Aero-TV: Speaking Up - Redbird Simulators Teach Pilots To Talk Back

Parrot Adds Realism To Simulator Training

Redbird Simulators has added another layer of realism to its flight simulation systems by adding something called "Parrot," a voice recognition system that gives students the experience of talking with ATC during their simulator hours.
Redbird chairman and founder Jerry Gregoire told ANN at Oshkosh this summer that the FAA has been asking for this functionality to be added to flight simulation for 30 years, and that the "big" simulator manufacturers keep telling the agency that the technology is "about 10 years away." But Gregoire says the Redbird team has a lot of experience in voice recognition technology, and all of their simulator models allow the student pilot to get clearances, and is very demanding when you don't acknowledge instructions.

The Parrot module is a stand-alone add-on which "watches" what is going on in the simulation, and takes on the role of whatever ATC service is plugged in. The software is smart enough to recognize frequency changes and then match the service to the frequency selected to the service at any given airport from a worldwide database. It can even interpret the weather that was programmed in for the simulation and give an accurate ATIS report based on those parameters, and knows if the pilot does not acknowledge that they have received that weather information on initial contact with ATC. It can select the runway it wants to use based on winds, and time stamps every hour with a different letter.

If a student uses non-standard language in communications, Parrot will ask the pilot to "say again," training him or her in proper radio communications techniques. And, Gregoire says, at any point the student can stop and ask for help, and Parrot will stop being ATC, and take on the role of instructor.

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