TRU Simulation + Training to Debut Cessna 172 Skyhawk Veris VR Flight Training Device at NBAA-BACE

TRU Simulation + Training, a Textron unit, will conduct live demonstrations of its Cessna 172 Skyhawk-configured Veris Virtual Reality Flight Training Device (FTD) at the National Business Aviation Association Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (NBAA-BACE) in Las Vegas in October, marking the technology's trade show debut. TRU announced Veris in 2024. The rotorcraft-configured version secured FAA qualification as a Level 7 FTD for helicopters in September 2025, while the Skyhawk-configured Veris is not yet FAA-qualified, though the device is also designed to meet EASA Level 3 FTD standards.

Once qualified, the Skyhawk Veris will be delivered to launch customer US Aviation Academy, which ordered five devices and secured options for 10 more at last year's NBAA-BACE, with plans to install the devices at its training facility in Denton, Texas. Veris combines full flight simulator (FFS) features in a physical cockpit structure with virtual reality technology, with an image generation system powered by Unreal Engine. The dual-seat cockpit replicates the Cessna 172 Skyhawk's instrumentation and controls, including Garmin G1000 NXi avionics, and students can complete certain training with or without a VR headset. TRU said it will offer training credit for all licensing phases from private pilot through flight instructor.

The device measures 7.3 by 6.85 by 7.25 feet and includes a full-electric six degrees of freedom motion system that provides flight cues and vibrations, plus a digital electric control loading system also used in TRU's Level D FFS products. Instructors operate the device via dual touchscreen displays, with optional wireless tablet control and an optional debrief system for video, audio, and avionics data playback. It can be loaded with airports from around the world and supports custom scenarios including off-airport landings, search and rescue, emergency operations, military exercises, and night vision goggle training, and can simulate smoke, fire, and lighting conditions.

Bell Training Academy is the launch customer for the rotorcraft-configured Veris, with devices configured for the Bell 505 used to train military aviators under the U.S. Army's Flight School Next program. TRU has more than 240 qualified and supported devices for civil and military customers and in 2016 delivered the world's first Boeing 737 MAX full flight simulator. "The Cessna Skyhawk Veris was designed with intentionality to support a realistic flight training experience, including a dual-seat configuration that allows instructors and students to train together on the device," said Jerry Messaris, president and CEO of TRU. "As demand for pilots continues to grow, solutions like Veris help training organizations expand access to high-quality instruction."

This case belongs to a broader push by simulator makers to fold game-engine visuals and VR headsets into smaller, cheaper devices that still carry formal training credit, extending simulator-grade instruction into facilities that could never house a full-motion Level D box. The rotorcraft Veris already cleared FAA Level 7 qualification and is flying for Bell Training Academy under the Army's Flight School Next program, giving TRU a working precedent for how the fixed-wing version might be evaluated and credited once it goes through the same process.

Training providers in this segment depend on regulatory credit level, not novelty, to decide what a device is worth: a VR-based FTD only expands capacity if it earns credit toward licensing phases, which is why US Aviation Academy's order of five units with options for ten more is conditioned on qualification rather than already in service. Watch for the Skyhawk Veris to reach FAA qualification and for the first units to actually land at the Denton facility, since that delivery — not the Las Vegas demonstration — is what converts the order into usable training capacity.