First Flight

Inspiration One of our teammates(Vyom Singh) is a pilot. At his flight school, he met people who were passionate about flying but struggled with the cost or with traditional teaching methods that did not fit how they learn. Some had to put their dream on hold. We wanted to give them a more approachable, repeatable way to experience learning to fly. What it does Into the Skies: First Flight puts learners in a VR cockpit where they can practice with a yoke, rudder, throttle, and flaps. An interactive instructor responds to their actions, coaches them through mistakes, and answers questions conversationally. Learners can repeat each step at their own pace, from cockpit orientation to their first flight. It is a learning experience, not a replacement for certified flight instruction. How we built it We built the Quest experience in Unity and C#, with a flight model, cockpit instruments, guided lessons, and an instructor that reacts to the aircraft’s state. We prototyped physical controls with 3D-printed parts and Arduino inputs, using a laptop bridge to send control data to the headset. Gemini supports optional spoken questions; the core lesson remains available offline. Challenges and what we learned Hardware was our biggest challenge. Our 3D printer repeatedly cancelled jobs or broke down, delaying parts we needed for the controls. Connecting the Arduino, laptop, and headset also taught us how easily noisy sensor readings can become unintended movements in VR. We learned that building an immersive experience means making the physical controls, software, and instruction work together—not just making each part work separately. What’s next We want to refine the physical controls, test the experience with learners who face different barriers to flight training, and make the coaching more adaptable to each person.