Hello, and welcome to my presentation on virtual reality (VR) as a training tool.

Background: my name is Ronnie Hughan and I did my first jump in 1981. I’m a proud member of the world-record 100-way CRW team and originally hail from New Zealand. For the past 26 years, I’ve called New York home, with The Ranch in Gardiner serving as my drop zone. Since earning my AFF instructor rating in 2000, I’ve also been an evaluator since 2012. It’s this evaluation perspective that I’d like you to keep in mind as we explore how VR can revolutionize canopy navigation training.

My background is in IT and this led me to establish the team behind SkydiVR, a virtual reality parachute flight simulator. While this presentation highlights the technology, my focus is what I’ve discovered over seven years and more than 4,200 VR jumps with real students.

Here’s the roadmap for today’s session:

1. Bottom Line Up Front: I’ll present key conclusions and proposed next steps.
2. The Problem: Understanding what challenges we aim to address.
3. The Solution: How we can implement strategies to bring meaningful results.
4. Q&A Session.

So, let’s start with the bottom line: VR can substantially reduce landing incidents by reinforcing best practices under direct instructor supervision. This “direct supervision” can take place with both students and instructors in the same room or remotely—enabling learning to continue beyond jump operation hours. Importantly, VR provides a unique opportunity to evolve our culture of canopy navigation by fostering new ways of thinking, practicing, evaluating and most importantly verifying students are ready to jump.

Moving to ‘The Why’ – Our Core Problem
While there has been a downward trend in landing fatalities over the last 20 years, non-fatal incidents remain a critical area for improvement. In 2021, 45% of all non-fatal skydiving incidents were landing-related—often due to unintentional turns to avoid obstacles or other canopies. Additionally, 93 incidents were caused by improper landing techniques, such as hitting obstacles, executing poor patterns, or encountering turbulence. These are precisely the areas where VR can make a measurable impact by helping fledgling canopy pilots refine their skills before stepping out of a plane.

On to ‘The How’ – Implementing Solutions
Supervised repetition is the key. Drawing on decades of experience from aircraft pilot simulators, we see that repetition fosters skill mastery. Conversations with airline pilot simulator instructors have highlighted the importance of:

• Gaining Experience: We all learn by doing. VR offers a platform for students to build confidence and experience before leaving the ground.
• Practicing Best Practices: Ensuring students understand what is needed—and how to execute it—through guided repetition.
• Generating Options: VR allows students to explore potential landing areas and make informed decisions in real-time scenarios.
• Developing Accountability: Cultivating a mindset of responsibility is shown to improve pilot performance.

Two Key Training Methods with VR

1. Drop Zone-Based Training:
   Simple setup—goggles, a PC, a chair, and some bungees. Students can practice under realistic conditions, with live coaching from instructors and feedback from peers. One standout example is Oliver, a deaf student who became proficient after just eight VR sessions, demonstrating the adaptability and inclusivity VR can offer.  First he taught himself how to fly his parachute in VR.
2. Online Remote Training:
   Instructor and student collaborate through shared a virtual environment using their keyboard, mouse, and screen. While the environment is 2D, the interactive learning approach remains powerful.

Structured Learning Process – Mirroring AFF

• Briefing, Jump, Debrief Format: Targeted learning objectives and a pass/fail system guided by instructors ensure skill progression.
• Online Record Tracking: Keeping a structured log of student progress is essential.

What Sets VR Apart

• Briefing Tool Demonstration: Customizable wind conditions, real-time traffic patterns, and situational navigation help simulate real-world challenges.
• In-Depth Debriefing Capabilities: Post-jump analysis lets students understand the difference between planned versus actual flight paths—building their awareness and adaptability.

Final Thoughts & Call to Action
VR has immense potential to transform canopy training by embedding safety, skill, and confidence through supervised practice. If you’re an instructor, I encourage you to explore using VR to help your students adopt best practices. Please reach out to learn more.