Maintenance Training Conference

WATS is entirely dedicated to airline simulation and training, allowing you to discover the latest innovative training solutions for airline maintenance technicians. Supported by the training industry and subject matter experts, the WATS 2025 Maintenance Training Conference will provide practical solutions for those day to day challenges and offer key insights into the future of the industry.

Maintenance Conference Moderator:
Buck Gaines, Manager, Tech Ops Training, Alaska Airlines / Chair, A4A Maintenance Training Network

Day 1 – Tuesday 8^th April 2025

0900-1030  Session 1 – Opening Remarks & Keynote Presentations (all streams)
1) TBD
2) TBD
3) Airline Manufacturer Flight Training Association (AMFTA) Panel
• Captain Jean-Michel Bigarré, President & Founder, AMFTA
• Captain Stéphan Labrucherie, Head of Flight Training Worldwide, Airbus / Director, AMFTA
• Mark Albert, Senior Director, Commercial Business & Program Management, Boeing Global Services / Director, AMFTA
• Captain Jin Yibin, Chief Engineer of Aircraft Operation Safety, COMAC / Director, AMFTA
• Captain Alexandre Toribio, Head of Flight Crew Training, Embraer / Director, AMFTA

1030-1115  Coffee Break
Sponsored by: EPST / Compass

1115-1245  Session 2 – EXPO TIME

1245-1415  Lunch

1415-1545  Session 3 – Industry Panel
Failure to Follow Instructions
• Al Boring, Manager Regulatory Compliance, Alaska Airlines
• Jeff Cornell, VP Quality & Accountability, ATS
• Jay Hiles, Group Manager, Aircraft Maintenance Division, Federal Aviation Administration
• Jason Stanelle, Associate Technical Fellow & Chief of Design, Commercial Maintenance Training, Boeing

1545-1630  Coffee Break
Sponsored by: EPST / Compass

1630-1800  Session 4 – Round Table Discussion
Failure to Follow Instructions

Maintenance Conference
sponsored by:

Day 2 – Wednesday 9^th April 2025

0900-1030  Session 5
1) Buck Gaines, Chair, A4A Maintenance Training Network
A4A Maintenance Training Network Updates
2) Jay Hiles, Group Manager, Aircraft Maintenance Division, Federal Aviation Administration
Regulatory Update
3) Gemma Aiuto, CEO / COO, Crosby Aviation Training / T-C-Alliance & Claudio Marturano, CEO, T-C- Alliance
Rethinking Initial Training to Attract & Retain the Next Generation

1030-1115  Coffee Break
Sponsored by: Moog Inc.

1115-1245  Session 6 – CBTA in Maintenance
1) Jason Stanelle, Associate Technical Fellow, Chief of Design, Commercial Maintenance Training, Boeing
Assessing Maintainer Performance in Competency-Based Training Programs
2) Tim Welch, Program Manager of Competency Solutions, Eduworks Corporation
Training Needs Analysis Needs a Modern Data Approach
3) Paco Laja, Airbus

1245-1415  Lunch

1415-1545  Session 7 – Emerging Technology
1) Peter Betz, Business Development Manager, ProDIGIQ, Inc.
Designing an Intelligent Tech Stack to Leverage AI and ML
2) Dr. Lee Lacy, Program Manager, Soar Technology (SoarTech) & Kevin Jones, Program Manager, US Navy’s Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division (NAWCTSD)
Developing Training Using Generative AI
3) Dre Fournier, Vice President of Growth, HTX Labs
Leveraging Human Performance Data & AI to Enable Competency Based Training

1545-1630  Coffee Break
Sponsored by: Moog Inc.

1630-1800  Session 8 – Training Insights
1) Alex Davis, Tech Ops Instructor, Spirit Airlines
The Competency Conundrum: Teaching the Mechanic That’s in Front of You
2) Ryan Thomas, Ground Instructor, Leonardo Helicopter Training Academy
The Evolution of Live Training
3) Richard Scarbrough, Fellow, T-C-Alliance
Maintenance Technician Training: Using Storytelling to Spark Engagement

Day 3 – Thursday 10^th April 2025

0900-1030  Session 9 – Panel Discussion
New Hire Conundrum

1030-1115  Coffee Break

1115-1245  Session 10 – Emerging Technology (all streams)
1) Nigel Sargent, Director Flight Simulator Operations, Alaska Airlines
Additional Capabilities of FTDs
2) Fabi Riesen, CEO & Founder, Loft Dynamics
Faster, Safer Pilots
3) Captain Samuel Chandra, Managing Director, Deepsky
Using Agentic AI to Personalise Theory Delivery

1245  Closing Remarks