2021 Conference
WATS 2021 Conference Team
- Rick Adams, FRAeS, WATS Conference Chair
- Dan Duren, Moderator, Cabin Crew Training Conference
- Dr. Bill Johnson, Moderator, Maintenance Training Conference
View the conference programmes below.
Day 1 – Tuesday 15th June 2021
Session 1: Opening Remarks & Keynote Address (all conference tracks)
1. Marc Parent, C.M., President and Chief Executive Officer, CAE
2. Brad Thress, President and CEO, FlightSafety International
Session 2: The Dynamic Air Sector (all conference tracks)
1. Robert Burke, Group Manager, Training and Simulation Group, FAA
FAA Update
2. Sheri Pippin, Aviation Safety, Air Transportation Division, FAA
Pilot Professional Development Rulemaking
3. Matt Vance, Professional Pilot Faculty, Oklahoma State University
Undeniable Emerging Trends in Commercial Aviation
Session 3: Rebuilding on New Foundations
1. Scott Nutter, Principal, Touch & Go Solutions
How Capable is Your Organization? Business Capability Modeling for Pilot Training
2. Chris Ranganathan,Chief Learning Officer, CAE
Advances in Pilot Training as the Industry Recovers
3. CDR (Ret) Hank Phillips, PhD, Director of Training Technology, SoarTech
Scenario-based Spatial Disorientation Training Efficacy
Session 4: Panel – Airline Recovery Challenges
Navigating the Dynamic Challenges of Pilot Supply, Recruitment, Mentorship and Training
– Captain Bryan Quigley, Senior Vice President of Flight Operations, United Airlines
– Robert Thomas, Chairman, HumanFactors & Training Group, ALPA Intl.
– First Officer Paul Ryder, National Resource Coordinator, ALPA
– First Officer Todd Lisak, Director of Training, ALPA & Training Chair, JetBlue
Day 2 – Wednesday 16th June 2021
Session 5: Are Aviation Personnel Prepared?
1. Michael Tarsa, Touch & Go Solutions
Effective Competencies for Monitoring Automated Information Management and Control Systems
2. Conor McKenna, CEO & Founder, Vocavio Technologies
Remotely Assessing Crew Communications and Task Performance Using Data Analysis and VR
3. Captain (Ret.) Peter Wolfe, Executive Director, Professional Aviation Board of Certification (PABC)
PABC Mission Update: Ensure the Preparedness of Ab Initio Graduates to Enter Airline Training
Session 6: Reaffirming the NextGen
1. Nicholas Wilson, Associate Professor of Aviation, University of North Dakota
Pre-Career Pilots and Motivation – What is the Best Predictor of Performance?
2. Suzanne Kearns, Associate Professor of Aviation, University of Waterloo & Simon Witts, Founder, Aviation 360 & ENGAP UK
Engaging the Next Generation of Aviation Professionals – The Work of Project ENGAP
3. Bob Thomas, Assistant Professor, Aeronautical Science Dept., Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
New Learning Technologies Using 3D Environments
Session 7: Technology Enablers
1. Julian Abich IV, Sr. Human Factors Engineer, Quantum Improvements Consulting
Usability and User Experience Evaluation of Six VR Head-Mounted Displays for Pilot Training
2. Lori J. Brown, Professor, College of Aviation, Western Michigan University
Shaping the Future of Global Aviation Training with Spatial Computing and NextGen AR Technologies
3. Pasha Saleh, Director Flight Operations Strategy & Innovation, Alaska Airlines & Rama Myers, VP Aviation, Seeing Machines
Eye Tracking: A Window into Pilot Monitoring and Instrument Scanning Behavior to Support Evidence-Based Training and Realtime Feedback
Session 8: Interactive Roundtable: The Hottest Training Issues
An open discussion of some of the most significant issues facing the civil aviation training community today.
Moderated by: Captain Paul Preidecker
Panel:
– Randy Hamilton, Advisory Council, Professional Board of Certification
– Evey Cormican, CEO/Co-Founder, Visionary Training Resources
– Philip Adrian, Multi Pilot Simulations
– Scott Nutter, Principal, Touch & Go Solutions
– Scott Glaser, PhD, Senior Vice President of Operations, Flight Research Inc.
Day 1 – Tuesday 15th June 2021
Session 1: Opening Remarks & Keynote Address (all conference tracks)
1) Marc Parent, C.M., President and Chief Executive Officer, CAE
2) Brad Thress, President and CEO, FlightSafety International
Session 2: The Dynamic Air Sector (all conference tracks)
1) Robert Burke, Group Manager, Training and Simulation Group, FAA
FAA Update
2) Sheri Pippin, Aviation Safety, Air Transportation Division, FAA
Pilot Professional Development Rulemaking
3) Dr. Matt Vance, Professional Pilot Faculty, Oklahoma State University
Undeniable Emerging Trends in Commercial Aviation
Session 3: Cabin Crew Conference Kick-Off
1) Dan Duren, Learning Consultant, Southwest Airlines
2) ‘Open-Mic Tuesday’ – Hard Topics & Conference Expectations
Session 4: Facing Challenges with Solutions
1) Craig Kennedy, Program Coordinator & Trainer & Eric Lipp, Founder/Executive Director, Open Doors Organization & British Airways Global Engagement Center Accessibility Team
Airline Disability Training & the Importance of the Post-Covid Disability Market
2) Thomas Kaminski, Manager College of Inflight, JetBlue Airways
Comparative Analysis – Door Drills
Day 2 – Wednesday 16th June 2021
Session 5: Trends 2021: Planning for the Future of Learning
• Doug Harward, Founder & CEO, Training Industry Inc. & Dan Duren, Learning Consultant, Southwest Airlines.
