With 28 years of experience at Ryanair, and 18 of those as the carrier’s Head of Training, Airline Pilot Club (APC) CEO Andy O’Shea knows a thing or two about what it takes to become a become an exceptional pilot – and no, it’s not as simple as knowing how to fly a plane.
With decades of dedication to the aviation industry, it is perhaps no surprise that following his loyal tenure at Ryanair, in which he saw the airline grow from operating 26 aircraft to one that flew 460, that Andy felt he still had much more to offer to find and train the best commercial pilots of the future.
In fact, APC evolved from Andy’s belief that a new approach to pilot training and recruitment was required, one where they worked as a single entity and inefficiencies between training competencies and airline requirements were avoided.
In June 2024, AeroTime took a deep dive into the work of APC and looked at how its technology was empowering airlines to discover the pilots of tomorrow.
Central to APC’s approach was creating a community that connected aspiring pilots, Approved Training Organizations (ATOs) and ultimately airlines through a holistic technological approach to recruitment and training.
After the bleak years during the COVID-19 pandemic the world’s airlines are finally on the resurgence with the expansion of operations and a core objective to find and recruit more pilots.
Despite the pressing need to find the next generation of aviators, standards have remained as high as ever, leaving airlines battling to find the very best trained pilots, and the solutions that APC offers more important than ever.
Andy told AeroTime: “Once the airlines announce that there are jobs, there’ll be plenty of applicants, but what we can do is help them very easily and quickly find the right people culturally, technically, education wise, with the right competencies, attitude, knowledge and skills. Our task would be to do all that integration using our experience and software and deliver safe and efficient pilots on-time and ready to go.”
As APC has grown so has the company’s utilization of advanced technology and Artificial Intelligence (AI) in shaping the future of the aviation industry.
From APC’s Airline-Ready Pilot Pool to psychometric assessments to its Evidence-Based Training (EBT) and Personal Evidence-Based Training (PEBT) Optimization Suite, AI and technology solutions have become central to its success.
APC’s Airline-Ready Pilot Pool is a key tool to align pre-screened, well-trained cadets, as well as experienced pilots, with carriers, streamlining the path from training or recruitment to cockpit.
While APC’s AI and data analytics ensure only the most qualified candidates make it to Airline-Ready Pilot Pool creating a treasure trove of talent for carriers to access.
The EBT and PEBT Optimization Suite enables airlines, as well as independent pilots and instructors, to personalize and optimize training programs and adapt materials and methodologies to meet the unique needs of each trainee
The suite is also able to provide real-time, actionable feedback with detailed, data-driven insights into a trainee’s performance, competencies, and progress and is highly compatible with various airline training record systems allowing for smooth data exchange.
In addition, APC’s Partner Portal creates a technology-based ecosystem that unites airlines, training organizations, and professional pilots with a shared vision of advancing aviation careers.
In an exclusive interview with AeroTime at Dublin Airport (DUB) Andy spoke about APC’s journey and the advanced technology that ensures prospective pilots “present themselves at an interview in tip top form” and that they “ace the interview and get the job”.
During the interview Andy explained how the company adopts a “potent combination of tech” to prepare pilots for airlines and within the next few months ‘Amelia’, APC’s next-gen AI platform, will elevate aviation training even further, drive deeper profiling, adapt to learning and provide real time feedback.
Amelia helps pilots excel in every aspect of the recruitment and training process and ensures they are fully ready for airline operations.
New features on the horizon include adaptive learning paths, which dynamically adjust training programs based on a candidate’s performance and learning style, and predictive analytics, which assess potential areas of improvement before they manifest in operational settings.
Additionally, the platform will provide tools for facilitated briefing and debriefing, equipping instructors with structured insights and real-time data to enhance the effectiveness of each training session.
Scenario-based training simulations will replicate real-world challenges, preparing pilots for decision-making under stress.
“The entire fabric of Amelia is designed to make sure that the organization that uses it is going to be compliant, and it’s going to be exceptional. Compliant and exceptional. Because Amelia takes into account all those regulations, all the industry best practice, all the training resources and training manuals that the organization has, and in accordance with the way that we’ve programmed her, she will provide optimum, personalized, evidence-based training for people that an instructor or a head of training can validate and implement,” Andy told AeroTime.
To learn more about APC and its quest to redefine the paradigms of aviation training and recruitment, watch CEO Andy O’Shea’s exclusive AeroTime interview.
And learn more about how AI is revolutionizing pilot training on the APC website.