Extract
"When was the last time your airline pilot crashed?" The usual
response to that from non-aviation people is "I hope never!"
However, the true answer is "Within the last six months... in a
simulator." For over two decades, the aviation industry has recognized
that the only way to adequately train their pilots to react appropriately to
critical emergencies, which occur infrequently, is to expose them to those
emergencies in a simulated virtual reality environment. Not only is it less
expensive than crashing real planes, but it permits complete control over the
environment and provides the means to collect relevant data about what the
pilot does for subsequent educational feedback. Ultimately, it is used for
credentialing pilots to fly commercial airliners.