CAT Magazine - Issue 6/2011

www.halldale.com The Journal for civil aviation training

AIRLINE TRAINING PROFILE

airBaltic – Smart Thinking DISPATCHER TRAINING

Dispatcher: The Pilot’s Partner CABIN SECURITY TRAINING

Taking Aviation Security to the Next Level Conference REPORT

EATS 2011 – Focussing on the Issues

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Issue 6/2011

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Editorial Comment

Listening to the Elders

" ... it is essential that the large cadre of seasoned, professional and senior aviators is actively consulted."

On the cover: The airBaltic fleet currently consists of 34 aircraft including 6 B737-500s.

Image credit: airBaltic.

Safe Travels, Chris Lehman CAT Editor in Chief

chris@halldale.com

ISSUE 6.2011

Editor in Chief

concerns about their ability to maintain proficiency in manual aircraft handling, particularly at the edge of the flight envelope. And, as we have noted in the past, comprehensive upset recovery training that combines academics, flight simulator sessions, and time in an aerobatic aircraft simply must be part of the background of any professional pilot.

There is also a sense that the pilotcockpit interface must be optimised and that good cockpit design cannot be only engineering-driven or subordinate to commercial concerns. When the current generation of highly automated aircraft were first introduced, some professional pilots expressed concern about less-intuitive controls and displays – including non-moving auto throttles, and poorly designed FCU mode controls/displays, to name just a few. As I remember, the concerns were – again – initially dismissed.

With another new generation of aircraft now being introduced, we must be confident that pilot-aircraft interfaces are the result of good ergonometric design principles, with due regard to ensuring that all controls, displays and warnings are intuitive and do not pose ambiguity traps. And while we’re on the subject, it’s time that all commercial transport aircraft incorporate an angle of attack indicator and load meter on the flight deck.

As the industry incorporates new regulatory realities and training regimes, it is essential that the large cadre of seasoned, professional and senior aviators is actively consulted. While we necessarily focus on the high profile issues of today in the quest to avoid accident repetition, we need to also look at those incidents where the outcome was not tragic due to the crew’s extraordinary talents. Rigorous accident investigation and debrief is critical, but understanding the how and the why of happy outcomes might be even more important.

05 CAT MAGAZINE

Chris Lehman

One of the by-products of a long career is the tendency to think that new aspirants to your profession – whatever it might be – will pay rapt attention to your years of experience, knowledge and wisdom.

While some might lend an interested ear, many will merely dismiss proffered advice as a relic of a bygone era, no longer valid, and probably dimmed by memory loss! No doubt it’s been this way since Homo sapiens first walked the earth.

Several decades ago, there was a necessary move towards high levels of aircraft automation in order to deliver efficiency, comfort and perceived safety to jet transport operations. The embrace of these powerful technologies was one thing, but the industry collectively went further, suggesting that “...the new breed of pilots must be system operators... the old skills are simply less important...” I remember there were those who espoused an opposing view, but they were largely dismissed as being representative of a bygone era.

While this industry has crafted an incredible safety record with high standards of individual performance, professionalism and accountability, a few decades of a “system operators” training philosophy has delivered multiple problems, exacerbated by the fact we no longer source crews from a vast cadre of rigorously trained – and selected – military aviators. We’ve seen a series of accidents where jet transport category pilots exhibited little knowledge of basic aerodynamics, stalls, or manual aircraft handling. There have been tragic accidents where degraded system modes, autopilot disconnects, blaring stall warnings and pounding stick shakers were not recognized nor properly acted upon. In some cases, it would appear that fundamental training messages are not being heard, or worse, not being delivered.

The industry seems to be reminding itself that at the core, it’s always been about achieving human performance and measuring competency. At CAT‘s recent EATS conference in Prague, we heard the results of a line pilot survey that suggested that the industry has not yet optimised the use of automation, and to get to that point automation may actually have to be reduced in certain circumstances. The surveyed pilots, most of whom were senior, expressed

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CONTENTS

CAT Magazine The Journal for Civil Aviation Training

Editorial

Editor in Chief Chris Lehman e. chris@halldale.com

Group Editor Marty Kauchak

e. marty@halldale.com

US Affairs Chuck Weirauch e. chuck@halldale.com European Affairs Chris Long e. chris.long@halldale.com US News Editor Lori Ponoroff e. lori@halldale.com RoW News Editor Fiona Greenyer e. fiona@halldale.com

16 26

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08 05 Editorial Comment

Listening to the Elders. Editor in Chief Chris Lehman discusses the importance of listening to senior aviators as we make training policy.

08 AIRLINE TRAINING PROFILE airBaltic – Smart Thinking. Chris Long visits Latvian carrier airBaltic.

12 DISPATCHER TRAINING Dispatcher: The Pilot’s Partner. Robert W. Moorman takes a close look at dispatcher training programmes.

16 UAS TRAINING Space Invaders: Integrating Civilian Unmanned Aircraft Systems. Chuck Weirauch examines UAS pilot training.

20 CABIN SECURITY TRAINING Taking Aviation Security to the Next Level. Marty Kauchak reports on efforts to bolster flight deck and cabin security.

24 Pilot Training British Airways Supporting Ab Initio Pilot Training. Chris Long reports on British Airways’ Future Pilot Programme.

