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The author had the opportunity to experience Loft's VR training device at the company’s facility in Zürich.
How does a company on the cusp of innovation find highly skilled technical team members?
Fabi Riesen, founder and CEO of Loft Dynamics, says his company’s ability to grow comes from the Swiss apprenticeship system. The Swiss embassy in the U.S. summarizes the educational and training system as “Earn While You Learn.”
Two-thirds of all young people coming out of compulsory education in Switzerland enroll in vocational education and training. It is a dual-track program in which trainees attend courses at vocational schools on a part-time basis, typically 1-2 days per week. The remainder of the week is spent doing an apprenticeship at a host company such as Loft Dynamics where apprentices are provided with the practical hands-on experience, knowledge and skills needed for their chosen occupation.
“The private sector is the biggest driving force behind our apprenticeship system,” says Guy Parmesan, of Switzerland’s Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research. “More than one third of Swiss businesses across all industries are training apprentices.”
An important component of the Swiss system is the input from trade associations and companies for the curriculum design. They provide guidance on training content and national qualification procedures, as well as organizing vocational and professional education courses. The emphasis is on practical knowledge that directly relates to apprentice duties.
Vocational apprenticeships typically last 3-4 years. Upon graduation, students earn a formal diploma and the possibility to pursue further education. They complete the program with no student debt, which is a considerable contrast to the average American college student.
The Swiss apprenticeship system also has a track for professional education and training. This would roughly be equivalent to obtaining a formal college degree in the U.S. Not only do students obtain valuable hands-on experience, but at the end of their professional apprenticeship they earn the equivalent of a bachelors or master’s degree.
Loft’s earliest beginnings include forming a partnership in 2015 with the University of Applied Sciences of Eastern Switzerland. Students contributed to the development of the company’s motion compensation algorithms, which enabled the implementation of the VR head-mounted display on a moving platform.
In August 2024, three automation technicians started a four-year program sponsored by Loft Dynamics in a vocational education and training program partnership with Ausbildungszentrum Winterthur (AZW), Switzerland’s leading institution for industrial and technical apprenticeships.
Apprentices split their time between formal classes at AZW and at Loft Dynamics, where they develop VR simulation scenarios, assist with hardware design and contribute to ongoing projects. These students will develop essential engineering skills to include programming and system integration, as well as important soft skills such as creativity, resilience and teamwork.
Loft Dynamics plans to increase the number of apprenticeship positions and the variety of fields in future years.
Riesen further highlights the apprentices’ pride and passion, which drive motivation, innovation, higher productivity, job satisfaction, resilience and positive culture. Apprenticeships provide a way for companies to grow the talent they need to stay competitive.
VR Simulator
The FAA qualified Loft Dynamics’ VR simulator last July, making it the agency’s first approved virtual reality flight simulation training device (FSTD). U.S. helicopter pilots can now train and receive credit toward pilot ratings on the Loft device.
Students can be trained to proficiency in a wide range of challenging routine maneuvers such as slope, pinnacle and confined area takeoffs and landings. They can be trained in a wide spectrum of flight conditions for engine failures. This is noteworthy because the practice of autorotations in actual helicopters, especially in helicopters equipped with low inertia rotor systems, tends to be confined to a narrow envelope of flight conditions. Furthermore, the FTSD is approved for instrument approaches, and now, sling load operations.
What are Loft’s next projects? Last May, the company partnered with Dufour Aerospace to develop its first electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) simulator. The projected global demand for eVTOL aircraft and pilots will stretch the industry’s capacity to effectively train this new pilot workforce. Loft also is expanding the number of FTSD models for additional Robinson and Airbus helicopters, as well as working with other OEMs.
Life-Saving Technology
At the time of this writing, wildfires in the western U.S. were ravaging large swaths of terrain, threatening to incinerate vulnerable communities and valuable natural resources. In the Mediterranean region, 80-ft. flames raged on the outskirts of Athens, leading to mass evacuations under emergency conditions.
Helicopters with the capability to deliver water to the flame front are a vital weapon against these conflagrations. Their precise delivery of water is critically needed to protect persons and property on the ground. Sometimes those loads of precious water are the primary weapon to keep open emergency evacuation routes as panicked citizens try to escape the raging flames.
The realistic training provided by the VR simulation can help prepare pilots for these critical missions, and ultimately, save lives.
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