WHY — My Purpose, Cause, or Belief

I remember my first day of A320 type rating—my very first rating. Even weeks before, I was waking up at 5 a.m., driven by the desire to prepare as best as I could. I studied aircraft systems, limitations, procedures—whatever I could get my hands on. I wanted to be ready. I thought I was preparing. But the truth is: despite all the effort, I was essentially flying blind. I had no idea what exactly to focus on, in what order, or how to prioritize.

Even after talking to experienced A320 pilots, everyone had a different opinion. As someone starting his first airline job, that just made it more confusing, isolating, and stressful. No structure, no clarity—just noise.

When I received my EFB on Welcome Day, I felt overwhelmed—almost paralyzed. It wasn’t just the A320 FCOM with its 7,000+ pages. It was everything else too: thousands of pages of manuals and documentation. Most people told me I “wouldn’t need to study all of it.” Instead, we were given CBTs that were outdated, uninspiring, and—let’s be honest—painfully boring. It became instantly clear that I didn’t even know where to begin, let alone how to structure my learning.

So I did what many do—I gritted through it: weeks of intense study, countless hours of chair flying, and meticulous preparation for every simulator session, fighting through the anxiety of knowing that at every turn, I’d be tested. Eventually, I passed.

But my type rating partner didn’t. After several attempts and rounds of additional training, she was ultimately let go. Watching that happen hit me hard. I never wanted to see someone in that position again.

Years later, I found myself on the other side as a Training First Officer, conducting initial simulator and theoretical training for Second Officers and even experienced FOs transitioning to Captain. I loved the work. Still would. But truthfully, I didn’t become an instructor because I had always dreamed of it.

I became an instructor because I wanted to change something.

Because what happened to my crew partner back then wasn’t a one-off. I kept seeing the same story play out: talented pilots feeling overwhelmed, unsupported, and stuck—trying to navigate a system that was outdated and poorly designed.

HOW — The Actions I’m Taking

I believe that airline pilot training—especially theoretical pilot training—is unnecessarily hard. Not because the material is too complex, but because the way we approach it is flawed.

Here’s what I’ve seen again and again:

• Most pilots don’t know how to learn effectively. They default to rereading or even summarizing manuals, falsely believing it helps knowledge stick.

• The training tools we get—like CBTs—are outdated, passive, and boring. They do little to actually help us retain or apply knowledge.

• There’s no clear roadmap. No structure, no guidance. Pilots are left wondering, “Where do I even start?”

• The sheer volume of information is overwhelming. Even experienced pilots struggle with “Where do I find X?” or “What changed with the latest revision?”

• EFBs make it worse. Information is easier to push, but harder to find.

• All of this is made worse by compressed training schedules, tight rosters, and little room for error.

The result? Pilots feel overburdened and underprepared. Knowledge fades. Performance suffers. And safety is quietly compromised. Pilots resort to finding test answers online instead of truly understanding the material. It becomes a game of surviving the check—not mastering the aircraft.

I saw it again and again. And after a while, I realized: this system isn’t going to fix itself. I wasn’t going to change it from within. I was just one small gear in a giant machine.

So I decided to build something new.

Something by pilots, for pilots. Something backed by learning science. Something that makes theoretical training not just effective, but engaging.

WHAT — The Result of Those Actions

That’s why I created Ai3X—and brought together a team just as passionate about this mission.

Ai3X is a native iOS app designed to transform how Airbus pilots train, starting with the A320. We didn’t build it to be another CBT or document viewer. We built it to actually help—really help—pilots learn smarter, not harder.

It includes:

• Two flexible training modes—Managed and Selected—to match your experience and goals

• Spaced repetition and active recall to actually retain what you train

• A growing Knowledge Space with concise, pilot-friendly summaries of systems and procedures

• An AI chatbot you can ask anything—built to replace the frustration of digging through endless PDFs

• Detailed training stats, session logs, heat maps—to keep you on track and help you focus

• All wrapped in a sleek, intuitive, cockpit-friendly UI—because yes, training apps should feel as sharp as the aircraft you fly

And this is just the beginning. Because for us, Ai3X isn’t just an app. It’s a statement.

A statement that pilot training can be better. That learning should be intuitive, effective, and yes—even enjoyable. We’re not here to digitize old material. We’re here to redefine how pilots train—and build something that respects pilots’ time, focus, and passion for flying.

Let’s aixelerate pilot training—together.

— Philipp Haßdenteufel, Founder & CEO, Ai3X

Born from the experience of overwhelming type ratings, Ai3X makes Airbus training clear, structured, and effective.