CAT Magazine (ISSN No: 0960-9024, UPS No: 022067) is published 6 times per annum (February, April, June, August, October & December)

by Halldale Media, and is distributed in the USA by SPP, 95 Aberdeen Road, Emigsville PA 17318. Periodicals postage paid at Emigsville, PA. POSTMASTER: send address changes to Halldale Media lnc, 115 Timberlachen Circle, Ste 2009, Lake Mary, FL 32746.

ST Aerospace Academy MPL – A “Fully Clean” Solution. Chris Long examines the results of the latest MPL beta test.

30 Conference REPORT EATS 2011 – Focussing on the Issues. Highlights from EATS 2011 in Prague, Czech Republic.

32 Conference REPORT Flight Crew Training – London Conference Shows the Future. Ian Strachan reports on the Royal Aeronautical Society’s annual Flight Crew Training conference.

34 NEWS Seen & Heard. Updates from the training and simulation community. Compiled and edited by Fiona Greenyer.

ISSUE 6.2011

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise – especially translating into other languages - without prior written permission of the publisher. All rights also reserved for restitution in lectures, broadcasts, televisions, magnetic tape and methods of similar means. Each copy produced by a commercial enterprise serves a commercial purpose and is thus subject to remuneration.

26 Pilot Training

07 CAT MAGAZINE

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Airline Training Profile

airBaltic – Smart Thinking Chris Long studies the training and simulation capabilities of airBaltic, which has championed the concept of a Northern European Hub.

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W

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hen the centre of your world is Riga, Latvia, there is an interesting perspective of nearby countries and cultures. Within easy reach are Russia, the countries of the Baltic and CIS, whilst most of greater Europe and its high population densities lie within a three hour flight. With that in mind, the idea of a Northern European Hub makes a lot of sense, and the 2011 North Hub Riga Conference held there by airBaltic reflected this situation. The conference, held in the lovely city of Riga, was not only a model of excellent organisation, but also a perfect showcase for the natural hospitality and friendliness of the region.

This airline has been smarter than most in adapting to the bleak realities of the economic recession of 2008. With a drop of 16-18% of the GDP within the Baltic states, and a catastrophic fall of 40-50% in air traffic after April 2008, all of the airlines based in this region were hard hit and most are still struggling to recover. airBaltic was quicker on its feet

in adapting from providing a low fare point-to-point service, to developing Riga as a hub to link services both within and between those historically separated areas. In 2008 only 12% of the traffic featured transfer passengers, but that had already increased to 50% in 2009 and is continuing to expand, with almost 7 out of 10 passengers flying in transit via Riga.

The fleet has now built up to 34 aircraft: Aircraft Type Boeing 757-200 Boeing 737-500 Boeing 737-300 Bombardier Q-400 NextGen Fokker 50

Number 2 6 8 8 10

The route structure focuses on the region and the three Baltic States airports of Riga, Tallinn and Vilnius, and the core services are planned to be typically 70-80 minutes flight time for a B737. With service to some 80 destinations, a major part of the business is out-

Above airBaltic – the Latvian flag carrier airline – has its head office on the grounds of Riga International Airport.

Image credit: airBaltic

side the European Union regulated environment, so the frequent negotiation of traffic rights has required the setting up of a full time department to ensure smooth operation.

The history of the airline goes back to when there was only domestic traffic within the Soviet block, and which then generated 2.2 million passengers annually. After 1990 the traffic dropped initially, so that, for instance, 10 years ago there were only 1000 passengers a month on the Moscow route. This has built up to 25,000 per month, and annual traffic from the home base of Riga is now in the region of 5 million passengers.

The present rate of growth is predicted to continue until the existing infrastructure there becomes saturated in about 2013.

Alongside the necessity of extending the capacity of the airport, airBaltic is also clear about the need to gradually modernise and rationalise the fleet to two types – a pure turbine and a turbo-prop (Q-400), both of which will yield significant commercial improvement as fuel costs continue to rise. Fleet modernization decisions are expected soon, as the shareholders of airBaltic recently agreed to inject EUR 153 million in new capital financed by its two main shareholders, the Latvian government and Baltic Aviation Systems (BAS).

Training It was recognised that a form of training suitable for the then new aircraft types had to be adopted, and from 1995 to 2004 SAS set up and grew the training process, and the EU-based style of licencing and training became the norm. For SAS this potentially offered entry into the markets of Russia and the CIS. The present purpose-built building was opened in 2008, when it was sold

by GECAT to Oxford Aviation Academy (OAA), and in turn airBaltic took it over in 2010.

The combination of a fresh approach and key differentiators have put airBaltic Training in a very strong position.

The key differentiators are geographical location and language skills (Russian as well as the baseline English), bound together with a real understanding of the culture in Russia and the CIS. Airlines and crews from those countries have found the sometimes imperious impo-

sition of western training philosophies quite difficult to deal with; the shared background culture in Riga creates an altogether more sympathetic environment in which to train – so the training itself becomes much more effective. The centre in Riga has not only EASA, but also Russian, approval. Additionally it is approved as the only IATA Regional Training Centre in the European Union, and can deliver a whole range of IATAdeveloped courses, the first of which was delivered in February 2011.

Training Philosophy The good thing about having a greenfield site, both literally and intellectually, is that new ideas and approaches can be carefully selected and introduced without having to lead an established workforce to a new mindset – a challenge

Above The training centre currently operates a CAE-built B737 Classic full flight simulator.

Image credit: airBaltic

which many know to be particularly difficult. Another benefit is that the scale of the basic task – to train 300 pilots and 450 cabin crew for airBaltic, is small enough to have a “family feel” to this training organisation and so be able to give individual attention to the people attending the training centre, whether for initial or recurrent training.

