When a thorough preflight isn't enough
How FlyShirley.com will help overcome the unexpected
Discussions about AI are fraught with skepticism. It can make mistakes. “Hallucinate.” Tell people to eat rocks… And plenty of companies are using it as a buzzword to get attention, even with little actual integration of AI in their products.
FlyShirley.com is not one of those companies. A couple of minutes interacting with Shirley, and there is no denying that each response is unique, personalized, and generated with extremely low latency using the most advanced AI available today.
Still, Shirley is not immune from criticism. Some have claimed that Shirley is just the next evolution of “children of the magenta,” and another way pilots will become over-reliant on technology. What if Shirley tells you to turn left instead of right?
Quite frankly, we understand the hesitation. FlyShirley.com was founded by two pilots! We both understand the importance of proper planning, knowing your aircraft, understanding flight regulations, and the deadly consequences if you don’t.
That’s why we want to acknowledge these concerns. We have them too! They are the main reason we are starting with simulators—controlled environments with no risk of injury—so that we can work through these challenges and provide an extremely accurate product for in-flight contexts.
But today I want to respond to one comment we have received that, as a pilot, particularly bothers me. It was something along the lines of:
“[The team at Shirley] seems to be advocating something that suggests that there is no need for detailed preflight planning.”
We are not.
One day, Shirley will be available in real aircraft to help pilots in many of the same ways that it can be used currently in simulators. For example “where is the closest airfield?” Or “what’s my best glide?” Or “set up the ILS 13L at JFK.”
Despite these amazing abilities, we would never suggest that Shirley replaces thorough preflight planning. It cannot. Preflight planning is vital.
But here’s the reality: no amount of planning can ever fully prepare a pilot for the unexpected.
And the unexpected is more common than you think.
ATC: “Hate to ruin your plans…”
Case in point: Last week I was flying into Reno, Nevada (KRNO) in a Global 6500, one of the most advanced business jets in the world. Based on our weather briefing and preflight planning, we planned to land to the south, so we set up for an arrival via a GPS waypoint we included in our flight plan. We began our descent and headed toward the waypoint.
Less than 10 NM from the initial waypoint for the arrival, approach control cleared us for a different arrival, because the airfield had just switched the runway in use (they were now landing to the north). At Mach 0.80, 10 NM goes quick. Thankfully, I was in a dual pilot cockpit. As the pilot not flying, I quickly searched for and programmed the new arrival, executing the route change just seconds before we hit the initial waypoint and, thankfully, set us up for a turn to the follow on waypoint required for the new arrival procedure. Had I been a few seconds slower, we may have drifted off course and, possibly, been kindly ordered to call a phone number upon landing.
So it all worked out… this time… in VMC… with one of the most advanced FMS setups available… with two pilots.
Now imagine the same scenario but with a single pilot flying a 1970s Cessna 172 equipped with a Garmin 430 and steam gauges flying in turbulent IMC.
It certainly would be nice if that single pilot could simply say “load the WINRZ ONE arrival at KRNO" without even taking their hands off the controls, wouldn’t it?
We think so, too! That’s why we are working hard to develop Shirley for use in aircraft, to make pilots all over the world safer when the unexpected makes its inevitable appearance. Because these unexpected changes and stressful workloads fog the pilot’s most valuable tool: their mind. Suddenly wrote memory items become fuzzy, logic starts to waiver, and decision making becomes downright difficult. But what if Shirley, with access and a human-like understanding of the entire POH, was there to lend a hand?
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So what’s the point?
Shirley will never replace thorough planning. But it can certainly supplement it.
Do your flight planning like you life depends on it, because it does. But when you find yourself in a stressful, high workload situation, you won’t have to fear with Shirley at your side. You can focus on flying while your AI Copilot helps you overcome those last minute, unpredictable changes just like a real copilot.
This is just one example of the many ways in which Shirley will make you a safer pilot, and it’s all thanks to the amazing advances in AI. And while we understand your hesitation, AI will continue to become more prevalent in our daily lives and, yes, the flight deck. So how can you start preparing for the next generation of flying? You can start practicing now! As part of our Sim to Sky approach, Shirley is already available for use in at home simulators so that pilots can begin interacting with Shirley and understanding how to leverage this amazing technology.
Still skeptical? Head over to FlyShirley.com to try it out yourself. We know you’ll be amazed at the capabilities Shirley offers.
In the meantime, stay on your toes (but off those toe breaks) and, we insist, do thorough preflight planning!
Safe Flying!