2025 Agenda

The global air traffic control industry is at a crossroads, facing an international controller shortage perpetuated by a dependency on a manual 1-to-1 training model. For decades, simulation training has been anchored in legacy methods and technology that require constant, over-the-shoulder supervision and subjective memory. This high-touch, low-yield model is no longer viable in an era requiring rapid, standardized workforce expansion. As this constraint begins to impact global aviation safety, it is clear we must move beyond manual observation toward a more objective, technology driven training pipeline. We can’t solve today’s problems with yesterday’s approach.

In this session, Dale Drake, Vice President of Business Development at UFA, Inc. and former U.S. Air Force Chief of ATC Operations, Procedures and Training, explores how the industry can break the 1-to-1 barrier and accelerate production. Drawing on his experience managing over 100 facilities and 4,500 personnel globally, Drake introduces a paradigm shift: turning the simulation environment into a connected source of data-evidenced training rather than a series of “one-off” subjectively-assessed events.

He will introduce new force multiplier concepts and technology, including high-fidelity voice recognition analytics with automated scoring that provides students with objective / data-evidenced feedback after every run. He will also discuss how data analytics form a critical foundation for Competency-Based Training and Assessment. Finally, he will outline how new technology and methodology can empower students to practice independently, freeing master instructors to focus on high-value coaching rather than routine monitoring.

Attendees will learn how transitioning from subjective assessment to a data-aware “learner-centric” model will revolutionize training throughput.

Key Takeaways:
• How to Break the Bottleneck: Strategies to move beyond the traditional 1-to-1 instructor ratio to increase student throughput in the face of an instructor shortage crisis
• The Power of Objective Data: How automated tracking of simulated aircraft state data and voice communications eliminates instructor variability while enhancing safety
• Systemic Optimization: Using aggregated trend data to diagnose and fix systemic performance gaps in training curricula to close the feedback loop more quickly and efficiently

Join us to discover how to make ATC training as effective, data-driven, and resilient as the future aviation system it supports.