Finnair Flight Academy Case Study: Mobile Learning Transforms Aviation Training

© 2015 Brandon Hall Group. Licensed for distribution by NetDimensions. Page 1
Case Study
Finnair Flight Academy
Training Takes Flight
April 2015
Company Background
Finnair Flight Academy is a wholly owned subsidiary of Finland’s state airline Finnair,
created in 2009 to continue and commercialize Finnair’s 60-year heritage of airline
training. The Academy is focused on providing aircraft training and certification for flight
personnel and flight training for pilots for airlines around the world. In total, there are
100 simulator instructors and a pool of 30 safety and service trainers.
Company At-a-Glance
Headquarters Vantaa, Finland
Year Founded 2009
Employees 50 + 130 instructors
Global Scale 50 Airlines across Europe and Asia
Customers/Output, etc. Flight training
Industry Aviation
Website http://www.finnairflightAcademy.com/
Business Conditions
There is perhaps no example of how critical compliance, regulation, and certification
training can be than when it comes to the airline industry. The men and women who
work every day as flight crew and cabin crew are responsible for the safety, security,
and well-being of more than 8 million people each day. It is a profession in which no one
typically notices when things go right, but when things go wrong it can be an
international disaster.
Having a highly qualified crew is imperative for airlines. According to Kishor Mistry, CEO
and founder of Peak Pacific Group, airlines around the world – large and small – face

Case Study
the same rules and compliance pressures. “Despite the competition between airlines
and the different business strategies they apply, it all comes down to safety first.”
Adherence to compliance and rigorous safety training makes an airline attractive not
only to air travel consumers, but to top industry talent as well. Because of this, training
has become a differentiator in a competitive market.
The challenge is delivering this rigorous, standardized training in an effective way to
learners around the world, many of whom can take precious little time away from hours
spent in the air. Many airlines are saddled with outdated legacy systems, with paper-
based systems, and instructor-led training still considered the norm.
Figure 1: Login Page
Source: Finnair Flight Academy 2015

Case Study
Program Overview
In its continuous efforts to deliver the most efficient and effective training to meet these
challenges, Finnair Flight Academy looked for a technology platform that would allow
them to deliver high-consequence training in a flexible, manageable, measureable way
to a diverse group of learners with a diverse set of needs. In 2012, the Academy
partnered with Peak Pacific, an aviation learning, technology, and mobility solution
provider, and NetDimensions, a global provider of learning and talent management
software solutions for high-consequence industries. Now many of the airlines that use
the Academy use it as part of their training solution.
Prior to the partnership, the Academy had been using multiple systems to deliver the
training to the different groups they serve, making it difficult to manage all of the
certifications and regulatory compliance issues the industry faces. The Academy allows a
carrier to deliver multiple types of learning, including pilot training, cabin crew training,
and operational training via a single system. Many of the larger airlines that deliver this
training internally are still using multiple systems for the different learning audiences.
To make this change, the system had to be able to deliver content from multiple sources.
Regulatory agencies and aircraft manufacturers responsible for the airlines create many
of the aircraft-specific and technical courses that are used for certification training. In
addition, the Academy and Peak Pacific produce content. There is a library of off-the-
shelf content that can be used by any airline or third-party customers, as well as custom
learning programs to meet specific needs. Finnair Flight Academy found that the
NetDimensions Learning LMS had the capabilities necessary to manage all of this
material.
Type Rating
Arguably the most critical piece of the training, type rating is where flight crews learn the
theoretical technical knowledge required for each type of aircraft they may fly, as well
as simulator training. It takes approximately six weeks of training to get familiar with a
new aircraft and up to 10 days in the simulator to be able to pass the certification exam.
The move to the NetDimensions Learning Secure SaaS environment means that pilots do
not need to attend classes for all of their type-rating training. Instead, they can attend
“ground school” – instructor-led sessions to supplement the home-study theory portion
of the training.

