New Training Tool Takes Flight to Make Skies Safer
A new online training tool developed able online. After the program was de-
by the Commercial Aviation Management veloped, Kearns was able to scientifically
program at The University of Western test the training’s effectiveness by using a
Ontario is making the skies safer by pro- randomized trial.
viding general aviation pilots with access “My goal in designing this training
to better and more convenient training. program was to make the benefits of re-
The vast majority of general aviation source management training available
accidents are caused by pilot error, which to the general aviation pilot – the pilot
motivated Western aviation professor who loves flying and wants to be safe, but
Suzanne Kearns to create Online Single- doesn’t have the time or money to travel
Pilot Resource Management (OSRM), a to a training facility,” says Kearns. Professor Suzanne Kearns stands in front
web-based tool that adapts commercial In her trial, Kearns randomly divided a of a training plane .
pilot training techniques to the needs of group of pilots, half of whom completed
general aviation pilots and makes it avail-the online course. Both the trained and Because of its connection to C4, West-
control groups were then ern’s Industry Liaison Office chose to
tested on a high-fidelity market OSRM directly to general aviation
Cessna 172 simulator. Pi- pilots and flight schools instead of follow-
lots who completed the ing the more traditional model of licens-
OSRM training demon- ing the content to a publisher.
strated significantly better “With the e-commerce expertise that
situational awareness than C4 is developing, it suddenly became vi-
those who had not. able for us to market OSRM directly to
“Effective training re- consumers,” says Rob Herold, associate
quires rigour. I wanted to director at Western’s ILO.
prove that this adaptation For individual pilots, the OSRM course
of commercial Crew Re- is available at an introductory rate of
source Management tech- $49.99 until June 30. OSRM takes about
niques to single-pilot avia- 90 minutes to complete online. Flight
tion had real benefits for schools can purchase access for their stu-
OSRM teaches general aviation pilots how to use those pilots who complete dents at a discounted rate. For more in-
resource management techniques to fly safer. OSRM is the course,” says Kearns. formation: http://osrm.ssc.uwo.ca
based on techniques used in commercial aviation.
Matchmaking: Tech Transfer “Dating” Goes Online
by Heather Bennett Another recommended tool is NineSigma (www.ninesigma.
Congratulations on your latest research innovation! com), a “matchmaking” service connecting industry partners
You’ve solved one of the great mysteries of the universe and who require a solution to individuals or institutions who can
are about to profit greatly from it — just as soon as you find the provide one. In contrast to several other innovation matchmak-
right buyer. But what to do if your Rolodex doesn’t turn up any ing sites, NineSigma respects solution providers intellectual
licensing leads? The same thing you do when you’ve dated all property rights. If your application is successful you will be able
your friends’ friends: go online. to negotiate license agreement terms and costs directly with the
Among the many technology transfer “dating” tools, Flint- industry partner. You can sign up to receive RFPs via email at
box (www.flintbox.com) stands out as a big up-and-comer in NineSigma’s homepage. Before submitting a solution, research-
the Canadian market. It hosts ers are encouraged to contact
technologies in all sectors from the C4 e-commerce coordi-
more than 50 universities, gov- nator for assistance and ad-
ernment labs, and other research organizations across Canada. vice with the application and
It is free to set up a basic user account, which allows you to se- with the negotiation process
curely download technology materials and receive the Flintbox that will ensue with a successful application.
newsletter. Individuals can post material for promotion and sale Heather Bennett is the C4 E-Commerce Coordinator. She can be
with a $100 Flintbox-Pro account, but researchers at C4 institu- reached at: ecomm@uwo.ca
tions can post through C4.
C4 Stepping Stone | Winter/Spring 2008 www.c4ontario.ca 3