ULD Care and Airport College International Collaborate to Bring Virtual Reality to ULD Training

MONTREAL - Airport College International Ltd., the leading provider of online learning programs for the Aviation industry, and ULD Care, the trade association for ULD owners, operators and associated activities, are pleased to announce their collaboration to establish virtual reality training as the “go to” format for delivering cost effective, measurable ULD training to tens of thousands of staff who work with ULD around the world.

ULD Care and Airport College International Ltd. are pleased to announce their collaboration in a project to provide virtual reality (VR) training for preflight ULD inspections. While on one hand, a great deal of ULD ground operations are conducted by service providers or freight forwarders, on the other hand, the moment a ULD is loaded into the aircraft it becomes a part of the aircraft and is subject to the same performance standards as all other components of the aircraft. Like all other aspects of the aircraft, this means that ULD is required to be inspected for damage before use.

There is, however, anecdotal evidence of failings in this area, meaning that unsafe ULDs are being routinely carried on flights, running the risk of inadequate cargo restraint. Unsafe ULDs may also damage the aircraft cargo holds. 

It is no secret that the ground handling cargo industries suffer from exceptionally high staff turnover and that maintaining adequate training standards is a major challenge.  All too often ULD standards suffer as a result. As VR technology develops in capability it also becomes more affordable, offering significant opportunities to provide effective and measurable basic level training for ramp and cargo terminal operators in the key areas of inspecting containers, pallets, and nets for damage before use.