NTAS 2012 Review Responding To The FAA Brown Aviation Lease
NTAS 2012 Review
The National Training Aircraft Symposium 2012 was held on March 19th and 20th at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University. Attending the event was a range of stakeholders including training resource providers, representatives of collegiate and academy education institutions, and employers of first officer candidates. Brown was one of the stakeholders present along with JetBlue, FedEx, Delta, FIT, Purdue, Western Michigan University and many more. Our task this year was to respond to the latest Pilot Certification and Qualification Requirements for Air Carrier Operations NPRM. Throughout the symposium, moderated by Peter Morton of PMM Inc., the team utilized a unique web-‐based polling system bringing technology into the aviation classroom. The polling system was used to gather data and opinions from 80 aviation professionals on each question presented by the NPRM. This is a watershed moment in the history of aviation and flight training. This new regulation is going to become law in the very near future so make sure that you are informed and involved in the discussion. We thought that it would be helpful to highlight some of the hot topic issues we saw discussed at this years symposium. As always please feel free to disagree, challenge and ask questions to stir some debate. NTAS Hot Topics Flight Hours as a Proficiency Metric: Our assumption is that many of us in the flight training space, and even more broadly aviation, would agree that using an arbitrary number of hours to prove a pilot’s proficiency is only one of many metrics that should be used. It would seem to make sense that somewhere there is a happy medium combining testing and hours flown that will prove competency just like many other vehicle certification and licensing procedure. Alternatively, if 1500 hours is going to be the mandated flight time, then students should be provided a clear path to attaining those hours or at least incentivized to achieve the required time, perhaps lessoning the financial burden. Limiting Certification Avenues: In the new regulation, the FAA is essentially saying that only the military and affiliated part 141 schools are acceptable avenues for a student to achieve their commercial pilot certification. If that’s the case then what happens to all of the part 61 pilot training programs? Both types of programs train to the same set of minimum standards yet depending on the students learning tendencies, some may perform better in different environments. In the end every commercial pilot will have to meet the same set of standards to achieve their certification. It is already hard enough to recruit students into the aviation field; lets not make it harder by limiting their availability to flight training resources. Doing away with part 61 would be like doing away with Public Universities in the education space and forcing everyone to go to Private Schools. Cross Country Flight: Cross-‐country flight time is certainly important training and experience for any pilot to have under their belt when preparing to become a certified commercial pilot. The difficulty with gaining that exposure is in the limited number of Brown Aviation Lease
NTAS 2012 Review
opportunities for a student to fly cross-‐country when trying to meet the required hours. Even in the academy environment it is tough to schedule the time and aircraft needed to perform a cross-‐country flight. That being said, the majority of NTAS participants agreed that their was a certain number of hours pilots needed to fly cross country but it certainly was not up around the 325 hour minimum recommended by the NPRM. Increased FSTD Requirement: Recently we took a poll asking flight-‐training programs (both university and academy) if they had access to a level C simulator for their students to use. What we found out was that only about 30% of programs have access to a simulator of that level today. It is very possible if the proposed NPRM were to get approved the way it is written now, the majority of aviation programs would have to scramble to find a solution to purchase or lease a level C simulator. So the question becomes what level simulator is required for pilot training? During the discussion at NTAS 2012, the majority of participants seemed to agree that an appropriate training device to meet this requirement would be a level 5 FSTD with a suitable visual which incorporates transport typical stall warning and prevention devices. Either way, if you do not have at least a level 5 FSTD now you are going to need one. Our advice as a lessor of simulators is to start looking at your options now so you can be ready to make a decision when the NPRM goes into effect. Rapid Implementation Schedule: One of the greatest hot topic concerns at NTAS 2012 was the potential implementation schedule and sanctions for not sticking to that schedule that may be proposed by the FAA once they agree on the terms of the NPRM. We think it is fair to say that in many instances government organizations are not always time sensitive when implementing new regulations. Currently there has not been a plan proposed for implementation. We encourage everyone to be very vocal on this point as it could have dire effects on the industry if not taken into proper consideration by the FAA. Regardless of when the final rule is published, it seems only fair that their be a grace period of at least a year until the ruling is fully enforced. There is no benefit in adding chaos to an already daunting and somewhat muddled task. All in all, NTAS 2012 was certainly a success due to its involvement of many key stakeholders and the collaboration with technology to bring together and represent all of the thoughts in the industry. The end goal is to make sure the regulations are in place to guarantee our future pilots are properly trained and can demonstrate competency in order to maintain a high standard of safety in aviation. We need to remember that we have a shared vision and it is our duty to collaborate with each other and the FAA to ensure the continued growth and advancement of our industry. If you have any questions about NTAS 2012, the NPRM or flight training solutions please contact us at info@brownaviationlease.com or (781) 350-‐5859.
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