Apple Vision Pro App Could Help Helicopter Students Shine

Flight Sight brings the real world of training into a virtual reality platform

Students will be able to watch an experienced instructor flying the R44 while the Ursa Cine camera captures the action from the right (pilot’s) seat.

Apple Vision Pro Could Help Helicopter Students Shine

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

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News and issues relating to international air transport and cargo carriers, national airlines and regional airlines, including aircraft, engines, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security and training.

News and issues relating to business, corporate and private aviation, primarily regarding turbine-engine-powered airplanes and helicopters. Subjects include aircraft, engines, maintenance, operations, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security, and training.

ERAU's Prescott campus joins Daytona Beach in the Enhanced AT-CTI program

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News and issues relating to the aerospace industry that are related to the science, engineering and business of flight in space involving civil, industrial and military applications, and similar topics related to flight in the atmosphere of the Earth that are not covered more directly by other AINonline subject channels. In other words, both astronautical and aeronautical subjects, except for those aeronautical topics that are specifically covered elsewhere on this website.

A significant number of people feel motion sickness with virtual reality headsets 

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News and issues regarding all manner of civil and military rotorcraft and their powerplants, including helicopters, tilt rotors and unmanned air vehicles.

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