Are You Getting It?
When Steve Jobs introduced Apple’s new iPhone to the world at a 2007 conference, his audience was initially puzzled. They knew about cell phones, the internet, and music-playing iPods, but what was this device that combined those three existing technologies? As Jobs’ presentation progressed, a light bulb seemed to turn on above the attendees’ heads as they realized this wasn’t just a new type of cell phone or iPod, but a powerful handheld computer that would provide internet services and capabilities everywhere there was a cellular data signal. Sensing his audience’s growing realization, Jobs asked, “Are you getting it?”
So, are you getting it? The technology revolution is impacting aviation, and it goes beyond drones and autonomous flight. Just as earlier personal computing and evolved “smartphones” empowered — and disrupted — people and industries by offering affordable computing power to exponentially more people and places, so is technology now transforming traditional aviation training.
Polcak is not Jobs, but he and his company of approximately 50 engineers and PhDs may be creating a revolution in aviation training. “In the long term we think this mixed-reality technology can equal what’s experienced in full-motion, Level-D flight simulators and replace them,” he says, but he concedes the technology has not arrived to make that a present reality. Still, Vrgineers is working on advances to realize that possibility.
Since Polcak and company are working hard to revolutionize rotorcraft training, you should meet him. Let’s introduce you. You might like to know that one of Polcak’s hobbies is flying around on his spaceship. He says, “I’m trying to find extra time to fly around
in the spacecraft using our technology because it’s an amazing experience.” No, Polcak is also not to be confused with SpaceX founder Elon Musk. Polcak is referring to a virtual spaceship, and that escapist gaming inspired his real-world business. “I got into virtual reality and simulation because I like that you can create any environment and be in it. I wasn’t really happy with existing VR goggles; they weren’t realistic.” He enjoys using his company’s own product that his team works to build — as an escape from work? “Yes, totally!” he answers. “Virtual reality took a lot of traction from the gaming community.”
He’s not your stereotypical arrested-development gamer; let’s be clear about that. The guy works hard in the here and now. Polcak’s average day spans around the world. He says, “Currently, I’m in Prague and after I wake up and do all the work in my time zone, another shift for the U.S. starts.” That’s a relatively easy day of telecommuting. When he travels — by airline, not spaceship — the days get longer and harder. At the time of our interview, he’s just returned from HAI Heli-Expo in Texas. “When I travel to an event like that, there is always a lot of preparation up front,” he says. “When you arrive at the expo, you gather together all the parts you need to showcase. Then you are there presenting from early morning until late evening, and then you are totally exhausted. When I get back to the hotel, there are emails to sort through and then the next day starts.”
That’s the life of a young tech entrepreneur, not the lifestyle of a young tech gamer, but Polcak actually gets his entrepreneur streak naturally. His father Mirek started a construction business and small technology company after Czechoslovakia gained its independence from the Soviet Union. “So, I am a second- generation businessman in my family,” he says with pride.
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