Right from the start the culture of what it means to work in an airline is established. The criticality of on-time delivery is reinforced by the tracking of the Learning Management System (LMS), so not only are all learning

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CAT MAGAZINE

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Airline Training Profile

sessions monitored, but, importantly, the timing of log-ins is noted. Any delay has to have a written response and explanation. If there is more than a 10 minute delay the LMS automatically locks out further training for that day.

That philosophy applies equally to staff, so whilst it may seem strict, the imperative of respecting the clock is instilled throughout. As Captain Vilmantas Mazonas, Head of Training, is quick to point out, this instills that fundamental discipline early on so that it becomes normal working behaviour.

Within that strict framework, however, there is an enlightened view of how training should be delivered.

Individuals can work broadly at their own pace, with active support from the instructors.

The whole building is attractive, and made more so by the threemonthly rotation of works of art by local artists (the local sourcing theme is important, right down to the ingredients for the food provided in the cafe and in the aircraft). The centre is a venue for off-duty concerts and activities, and events like the Cabin Evacuations can be observed from

the mezzanine cafe, and are timed for lunchtime when any of those who are interested can hear the reaction of the participants. Similarly the end-ofcourse celebrations are held here.

The aim is to achieve and maintain high standards rather than simply rush for high volume of training, not least because the commercial case for third party training will only be made by ensuring the highest quality.

Within that context there is no need to make the training itself unpleasant or boring. The course content is developed in house by airBaltic's own Subject Matter Experts (SMEs). These individuals are current in their airline roles, so have immediate knowledge and credibility. The instructional team is made up of 21 TRIs/TREs, with 35 cabin crew instructors; these include some freelance instructors.

CRM is conducted jointly with flight deck, cabin crews and dispatchers, and is only 25% theoretical, the remaining time being working through scenario-based training, including crews swapping roles to better understand the demands of their colleagues' tasks.

Equipment In addition to the well-equipped adaptive classrooms, this facility also houses a good range of training tools: Equipment & Manufacturer FFS Boeing 737 Classic CAE Multi Purpose Crew Trainer (MPCT) Sala Brand AB Boeing 737 slide and Door Trainer Safety Training Systems, Inc Fokker 50 Door Trainer Mockup Simulation Sweden AB There are few surprises with the equipment, although the MPCT is worthy of close attention. This was manufactured by Swedish manufacturer SALA BRAND, who fitted it into the size of a standard freight container so that it could be taken by road to any airline that required it. In practice, however, it is so popular and effective that it now occupies one of the four simulator bays available at the training centre. It can provide fire training, generic door training and emergency evacuation, including a slide. The simulated aircraft interior can be used for

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ISSUE 6.2011

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service training, and many of the CRM training scenarios use it.

Third Party Training Having set up the programmes for their own airline, airBaltic Training had always planned to continue to deliver third party training, with, as previously mentioned, significant emphasis on Russia and the CIS. This it is doing successfully, with a total of some 50 customers already having been trained.

This can be with dry or wet lease of the facilities, and naturally the course can be adapted to the customer needs. One aspect of non-regulatory training which perhaps would not usually require specific effort, is to demonstrate and train the kind of service delivery and customer satisfaction which did not necessarily feature in operations in the CIS countries before. Here again an understanding of the culture, and the ability to instruct in Russian, places the training centre in a strong position.

Growth Whilst in some parts of the world the aviation industry is having difficulty attracting the brightest and best, in the Baltic

Above The training centre also delivers third party training, with around 50 customers to date.

Image credit: airBaltic.

states and the CIS, a career in aviation, and particularly as a pilot, is still seen as being highly attractive (for instance a small scheme to support training for six ab-initio pilots attracted 400 appli-

cations, and it was only announced by word-of-mouth). A separate function, co-located at the training centre, is Aircrew Services, which has developed its own selection processes for pilots and cabin crew, and places a high value on loyalty both up and down the career food chain as a way of answering the need to retain good people. Other organisations are recognising the value of that selection process, and Aircrew Services are helping additional airlines to recruit. As airBaltic grows there is no doubt that this flagship carrier, so proud of its heritage and identity, will be able to draw on the local population to fuel the demand for more crews.

The increase in the training task required to accommodate the extra crews needed as a result of airBaltic modernizing its fleet, together with the growth in third party training, would require a bigger centre. That need has been anticipated, and there are plans to extend the facilities on adjoining land as the demand firms up.

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Dispatcher Training

Dispatcher: The Pilot’s Partner Aircraft dispatchers are an essential element to running an airline, so their training must be thorough.

Robert W. Moorman explores what it takes to become a dispatcher.

A

ircraft dispatchers are the overseers of a flight, from the planning and boarding of passengers and cargo, to takeoff and completion. The dispatcher provides the flight plan that enables the aircraft to arrive at its destination on schedule. The dispatcher and airline captain are held jointly responsible for the safety of the flight.

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License

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It is an important position in airline operations, which might explain why dispatcher training is lengthy, complex and rigorous. The test to obtain a dispatcher’s license, as required for Part 121 operations, is one of the more difficult exams the FAA gives, according to one senior Dispatcher Safety Inspector (DSI).

The dispatcher’s license has been described as an Air Transport Pilot (ATP) rating without the flying. But before training begins, prospective dispatchers must first fit the eligibility criteria and then complete a minimum of 200 hours of

training to obtain an FAA approved Part 65 aircraft dispatcher’s license.

