UK-based industrial technology group Rolls-Royce has expanded its immersive virtual reality (VR) training system to include its BR725 aeroengine. The BR725 has been developed to power large business jets and is, for example, the powerplant for the Gulfstream G650 executive jet (the current flagship of the Gulfstream range).

Immersive VR training technology, which can be conducted remotely, is part of Rolls-Royce’s ‘IntelligentEngine vision’. The programme for the BR725 is a comprehensive two-day instructor-led distance training course, which covers the design, construction and operation of the engine. After finishing the course, engine maintainers will be able to carry out both routine and non-routine maintenance of the powerplant.

“Digitalisation plays a vital role in bringing our IntelligentEngine vision to life; we use it to design, test and maintain our engines,” highlighted Rolls-Royce Business Aviation senior VP: customers and services Andy Robinson. “This new immersive live virtual training tool is nothing short of a game-changer – it makes us the leader in technical training and allows customers to participate in the new training, wherever they are in the world. They just need an Internet connection, and the required VR equipment, which will be shipped directly to their door.”

Rolls-Royce did not see VR training as replacing practical training. But it added value for customers. For example, it increased flexibility and removed the need for a full-sized training engine to be shipped to them. 

The VR training programme had two realistic scenarios. In one, the engine was installed on an aircraft, in a hangar. The other had the engine on its own, just like a real-world training engine used in face-to-face training courses. In both scenarios, the immersive VR experience allowed the trainees to not only observe and familiarise themselves with the maintenance process, but, under the continuous supervision of the instructor, to actually participate in the process – interacting with the engine and its maintenance tools.

“The new virtual reality maintenance course is a great example of the innovative thinking that is needed to meet the challenges of our ever-changing world,” affirmed US-based Cox Aviation technical operations director Lee Bradshaw. “This programme allows each student to immerse themselves in an augmented environment full of realistic images, interactive functions and auditory feedback to delve deeper into the engine like never before.”  

The BR725 is manufactured by Rolls-Royce Deutschland and is the latest version of the BR700 engine family, originally developed as a joint venture between Rolls-Royce and Germany’s BMW. Rolls-Royce subsequently bought out BMW. “Rolls-Royce has been the leading engine supplier for business aircraft for more than two decades thanks to our continued commitment to the highest levels of service support,” pointed out Robinson.