How do you learn to load a plane without being on a plane? 

It’s a challenging skill to learn on the job. Training on board a freighter is potentially hazardous, certainly expensive and offers little opportunity to learn from mistakes. This dilemma has long occupied the training team at the Cathay Academy in Hong Kong, which trains Cathay Cargo’s loading and ramp teams. 

Faced with such a challenging reality, they have taken a bold step into the virtual world. May saw the opening of the Cathay Cargo VR CAVE (Virtual Reality Cave Automatic Virtual Environment), a revolutionary training tool and state-of-the-art immersive training environment that offers a realistic, interactive and – most importantly – safe way for people to learn, practise and master complex cargo handling procedures.

“In the past, our training was heavily reliant on lectures and physical demonstrations in traditional classrooms,” says Sherriel Yu, Learning Manager Cargo Services. “While effective, this method relied on the imagination of course participants. Now you don't need to imagine; you can see a ‘real’ shipment in a ‘real’ aircraft.”

For instance, Yu previously used a shoebox for classroom-based tie-down training. Now, however, trainees can step into the main deck of a Cathay Cargo Boeing 747 freighter, armed with 3D glasses and a gaming-style hand-controller. They can get a far more immersive, hands-on experience, with a degree of realism and scale that a shoebox cannot deliver.  

Realism boosts knowledge and safety

The realism of the VR CAVE was achieved through collaboration with the Department of Data and Systems Engineering at the University of Hong Kong (HKU). It was the ideal team-up: the department was looking for a real-world industrial use case as part of its government-funded research; the Cathay Academy and Cargo teams needed world-class training expertise. “So we got into contact and with the funding support, we were able to build the software and hardware of the VR CAVE in a cost-effective manner,” says Karen Yuen, Digital Learning Content Lead. 

To begin with, the HKU team – which comprised PhD, Masters and Bachelors-level students –  visited Cathay City for an intensive class with Yu and her shoebox to learn the training requirements. “Then we took them on board a freighter to do all the measurements and scanning to build the freighter into the software,” says Yuen.  

During the development phase, Yu and Yuen along with colleagues from Cargo Service Delivery went to HKU periodically to check on the product, test it, and to ensure it was realistic enough to meet training and learning needs.

The first courses to start using the VR CAVE this summer will be initial training for people new to Super Heavy Cargo Handling , followed by tie-down training. This involves working according to the tie-down plans sent to hand-held devices via the HeavyPro app, part of the suite of solutions in the Cargo Connect app. The CAVE provides tailored modules that demonstrate different cargo securing angles, fitting points and safety procedures in a controlled environment, promoting continuous improvement. Crucially, people can learn from their mistakes without any real-world consequences. 

“The Cargo VR CAVE is a transformative leap in Cathay’s training evolution – turning complex concepts and procedures into intuitive, hands-on experiences,” says Tim Wong, General Manager Cargo Service Delivery. “By merging cutting-edge technology with risk-free learning, we’re not only enhancing safety and efficiency today but also empowering our people to excel in an increasingly complex industry.”

The possibilities are endless

In time, the CAVE could serve as the setting for any scenario that can be projected into it. “Based on business needs, we have the potential to explore different areas of cargo operations, such as dangerous good handling,” says Yu. 

This summer, a new cadre of students will work on expanding the current repertoire of scenarios and loads. There are already pallets and aircraft engines modelled on the real things, but Cathay Cargo carries a diverse mix of big shipments. What’s more, says Yuen, the CAVE is not limited to the freighter aircraft environment. “It could be a warehouse environment; it could be a ramp environment,” she says. “Whatever the areas are that people need training support, we can build the content accordingly.”

While the CAVE is too big to move, the team is examining the possibility of introducing VR headsets for remote staff. “We have the capability to put the same content in a headset device like the Oculus [now Meta Quest], so people in the regions eventually could be supported with the same content,” says Yuen. “We really think the potential is there.”

Other plans under discussions include working with HKU on a paper on the efficacy of immersive training and gamification in training. “You say ‘VR’ to people, and they immediately think of gaming, so we want to publish a paper to show the benefits this sort of training brings to learning effectiveness,” says Yuen.  

But for now, the VR CAVE is bringing a new dimension to training. “This new facility offers an engaging, realistic and exciting way to learn that will enhance our safety and ensure we achieve the operational excellence that we strive for at Cathay Cargo,” says Director Cargo Tom Owen. “There is ever greater complexity on the operational side of the cargo world, so anything that we can do to make learning more interactive and enjoyable by using state of the art virtual reality tools, is going to be a welcome step forward for our people.”