The thinking behind ChairFly.ai
Mental rehearsal has a place in flight training. We are interested in making it easier to practice deliberately, notice gaps, and arrive at the next lesson prepared.
What we can say today
The research supports structured mental rehearsal as a supplement to instruction. ChairFly.ai itself has not yet been evaluated in a training study. We have not demonstrated fewer flight hours, lower training bills, or better checkride outcomes.
This early version is an educational demonstration. Its exercises have not yet completed independent instructor review. Use your instructor and current aircraft documentation to establish the correct procedure before rehearsing it.
A current perspective · 2026
This review explores visualization, goal setting, self-talk, and preparation routines that could support civil and military pilots. It is a useful starting point for thinking about rehearsal as part of a broader learning routine.
The limit: Much of the underlying evidence comes from sport. This paper does not test ChairFly.ai, AI feedback, or camera-based assessment.
Read the university research recordLearning principles · 2020
The handbook describes goal-directed practice, specific feedback, and regularly spaced study. It also explains why learning a procedure correctly from the start matters, and why saying a checklist from memory can become disconnected from actually doing it.
The limit: This is instructional guidance, not a trial of chair flying. Citing it does not mean the FAA has reviewed or approved ChairFly.ai.
Read the FAA chapter · PDFCivilian pilot study · 2010
Thirty-six licensed pilots were assigned to guided mental practice, hands-on training, or no training. The guided and hands-on groups performed better on a same-day simulator assessment of situation awareness than the control group.
The limit: The study was small, and all participants already held at least a private pilot certificate. It did not measure flight hours or costs saved. Finding no significant difference between the two training groups does not establish that they are interchangeable.
Read the original paper · PDFMilitary pilot study · 1973
In a study of 23 U.S. Air Force T-37 student pilots, the group given four guided mental-practice recordings received higher subsequent instructor ratings for landing procedures and landing ability than the control group.
The limit: This is an early, small study of a specific military training task. It supports further investigation of mental rehearsal as a supplement, not a claim that an app replaces flying or guarantees savings.
View the publication · access may varyAirline human factors · 2025
A survey of 239 pilots at one airline explored a method for recovering from startle and surprise. Pilots reported benefits, but time pressure and the urge to act could make the method difficult to apply. Useful training has to fit the situation in which it will be used.
The limit: These were self-reported experiences, not a controlled test of chair flying. The findings do not establish fewer accidents or lower training costs.
Read the open-access paperPutting the evidence to work
Choose one task, establish the correct version, rehearse it, then review what needs attention. Return to it over several sessions. As it becomes familiar, discuss how a different situation would change your choices.
A visible hand movement is only a visible hand movement. It does not prove that a control was correctly operated, that traffic was checked, or that a pilot is ready to fly. Useful feedback needs to respect that distinction.
Explore the rehearsal demoWhat the product does today
The first rehearsal now starts with an aviation task: brief a departure, read back an IFR clearance, or make a go-around decision. Each fictional scenario asks you to say your plan aloud before making a decision, then compare your reasoning with a source-based explanation and example response. A debrief separates decision answers from spoken self-checks. All content remains a draft pending independent instructor review.
Three introductory tracks cover private-pilot preflight decisions, instrument cross-check concepts, and checkride-style explanations. Twelve prompts have fixed explanations drawn from FAA handbooks. You can revisit topics that needed support and download a debrief to discuss with your instructor.
The instrument questions are conceptual ground practice, not an in-flight scan sequence, an instrument proficiency check, or aircraft operating procedures. Spoken explanations are self-checked. Independent instructor review and testing with learners remain outstanding.
Separate panel familiarization exercises retain their photographed C172 analog and C172S NAV III references. The instructor desk lets an instructor create a panel assignment link and review a debrief the student chooses to share. Reports record selections and self-checks, not verified competence. They are not automatically synchronized, and their sender is not authenticated. The new aviation-task debriefs are downloadable text files for manual discussion; they do not import into that panel-assignment desk.
FAA flight instruments reference · Chapter 8 ↗Google’s MediaPipe Hand Landmarker runs on your device and turns hand position into a screen cursor. A short hold selects a known target. It does not measure where your eyes are looking or verify real aircraft control use. Mouse and touch work throughout the same lessons.
Read Google’s hand-tracking documentation ↗