Case Study
These are practical sessions in fixed-based training/simulation devices where pilots will
apply and prepare for the simulator sessions for the flying part of the training. All this
allows for much more flexible scheduling that meets their needs.
The type-rating material is typically created and supplied by the aircraft manufacturers,
so the Academy needed a system that could manage content from a variety of sources.
The content also needed to be delivered in multiple ways, including web-based training
and even a memory stick or tablet device for those learners who choose to learn while
they are disconnected. The NetDimensions platform allows the Academy to sync offline
learning to the hosted system.
Figure 2: Home Page
Annual Recurrent Training
Recurrent training for pilots keeps them up to date and refreshes their theoretical
training as well as gets them back in the simulator. This is necessary to validate their
certifications. Again, this training was traditionally done in a classroom, but the
Academy wanted to be able to deliver the training independent of time and place.

Case Study
The NetDimensions Learning LMS allows the Academy to get everyone up to speed
based on their own flexible schedule, and focus their classroom energy on the flight
simulation piece, which for obvious reasons is done in person. Even though the flight
simulation training is delivered independently of the LMS, the scheduling, results, and
outcomes must still be tracked and managed via the system.
Figure 3: Aviation Security Awareness
Cabin Attendant Training
There are three major areas: Safety, service, and first aid. Traditionally, the learners
would have to wait until the end of the classroom event to take the certification tests.
The new system allows them to take the test online prior to the classroom event,
thereby removing the pressure of a looming exam from the classroom and allowing the
learners to focus on the information at hand.

Case Study
Mobile is the Key to the Future
The pilots community does not typically have access to company-issued devices such as
laptops, tablets, or phones, according to Mikko Salminen, managing director of Finnair
Flight Academy. Instead, the pilots connect with whichever device they own and are
most comfortable with. This requires the Academy to develop and deliver learning
solutions across a vast range of devices and technologies. “One of the main reasons we
chose the NetDimensions platform was the ability to deliver training to the various
devices the pilot community uses,” Salminen said. "NetDimensions Learning allows us to
create a robust solution to deliver and manage learning regardless of the device in
hand.”
Figure 4: Mobile Deployment

Case Study
Case Study Outcomes
Moving the majority of the training to an eLearning format has been beneficial to the
airlines, the pilots, the cabin crew, and the Academy itself. Salminen said everyone
benefits from the flexibility. Pilots are no longer required to come out of their scheduled
rotation so they can spend a total of 16 hours attending annual recurrent training
classes. They are now able to take the training in smaller chunks during layovers and
other downtime. Not having to take the pilots out of the air for two working days results
in significant savings over the year.
Initial cabin crew training used to take 10 weeks. With the eLearning delivery, time to
productivity is shortened by more than 50% to about five weeks. The platform has
enabled the Academy to flip the classroom for the flight crews’ annual training as well.
Learners are able to maximize their time spent in face-to-face classrooms, as much of
the material has already been delivered via the LMS.
Pilot reaction to the eLearning has been positive. The pilots enjoy being able to take a
large part of their training on their own terms, when it suits them. The eLearning
segments have been designed with a focus on interactivity, keeping the pilots engaged
with the material. The flexibility of devices is also popular among the pilots despite the
fact that there are occasional support challenges caused by the mixed array of devices.
Overall, Finnair Flight Academy is proof that high-consequence industries do not need to
be constrained to legacy learning models simply because of the critical nature of the
training involved. Despite being part of one of the most heavily regulated industries in
the world, the Academy is able to train flight crew, cabin crew, and operational staff on a
vast array of compliance-related topics in an eLearning environment – even on mobile
devices.
Future Plans
The Academy is seeking to use this new flexible model to gain access to more airlines
outside of Europe and meet the unique regulatory needs they may have. An increased
focus on mobile is also in the future, as the technology and access to wireless
broadband continue to advance.

Case Study
Peak Pacific Group CEO Kishor Mistry sees an opportunity with low-cost or budget
carriers because they tend to be more innovative and progressive when it comes to
adopting technology solutions, and have fewer legacy issues. He also sees flagship
carriers moving ahead and investing in large, more integrated solutions. At the same
time, the Academy is looking to work with manufacturers to help bring their content up
to speed with today’s technologies. Type training for a new aircraft is developed when
the plane leaves the assembly hangar and typically does not change over the 20-year
lifespan of the aircraft. Because of this, much of the content is not designed to be
delivered via newer modalities such as eLearning and mobile.

Case Study
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Finnair Flight Academy Case Study: Mobile Learning Transforms Aviation Training

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Finnair Flight Academy Case Study: Mobile Learning Transforms Aviation Training