Loft Dynamics, a creator of qualified virtual reality (VR) flight simulation training devices, has appointed Ray Lamas, a 20-year aviation veteran, as its North American vice president. Lamas, who has extensive experience as an aviator and executive, including several years leading global customer training for Bell, will facilitate Loft Dynamics' rapid North American growth. The growth is expected to accelerate in 2024 as more customers receive simulators and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) conducts its qualification process. Lamas will help to facilitate this growth by driving strategy and securing new partnerships across the continent. 

Lamas is a graduate of the US Naval Academy who spent over a decade flying jets in the Navy, where he developed a thorough appreciation for the necessity of effective aircrew training. As the leader of Bell's global customer training segment, Lamas served customers across the rotorcraft industry in the United States and worldwide. Lamas also engaged with regulators in multiple jurisdictions on the role of flight simulation in improving pilot training, invaluable experience at a time when high-quality simulators have never been more critical to addressing the growing pilot shortage.

“I am thrilled to join the Loft Dynamics team and introduce its industry-leading technology to even more operators in North America,” Lamas says. “VR is the future of flight training, and it will help us improve safety and scale the pilot pipeline like never before. Loft Dynamics simulators offer a level of realism and immersion that can't be matched by any other training platform. This technology is groundbreaking and will completely transform the possibilities in flight training, for airlines, flight schools, law enforcement agencies, air medical services, eVTOLs, fixed-wing aircraft and more.”

Lamas's decades of experience with flight training and his strategy and leadership roles at Fortune 500 companies like Maxar Technologies and AECOM make him well-positioned to oversee Loft Dynamics' North American expansion.

“Ray is an established leader in the aviation and training industry and will be a vital asset as we expand globally and scale our North American sales, service and support framework,” notes Fabi Riesen, founder and CEO of Loft Dynamics. “We have already established a strong presence in the United States and Canada: our new headquarters and flight simulation hub in Santa Monica and a growing list of North American customers, including Airbus Helicopters, the Los Angeles Police Department, the FAA, Marshall University, Blackcomb Canada and Colorado Highland Helicopters. Lamas will undoubtedly help us increase that presence even more.”

Loft Dynamics' geographic expansion will accompany a growing list of applications. The company is developing simulators for eVTOLs and fixed-wing aircraft, which will increase the number of pilots and operators with access to the most advanced and immersive simulators available. Loft Dynamics continues to innovate in the helicopter industry, most recently by achieving regulatory approval of the first VR flight simulator for helicopter sling load operations (HESLO).

“Loft Dynamics has the technology to dramatically improve the accessibility and effectiveness of pilot training for operators across the aviation industry and to increase safety by making training possible for every standard operating procedure (SOP) used in aviation,” Lamas concludes. “I could not be more excited to join a team leading the way into a new era of flight training and safety.”