Candidates must be at least 21 yearsold to take the Aircraft Dispatcher and Knowledge and Practical test, but 23 years-old to obtain a license; speak and write the English language; must have good vision and hearing; and have a high school diploma or equivalent, although a college degree with a major in transportation or meteorology is preferred. [Editor’s note: the age criteria for dispatchers is explained in the FAA Order 8900.1] To obtain a license, there are several routes available to students. Colleges and universities offer dispatcher training/ education as part of two and four year degree programs. Vocational schools and some aviation related businesses offer the required training separately or as a part of a package of other services.

Schools Programs Most of the schools CAT interviewed said they offer the required courses to obtain an FAA aircraft dispatchers license. Other schools offer additional

Above The dispatcher and airline captain are held jointly responsible for the safety of the flight.

Image credit: Guillaume Grandin/Air France.

training to make the educator and student more marketable. The courses include: basic and advanced weather, navigation, air traffic control procedures, emergency and abnormal flight conditions, weight and balance issues, communications procedures and requirements, aircraft systems performance and limitations and practical dispatch applications. Some schools also offer dispatch resource management (DRM) training as well as help in resume preparation and job placement.

A number of schools in Florida offer dispatcher training. Sixty-four year old Sheffield School of Aeronautics, which claims to be the oldest dispatcher training institution in the US, offers a 200hour FAA approved aircraft dispatcher certification program. Sheffield, which only trains dispatchers, goes beyond

we prepare them to be regional aircraft dispatchers,” said CEO Michael Keller, a former dispatcher for a US regional airline. Keller hopes to initially train 200 students annually.

The big guns in training also offer dispatcher training.

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) offers dispatcher training as part of its fouryear aeronautical sciences degree program. The dispatcher training program includes seven academic courses: instrument pilot operations, commercial pilot operations, two meteorology courses, air traffic control, aircraft performance and airline dispatch operations, the capstone course for the program, according to Charles Donahue, associate professor of aeronautical science, and director of ERAU’s aircraft dispatcher training program. ERAU’s career services department also helps students with resume construction and provides contacts for dispatcher positions.

FlightSafety International (FSI) offers Part 65 dispatcher training at its St. Louis, Mo. and La Guardia N.Y. training centers. It also provides on-site training upon request, having recently completed dispatcher training in Saudi

ISSUE 6.2011

It provides a 200-hour training program and uses a Bombardier CRJ-200 regional jet as its benchmark-training tool. Falcon offers a six-week day course and a tenweek evening course.

Around 95% of Falcon graduates go to Atlantic Southeast Airlines, a Delta Connection and United Express carrier. The school is about to formalize its arrangement with ASA in providing trained aircraft dispatchers on an as needed basis.

Veteran dispatchers can make more than $100,000 annually by the time they retire.

“That is not a bad career for a course that only costs $4,195,” Melton said.

The Aviation Dispatch Institute of Memphis, Tenn. recently received its letter of authorization from the FAA Memphis Flight Standards District Office. The school, which is directly across from the Memphis International Airport, will provide a six-week (220 hour) course covering all the required subjects needed to become a certified dispatcher. Tuition is $3,500 and includes all books and tests.

The students are responsible for hotels and meals. The first class is slated for October 23, 2011.

“We not only prepare students to pass the FAA practical and oral [exams],

13 CAT MAGAZINE

FAA’s minimum requirement for training. “We believe that it’s more important to not just train the level of certification, but to the level that an air carrier is going to expect,” Bret Boires, an instructor said. Sheffield trains up to 175 students annually.

Melbourne-based Florida Institute of Technology provides 37 additional classroom hours of training to better help students get a dispatcher job once they’ve completed the course and successfully passed the certification exams, according to Peter Dunn, an instructor and former United Airlines Captain.

Other Florida-based schools offering FAA approved dispatcher training courses include Miami-Dade Community College, Technical Aviation Services of Miami Springs and Homestead-based IRC International, LLC. Falcon Aviation Academy, located in Newnan, Ga. near Atlanta, got its start as a flight-training center under the name Peachtree Flight Center. The school expanded into aviation maintenance and aircraft dispatcher training 2 ½ years ago, according to Mike Melton, marketing and recruiting director. Falcon is now a Part 65 approved training facility.

Dispatcher Training

Arabia. FSI’s 240-hour course includes the tests and certification. “They leave here with their license,” Mike King, director of business development at the St. Louis Center said.

List price for the license course for an individual is $4,400, but the price drops if an aircraft operator sends several employees for training. FSI also offers a truncated course for students with previous aviation experience as well as a distance learning option, which can reduce the onsite portion of the training by three weeks.

FSI is finding a dispatcher training market outside of the Part 121 arena. The company provides dispatcher training to employees of charter and business aircraft operators and owners of fractional aircraft operations. This area has “grown slowly” over the last few years, King said.

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Above

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Flexible Approach

Prospective dispatchers must complete a

Even product-producing aviation businesses offer dispatcher training.

Jeppesen, a Boeing company known more as a provider of navigational solutions, is offering dispatcher training for Part 121 operators and other operators.

Nine years ago, Jeppesen developed a Part 65 dispatcher training licensing course through the Jeppesen Academy.

Subsequently, the Denver-based company began offering the curriculum to students from around the world, and tailors that training to the regulatory requirements of students’ countries. During our interview, Jeppesen was finishing up a dispatcher-training course for employees from China Southern Airlines.

