Ryanair Signs Five-Year VR Pilot Training Agreement with Visionary Training Re
Ryanair Signs Five-Year VR Pilot Training Agreement with Visionary Training Resources
Ireland & USA –Irish airline Ryanair has entered into a five-year agreement with US-based virtual reality (VR) pilot training provider Visionary Training Re to continue using its FlightDeckToGo® platform for Boeing 737NG cadet training. Announced on October 29, 2026, the agreement follows a six-month evaluation of the technology’s impact on simulator training performance and establishes VR-based cockpit familiarisation as part of the airline’s cadet training process
- Ryanair’s evaluation compared 581 cadets who completed FlightDeckToGo VR training with 420 cadets trained before its introduction, assessing performance across three flight training device sessions. According to VTR, the VR-trained group achieved statistically significant improvements in eight of nine core simulator competencies.
- The largest reported improvements involved Flight Path Management and Application of Procedures. VTR stated that overall instructor assessments improved from grades described as good to very good, indicating stronger procedural preparation before cadets entered simulator training.
- Post-training surveys recorded an average immersion rating of 9.2 out of 10 from 111 cadets, while 17 instructors rated the platform 8.9 out of 10 for procedural reinforcement.
- The agreement formalises the continued use of the platform following the evaluation period.
- The results provide additional evidence for the use of VR-based procedural preparation before flight training device sessions.
- AFM previously reported that VTR’s FlightDeckToGo platform includes a three-tier training analytics system, allowing airline training departments to review fleet-wide performance trends, identify difficult procedural steps and monitor individual pilot progress. These capabilities support data-driven assessment and targeted training interventions.
- FlightDeckToGo reproduces an interactive Boeing 737NG flight deck through a VR headset, allowing cadets to practise cockpit flows before simulator sessions. Its training sequence comprises three stages: Learn, featuring guided instruction and visual flow lines; Practice, providing procedural hints; and Validate, requiring cadets to complete procedures without assistance.
- “Our cadets now arrive at the simulator with a clear understanding of the flight deck layout and the sequence of each flow. The simulator evaluation results gave us confidence in FlightDeckToGo®,”said Captain Paul Kelly, Deputy Chief Pilot Flight Standards and Head of Training at Ryanair.
- “Ryanair ran a rigorous evaluation and measured what matters most to a training department: performance in the simulator. Seeing VR-trained cadets outscore earlier cohorts across seven competencies shows that flow training done before the sim carries directly into it. We look forward to the continuation of our partnership with Ryanair,”said Evey Cormican, CEO of VTR.
About Ryanair
Ryanair is an Ireland-headquartered airline group operating short-haul passenger services across Europe and North Africa through Ryanair, Ryanair UK, Buzz, Malta Air and Lauda. Its published fleet inventory as of October 2, 2026 comprised 647 aircraft: 411 Boeing 737 Next Generation aircraft, 210 Boeing 737-8200 aircraft and 26 Airbus A320 aircraft.
About Visionary Training Rehnology company founded in 2017 and headquartered in Lakeland, Florida, specialising in virtual reality solutions for commercial pilot training. Its FlightDeckToGo platform provides portable aircraft flight deck familiarisation, procedural training and performance data capture to support airline training departments
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