The role of learning and development continues to broaden, with many learning leaders helping to facilitate and support change initiatives in their organizations. From the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic to the social and racial unrest across the country, L&D professionals have played an integral role in leading their organizations through unprecedented change. As we move forward, L&D must ensure employees have the skills they need to meet the evolving needs of the business. Join us for this session where we will share some Training Industry research, and paint a picture of what we are learning about the future of Learning and Development.
Session 6: Cabin Crew Readiness
1) Jonathan Jasper, Manager, Cabin Safety, IATA, Matt Whipp, Manager – Cabin Safety, British Airways & Anabel Brough, Safety Manager – (Cabin) Group Safety, Emirates
Impacts of Covid on Flight Attendants
2) Birdy Raghoonundun Gunputh, Product Manager Safety Training, Lufthansa Aviation Training GmbH & Martin Egerth, Process Manager Beyond Aviation/Senior HF Expert LH Group, Lufthansa Aviation Training Switzerland AG
Challenges: Perceive, Acknowledge, Solve and Anticipate Them
Session 7: Innovation in a New Normal
1) Renee Medina-Eggleston, Sr. Instructor, Flight Attendant Training, Southwest Airlines University
Intertwining Safety, Innovation & Culture at Southwest Airlines University
2) Stefanie Coppedge, Manager, Inflight Training & Professional Development, Frontier Airlines
Innovative Learning Solutions in an Ultra, Low-Cost Environment
Session 8: Workshop – Mental Health Under Stress
• Karen Moore, Principal Occupational Psychologist, Symbiotics & Dan Duren, Learning Consultant, Southwest Airlines
Day 1 – Tuesday 15th June 2021
Session 1: Opening Remarks & Keynote Address (all conference tracks)
1) Marc Parent, C.M., President and Chief Executive Officer, CAE
2) Brad Thress, President and CEO, FlightSafety International
Session 2: The Dynamic Air Sector (all conference tracks)
1) Robert Burke, Group Manager, Training and Simulation Group, FAA
FAA Update
2) Sheri Pippin, Aviation Safety, Air Transportation Division, FAA
Pilot Professional Development Rulemaking
3) Dr. Matt Vance, Professional Pilot Faculty, Oklahoma State University
Undeniable Emerging Trends in Commercial Aviation
Session 3: Training Transitions from the Pandemic Experience – Three Perspectives
1) Jenna Tuck, Executive Vice President of Global Business Development, Modest Tree
Recovering Effective Aviation Maintenance Training in a Socially Distanced World
2) D Smith, Aviation Safety Division Manager, US Department of Transportation
Virtual Live Experiences: The Good, the Bad, the Ugly
3) Dr. Joel English, Vice President, Aviation Institute of Maintenance
The Anatomy of a School System’s Survival Through the Pandemic
Session 4: Training Perspectives
1) Bob Simmons, Director, Baines Simmons Ltd.
Competence vs. Performance – What Skills are Missing?
2) Christopher J. Rospenda, Global Maximo Asset Performance Management Strategy & James E. Seeber, Senior Solutions Engineer, IBM AI Applications
The Connected Technician: Using AI, AR, Advanced Analytics and IoT Data to Empower Your Field Workforce
Day 2 – Wednesday 16th June 2021
Session 5: STEM
1) Jay Logie, Founder and COO, ATG, Aircraft Technologies Group Inc.
Personnel Readiness, Starts in the Community
2) Davidson Nzekwe-Daniel, Founder & CEO, Davidson Initiative Inc.
Building the Next Generation of Aviation Professionals Through Student Engagement
3) Crystal Maguire, Executive Director, Aviation Technicians Education Council
An Update on Aviation Personnel Requirements
Session 6 – Industry Viewpoints
1) Keith McGann, Regional Sales Manager – Maintenance, FlightSafety International
2) Ryan Goertzen, VP of Workforce Development, AAR Corporation
3) Bob Ireland, Managing Director of Engineering and Maintenance, Airlines for America (A4A)
Session 7: Pressing Maintenance Training Issues
1) Ryan Goertzen, Vice President of Maintenance Workforce Development, AAR Corporation & President, Choose Aerospace
2) Steve Platt, Director, Tech Ops Training, Hawaiian Airlines
A Mix of Methods and Technologies
3) Rhonda Cooper, Chairperson, Airlines for America’s Maintenance Training Network
ATA Specification 104: Guidelines for Aircraft Maintenance Training: The Next Edition
Session 8 – Interactive Roundtable: The Hottest Training Issues
An open discussion of some of the most significant issues facing the civil aviation training community today.
Moderated by Captain Paul Preidecker
- Randy Hamilton, Advisory Council, Professional Aviation Board of Certification
- Evey Cormican, CEO/Co-Founder, Visionary Training Resources
- Philip Adrian, CEO, Multi Pilot Simulations
- Scott Nutter, Owner, Touch & Go Solutions
- Scott Glaser, PhD, Senior Vice President of Operations, Flight Research, Inc.