Because of its international clientele, Jeppesen must remain flexible in its approach to dispatcher training. More than 100 airlines have sent employees to undergo Jeppesen’s dispatcher course.

It works directly with the airline-hiring manager to tailor dispatch training.

“You can train to pass the [regulatory authorities’ required] test or you can train towards what airline hiring managers are looking for in dispatchers,” Joseph Brouhle, a veteran Jeppesen instructor said. “We aspire to the latter.”

The 200-hour plus course is taught over six months. Jeppesen also provides dispatcher training for non Part 121 operations, such as fractional ownership companies as well as Part 91, Part 91K, Part 135 operators and military aircraft dispatchers.

Houston-based Universal Weather

minimum of 200 hours of training to obtain an aircraft dispatcher’s license Image credit: Alaska Career College.

and Aviation, a flight planning and support services provider for business aviation, offers an FAA approved Part 65 dispatcher course in two versions: a classroom version of 225 hours of instruction taught over six weeks and a hybrid version, for which students complete 100hours of training online, plus 100-hours of instruction over two weeks at Universal’s training facility in Houston. The school uses a variety of software tools, as well as a Boeing 737-300, according to Jaclyn Dykas, manager of training and development. Initially offered to Universal’s weather forecasters and flight planners, Universal opened up the program to external students when the course was offered online.

New Hire Training Newly hired dispatchers must undergo additional training at airlines before they become full-fledged dispatchers. Delta Air Lines receives between 500-1,000 applications following a job announcement for new dispatchers. That number is pared down to 100 prospective candidates. Then, a committee of six management level dispatchers narrows the field to 25 potential candidates, who undergo an aptitude test and psychiatric evaluation.

“We try and weed out candidates

early on that don’t have the aptitude and temperament for the job,” said Steve Caisse, supervisor of flight control and training for Delta Air Lines. Caisse oversees all dispatch training programs for both new hires as well as recurrent training for Delta’s 260 dispatchers.

He is also the project manager for the Skyteam dispatch training partnership with Air France, which, with Delta’s help, is adopting aspects of the US model for joint operational control between the pilot and dispatcher.

All new hires must have prior experience with a Part 121 carrier. Once hired, new Delta dispatchers go through 160 hours of initial training. The coursework mirrors some of the same training they received in school, only more intense, more focused on Delta’s operation.

The training consists of indoctrination, ground equipment, procedures and policies and aircraft systems training.

Upon completion, new hires are given 300 hours of evolving on-the-job (OJT) training and paired with an experienced dispatcher. For the first two weeks of this segment, students are given two hours of briefing on what their day will entail.

Weather, ATC conditions, mechanical state of the airplanes is included in the briefing. New hires then work six hours on the floor handling live flights and are de-briefed in the classroom on the day’s events for a total workday of ten hours.

“At the end of 300 hours of in-house training, the new dispatchers are ready to work on their own,” Caisse, said.

FedEx Express looks for licensed aircraft dispatchers with a college degree, preferably in aviation, and a minimum of three years of line experience. Many dispatchers come from regional airlines or from within the company. FedEx, like other major carriers, has a hire-fromwithin policy.

Once hired, FedEx dispatchers go through four to six weeks of ground school training. Indoctrination, duties and responsibilities, FARs, pilot/dispatch joint responsibility, ATC instrument approaches, severe weather procedures, international operations and DRM and several other elements found at Delta and other international carriers are included.

FedEx has beefed up its dispatcher training for international operations because of the numerous FARs and operational specifications in various coun-

ers go through 40 hours of indoctrination training, where they learn company policies, operations specifications as well as standard operating procedures of Air Tran, said Edwin Solley, manager of air traffic and former dispatch training manager.

New hires also go through 40 hours of aircraft systems training, which includes flight characteristics of each aircraft they will handle. The dispatchers receive two hours of Hazmat training, two hours of DRM training, plus six hours of international training for Air Tran’s Caribbean flights. This is followed by two weeks of OJT. New hires work side-by-side with an experienced line dispatcher for live flights, where they learn more about Air Tran’s flight planning systems.

No changes to Air Tran’s dispatcher training curriculum are expected until the combined carriers begin to operate on a single operating certificate, estimated to occur during the second quarter of 2012, Solley said.

Across the Pond While US dispatchers train to one FAA standard, it is a different story in Europe.

“The major difference is that there is no one standard of training for dispatchers,” Mathias Dürbeck, president of the European Federation of Airline Dispatchers Association (EFALDA) said. Licensing is left to every state within the 27-state European Union (EU). Some states recognize other state’s licenses, while other states have airlines award licenses

to new dispatchers. And some states have no license criteria for dispatchers, according to Dürbeck.

“We intend to harmonize our standards with our North American colleagues,” Dürbeck said. “But first we need a common training standard in Europe.”

EFALDA wants one license issued by the European Aviation Safety Agency.

An initial proposal offered in 2009 to EASA was not considered, but EFALDA remains committed to the development of a one-standard-for-all dispatcher license.

Additional flight watch/flight following training, comparable to programs in the US and Canada, is needed in Europe, said the EFALDA official. At present, European dispatchers engage in passive flight following versus the more active system in North America. “We only get involved when there is a call from the air crew,” Dürbeck said.

