Upset Recovery Training

New Pilot Certification and Qualification Requirements

bwillett — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 01:21:08 +0000

HR 5900 Since Congress became involved in determining pilot qualifications (fall out of the Colgan Air accident), several Aviation Rulemaking Committees (ARC) have been working to finalize new requirements. A Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) was expected to come out …

AP IMPACT: Automation in the air dulls pilot skill

bwillett — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 00:27:48 +0000

Automation prompts safety officials’ concern about pilots’ skills
Airplanes are become increasingly automated, leading some safety officials to raise concerns that pilots might be losing their in-flight instincts, which could be troublesome when faced with an issue. Rory Kay, co-chairman of the Federal Aviation Administration’s committee on pilot training and an airline captain, said the industry is suffering from “automation addiction,” which is leading to different types of incidents. “We’re seeing a new breed of accident with these state-of-the art planes.”

Experts Urge “Sweeping” Changes in Pilot Training

bwillett — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 00:08:59 +0000

Training for airline pilots should utilize more-realistic simulators and focus more on manual flying skills, according to a new report by a panel of experts, The Wall Street Journal reported this week. The 54-page report, which was requested by Congress, has been presented to the FAA but has not yet been publicly released. It includes 24 recommendations that would create “sweeping changes in initial and recurring training for airline pilots,” according to the Journal. Among the report’s conclusions: New hires should spend time in the jumpseat to learn cockpit procedures before they take the controls, special leadership courses for captains should be developed, training for instructors should be standardized, and training for coping with stalls should be improved.

Instructor Standards: Cornerstone of Loss of Control Upsets

Site Administrator — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 16:36:16 +0000

Upset Prevention and Recovery Training (UPRT) is an unique and unprecedented challenge for the flight instructor pilot due the counter-intuitive aspects of prevention and recovery mitigation strategies. UPRT is often an individualized training process due to both it’s inherent technical complexities and the widely varying experience levels of commercial pilots and instructors alike.

Currently, simulators provide limited feedback regarding the condition of the airplane close to or inside an upset condition. A review of upset related sessions in simulators indicate that trainees regularly exceed the aerodynamic, structural, or aeroelastic envelope, without this being known to themselves or to the instructor. Providing this important feedback could be a straightforward enhancement. Then, the success of an effective UPRT training program will be directly related to the individual instructor’s ability to present a building block approach appropriate to, and tailored to, the individual pilot-in-training.