2024 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 2024 Maintenance Training Conference provided practical solutions for those day to day challenges and offered key insights into the future of the industry.

Maintenance Conference Moderator: George Perrin, Spirit Airlines, Recipient of the Charles Taylor Award

Day 1 – Tuesday 30^th April 2024

Session 1 – Opening Remarks & Keynote Presentations (all streams)
1) Michael Whitaker, Administrator, Federal Aviation Administration
2) Captain Erika Armstrong, Pilot (Part 135 & 121) / Director of Marketing, Advanced Aircrew Academy
The Pilot Brain: How Personality Affects Safety

Session 2 – Regulatory & Market Outlook (all streams)
1) Robert Reckert, Manager Air Transportation Division, AFS-200, Federal Aviation Administration
FAA Update
2) Soufiane El Ouartassi, Product Marketing Manager, CAE
Aviation Talent Forecast

Session 3 – Challenges for the Future
1) Jay Hiles, Group Manager, Aircraft Maintenance Division, Federal Aviation Administration
Regulatory Update
2) Buck Gaines, Manager Technical Training, Alaska Airlines / Chair, A4A Maintenance Training Network & Justin Madden, Managing Director, Engineering and Maintenance, Airlines for America (A4A)
Airlines for America, Maintenance Training Network (MTN) Introduction
3) Sean Glassberg, Owner, Educator Training & Consulting
Teaching Generation Z, X and Millennials

Session 4 – Roundtable Workshop – Developing the Next Generation of Trainers

Day 2 – Wednesday 1^st May 2024

Session 5 – Training Methodology
1) Crystal Maguire, Executive Director, Aviation Technician Education Council
The New Part 147: How is the Transition Going?
2) Jason Stanelle, Associate Technical Fellow & Chief of Design, Boeing Commercial Maintenance Training
Training Efficacy Evaluation in Aviation Maintenance
3) Søren Seindal Agner, CEO, AEROTEAM Training Solutions
The Next Evolution of Engineering Training for Maintenance Technicians

Session 6 – Human Factors
1) Gareth McGraw, Principal Human Factors Specialist, Qantas/RAAF
Cool Story Bro … Needs More Dragons
2) Monica Teixeira, Training Manager, LAS Training & Delfim Dores, Senior Advisor, LAS Group
Training the Next Aircraft Maintenance Generation, The Alliance Between Human Factors and Emotional Learning in Personnel Readiness
3) Davy Snowdon MBE, CEO & Founder, Pristine Condition International
Navigating the Skies of Aviation Culture Change

Session 7 – Roundtable Workshop – Developing Better Technicians Quicker

Session 8 – VR/AI
1) Irwin Alcantara, Director, Customer Success – Americas, Loglevel
The Future of Aircraft Maintenance Training: Harnessing AI’s Potential
2) Aliesha Staples, CEO, StaplesVR
How to Get Started with Emerging Technologies?
3) Dre Fournier, Vice President of Growth, HTX Labs
Accelerating the Development and Delivery of an Immersive Training Program

Day 3 – Thursday 2^nd May 2024

Session 9 – New Learning Insights
1) Yogi Rana, Director of Product, Covalent Networks
What the Aero Industry is Learning from the Auto Industry
2) James Scarpa, Maintenance Training Instructor, SkyWest Airlines
How Can Remote Maintenance Training Deliver Improved Outcomes?
3) Ryan Thomas, Ground Instructor, Leonardo Helicopters
Maintenance Technician Survival in the Classroom

Session 10 – XR Goes Mainstream (all streams)
1) Amanda Bentley, Senior Director Integration Sales, Americas, Tobii & Dr. Aki Nikolaidis, Chief Science Officer, VTR
Building Disruptive Training with XR and Eye Tracking
2) Fabi Riesen, CEO & Founder, Loft Dynamics
Virtual Reality in Motion
3) Dr. Julian Abich IV, Senior Human Factors Engineer, Quantum Improvements Consulting
Multi-Pilot Mixed Reality Simulator for Aviation Training