Turkish Airlines and Lufthansa have proactive flight following programs and Air France is working closely with Delta Air Lines on enhancing its flight following to be more like the US system, according to EFALDA. While their specific role is not fully understood by the public, and some in the air transportation business, dispatchers are an integral part of an airline’s daily operations. They add another layer of safety to the overall operation. Consequently, the initial and recurrent training of these pilots on the ground is very important. cat

ISSUE 6.2011

tries. It also trains dispatchers on rerouting aircraft to pick up additional freight to maintain its service level, something passenger carriers don’t do typically.

“This is quite different from other airlines, so we train real hard in this area,” Randy DiGirolamo, senior manager in FedEx’s global operations control department said.

FedEx also provides dangerous goods (Hazmat) training and related emergency procedures training for dispatchers as well as other employees.

FedEx and other integrated cargo carriers are different in a few areas from commercial passenger airlines that affect dispatchers. The integrators, as they’re known, launch numerous flights over a short time in the middle of the night to points throughout the world. Such a busy operation could overwhelm dispatchers, so workload safeguards have been added into FedEx’s operation. Adoption of these standards has evolved over time.

Each month, the airline reviews the flight to dispatcher ratio by work shift.

Domestic operations are defined as within the contiguous 48 US states. Anything outside of this area is considered international.

FedEx dispatchers handle 23-25 domestic flights per eight-hour desk shift desk and 13-15 hours internationally. A FedEx dispatcher has a duty-time limitation of ten hours at the workstation.

Air Tran Airways, which is now part of Southwest Airlines, typically hires dispatchers with a minimum of two years experience. Once hired, dispatch-

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UAs Training

Space Invaders: Integrating Civilian Unmanned Aircraft Systems With the introduction of the new sUAS rule, Chuck Weirauch looks at the implications on UAS pilot training.

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he bell for the next round in the fight for the integration of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) into the US National Airspace System (NAS) is anticipated to ring in January 2012, when the FAA is expected to announce its proposed rule that would allow small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS) to operate in the NAS for commercial purposes. During the following 90-day public comment period on the proposed rule, all sides on the issue are expected to slug it out as they present their positions and the data to support them to the federal agency. Once the rule is finalized, it could go into effect in mid-2013.

All sides, from many areas of the aviation community, provided their input to the FAA during the 2008 sUAS Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC) proceedings. Since then, much more information had been presented to the agency as new UAS technologies have advanced and data gathered on UAS system demonstrations has been accumulated and disseminated.

The Controversy

Above

The sUAS rule, applying to UAS 55 pounds and under, is significant in that it would be the first to allow operation of any class of UAS in the NAS "for compensation and hire," or for commercial applications such as aerial photography, for example. In one corner is the rapidly growing contingent of UAS advocates that include UAS manufacturers, commercial enterprises that predict considerable cost-savings gained through the use of UAS over manned aircraft, and institutions and civil agencies that see UAS performing their missions in a more efficient and effective manner. In the other corner are organizations such as the FAA, the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) and air traffic controller groups who see the slow growth of UAS into the NAS as inevitable but want all aspects of air safety to be paramount over any more rapid influx of the air vehicles.

While the airworthiness, command and control and inspection and maintenance of UAS are primary considera-

The Draganflyer X6 UAS can be ready for flight in minutes.

Image credit: Draganfly Innovations Inc.

tions for their operation in the NAS, the training and certification of UAS pilot/ operators is a major concern both to the FAA and groups such as ALPA. With air safety as its top priority, the FAA requires that any UAS pilot flying in the NAS for commercial purposes would need to hold a private pilot's certificate.

Those operating UAS in the NAS as public entities and not commercial, such as the Department of Defense, Homeland Security agencies, NASA, and law enforcement agencies, currently do so in limited designated airspace under tightly controlled FAA Certificates of Authorization (COA).

The DoD has recently mandated that all services incorporate the Joint Chiefs of Staff Instruction (CJCSI) 3255.01, Joint Unmanned Aircraft Systems Minimum Training Standards into their UAS

training programs. According to this document, these standards exceed existing FAA manned aircraft training standards to help facilitate DoD UAS access into the NAS.

Pilot Certification Just exactly what amount of training and certification would be required of UAS pilots operating for commercial purposes in the NAS public airspace has become a major sticking point in developing FAA rules that would allow them to do so. For example, ALPA maintains that since the FAA designates UAS as aircraft, its position is that such air vehicles would have to meet the same physical requirements as manned aircraft, while UAS pilots would have to meet equivalent training, qualification, and licensing requirements of pilots of manned aircraft in the same airspace.

The latest reiteration of this position was made by ALPA president Captain Lee Moak on October 5, 2011 when he addressed the US Congressional Subcommittee on Aviation, which is part of the House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

The other side of the UAS pilot certification issue is championed by UAS advocates, represented in large part by the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI). The association and others say that requiring pilots for small UAS to have to hold a manned private pilot certificate is simply not necessary and much too burdensome a regulation for commercial enter-

Above The md4-200 can operate remote controlled and autonomously with GPS navigation.

Image credit: microdrones GmbH.

prises. Both sides are certain to weigh in heavily during the small UAS rule public comment period.

"Training is a very important issue, and we will see what the FAA recommends," said AUVSI vice president for Government Affairs Gretchen West, who served on the 2008 sUAS ARC. "We hope that this new small UAS rule is not too restrictive on the industry for these systems to fly. What we are trying to do is integrate UAS into the NAS safely and quickly. That's our main goal, while also pushing for safety and standards."

sUAS Rule Impact Paul McDuffee, who is VP of Commercial Business Development for UAS manufacturer InSitu, and served on the 2008

sUAS ARC, pointed out that once put into effect, the sUAS rule in itself will not provide open access to the NAS. As he understands it, sUAS will still be confined to a restricted environment with access to only certain classes of airspace, with line-of-sight operations only and night operations limitations.

"However, the sUAS rule is the first bite out of the elephant," McDuffee, said. "It will now allow us to take a legitimate path forward so that we can migrate to the civil use of UAS in the NAS. The need and demand for this access is such that we hope to achieve this goal within the next five years. We feel that lingering on beyond that time is probably not appropriate."

While the need for a timeline for UAS integration is vital, no UAS would be allowed access to the NAS without adherence to aviation industry standards pertaining to all aspects of design, development, flight operations and pilot certification requirements. While McDuffee and ARC members felt that the current FAA rule that sUAS pilots need a private pilot's certificate "does not make a lot of sense," the consensus was that some level of skill and aeronautical knowledge should be required of pilots to operate a sUAS in the NAS. "Although there was no agreement on pilot certification requirements among the sUAS ARC Committee membership, what they did come up with was that pilot operators should at least be able to pass the private pilot's exam as a sufficient means to demonstrate

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UAs Training

basic aeronautical knowledge," McDuffee explained. "One consideration that took aviation best practices into account was to apply the equivalent of FAA FARs Part 61 requirements to sUAS pilot certification."

According to Doug Marshall, another member of the 2008 sUAS ARC, the challenge is to come up with a set of reasonable standards for a UAS pilot to fly commercially in the NAS that are not unduly burdensome to sUAS operators and not call for a private pilot's license. This challenge is exacerbated by the fact that such standards have to be formulated "in uncharted territory," with no previous regulations for this class of aircraft.

Marshall is the Division Manager for UAS Regulatory and Standards Development at New Mexico State University.

Pilot Training Standards

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In 2009, standards organization ASTM International signed a memorandum of agreement with the FAA to develop and recommend a set of standards for UAS Airworthiness, Flight Operations and Operator Qualifications to the federal agency to complement its efforts to develop rules for sUAS. The development of these standards by the ASTM F38 UAS

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Standards Committee has also been supported by the UAS industry.

These standards, based in part on recognized aviation best practices, are expected to be available when the FAA announces the proposed sUAS rule in January. However, the FAA is under no obligation to incorporate these ASTM standards into the sUAS rule.

According to ASTM, these standards "include a simplified framework for enabling self-declared conformance by sUAS manufacturers with FAA-recognized consensus standards in order to obtain flight authorization. This approach should be less burdensome than traditional certification processes, and allows for regulators and the sUAS community to work together to create consensus standards."

According to current ASTM F38 Committee chairman Jeff Goldfinger, who also authored the ASTM pilot certification standard, the ASTM F37 light sport aircraft standards that the organization developed for the FAA were key to the success of that airplane class. The ASTM hopes to have the same success with UAS standards, he added. In developing the sUAS pilot certification standards, the F38 pilot certification subcom-

mittee incorporated the basic principles of the FAA Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs) Part 61 that pertains to the certification of pilots, flight instructors and ground instructors.

"The consensus of the Operator Qualifications subcommittee was that someone has to be responsible for the UAS flight, and that person will be the UAS pilot," Goldfinger said. "However, that does not imply that a UAS pilot would have to get a manned private pilot certificate. But our expectation is that for a pilot to fly a UAS, there has to be some minimum eligibility, some aeronautical knowledge, experience with UAS, and also some kind of exam and a sign-off."

Any pilot certification would also depend on the type of UAS flown, whether it is remotely radio-controlled or semi-autonomous, as well as the operational limitations involved, Goldfinger pointed out. So a specific UAS pilot certification might state "UAS Pilot semiautonomous, visual line-of-sight operation only," for example.

"The FAA sUAS rule is expected to say that in order to be issued a certificate to fly, you will have to comply with industry consensus standards, or show that via other means of compliance, you

But while one might assume that organizations that represent manned aviation could be holding anything that might help speed the proliferation of UAS into the NAS at arm's length, in fact it was the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) that requested RTCA to begin developing UAS standards, Walker said.

One reason for this request was that the AOPA wanted to have a say in the creation of UAS rules. Another reason was that the association foresaw the potential for new technologies being developed for UAS to be applied to manned aviation as well.

"There will be a whole new suite of safety-related avionics that will be available for all of aviation because of this

Future Considerations Both McDuffee and Marshall are a part of a new FAA UAS ARC formed in July, which at this point is more of an advisory steering group, to consider the standards and requirements that will be needed for the entire spectrum of UAS beyond the sUAS rule. This body is intended to serve as a means to develop a common set of rules for a broader range of UAS operating in different classes of airspace and work to harmonize them from a global perspective.

One consideration for the group is that all UAS that would be certified to fly in the NAS must also be able to operate with the FAA's NextGen air traffic management system that is tentatively scheduled to be fully operational in 2025.

Also represented on this new UAS advisory group is the non-FAA, cross-federal agency Joint Planning and Development Office (JPDO) for NextGen. The JPDO is focusing on four areas; aircraft certification, communications, airspace and separation concepts and human systems integration, which includes training. A major consideration for the JPDO is that air traffic controllers and manned aircraft would have to know the precise location of UAS operating in the NAS. The NextGen system will rely on Automatic Dependant Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) and UAS sense-and-avoid technologies to accomplish that feat. A nationwide ADS-B system is scheduled to be in place in 2013.

"We have to make sure that NextGen accommodates all users, so clearly unmanned systems fall into our area of responsibilities," said JPDO director Karlin Toner. "Sense-and-avoid technology seems like it's coming together well, but we don't see the other pieces under human systems integration in that situation. We have looked at what are the qualifications and training for the users, and we feel that there is insufficient research into what training will need to be done in a UAS file-and-fly world. The safety of the operation is the number one thing." cat

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advanced technology in sense-and-avoid and command and control," Walker stated. "We will be developing MASPS for UAS that will include such aviation concepts as safety management systems and human factors."

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are going to be just as safe," Goldfinger summed up. "UAS operators will get a permit to fly as long as their UAS meets industry consensus standards and their pilot is certified as a UAS pilot. Then they will be able to fly UAS for compensation and hire. There obviously will be operational limitations as well."

The RTCA, Inc., which functions as a Federal Advisory Committee, established its SC-203 Committee in 2006 to develop standards related to Minimum Aviation System Performance Standards (MASPS) for UAS, including command, control, communications and sense-andavoid systems. According to SC-203 cochairman John Walker, the report that the RTCA submitted to the FAA led to the formation of the 2008 sUAS ARC. According to Walker, the MASPS that are being developed by the RTCA focus on the concept that UAS operating in the NAS have to look and behave like any other aircraft in that public airspace.

Walker pointed out that the RTCA is also working closely with ICAO and other international aviation organizations to develop global standards for UAS. The RTCA is also working with ASTM and the FAA's NextGen Office in the development of such standards.

"The sUAS rule will be a gamechanger, a stake in the ground that will have a domino effect," Walker said. "This will be the first rule of its kind where you are going to have the potential of civil UAS operation on a widespread area.

It will provide us with a lot of lessons learned and really good data for the full introduction of UAS into the NAS."

Cabin Security Training

Taking Aviation Security to the Next Level Group editor Marty Kauchak reports on efforts since 9/11 to bolster flight deck and cabin security shortfalls, and highlights remaining vulnerabilities in the security process.

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number of accomplishments since 9/11 have produced a multi-layer strategy for minimizing risk, and deterring and preventing security incidents on the flight deck and in the cabin of commercial aircraft.

Hans Weber, president of TECOP International, Inc., said a change in attitude among flight crews and passengers was at the top of his list of security improvements in the post-9/11 era.

Weber is an industry veteran who was chairman of a post-9/11 aviation committee convened by the FAA to close gaps in commercial aviation vulnerabilities.

The San Diego, California-based industry expert went on to say that this change in attitude conveys that those onboard an aircraft will no longer meekly submit to terrorists that try to hijack that plane.

“As we have seen in all subsequent incidents, without exception, the moment there appears to be the threat of somebody trying to take over the airplane, immediately the passengers and crew respond vigorously to take the person down.”

Along with the installation of reinforced flight deck doors and secondary barriers, Weber also credits intelligence successes since 9/11, in particular, obtaining better intelligence, improving the analysis of data, and sharing the content among government agencies, as contributing to improved security.

Successes aside, significant vulnerabilities remain in onboard security, according to Weber. “In my opinion, globally, we have up until now pursued the wrong approach by trying to protect the public from ‘bad things’ – underwear bombs, shoe bombs, liquid bombs, bombs in suit cases and the like.” And while elaborate, expensive security devices and technologies successfully defeat the last known threat, but not necessarily the next ingenious threat, the community has not strengthened its protection against “bad people.”

Weber pointed out that while huge masses of the flying public are equally treated as terrorist suspects, it is those individuals who truly present a low threat that remain under evaluation.

Above Physical techniques demonstration inside one of the three 727 aircraft at FLETC's Artesia site.

Image credit: FLETC.

This strategy does not permit authorities to shift their resources to that population about which little is known.

“That’s the population amongst which we should expect that the next threat comes. That’s the big contrast – don’t try to protect us by going after bad things, but protect us by giving us a better chance of identifying the bad people before they give us grief.”

Weber forecasts a very slow change in shifting the aviation security system’s focus from bad things, selectively, to bad people.

The industry veteran also pointed to other vulnerabilities, including the inability to adequately protect aircraft from suicidal terrorists that bring bombs aboard in hand-held luggage.

“We don’t have any way to protect

against sophisticated bombs in carryon luggage,” he asserted. While the community is aware of the threat, sophisticated and prohibitively expensive equipment needing a large footprint – similar to that used to scan checked luggage – would have to be enlisted in the effort.

A second systemic vulnerability that lacks a practical response is the terrorist who inserts explosives into their body cavity.

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The sea change in the community’s security strategy since 9/11 has been enabled by the collaborative efforts among federal agencies, the airlines, professional associations and labor. And during this era, new and enhanced training programs have prepared flight crews to stay ahead of an ever-changing security threat.

In November 2001, former President George W. Bush signed into law the Aviation and Transportation Security Act (ATSA), which created the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).

The responsibility for security policy, passenger screening, and other related functions was transferred from the Federal Aviation Administration to TSA at that time. TSA also was given significant oversight and cooperative responsibilities for community training.

The ATSA required new guidance for crew training within 60 days of the passage of that legislation. As a result of this provision, a new strategy was developed and implemented in January 2002, which included guidance related to increasing security measures on the ground and in an aircraft. In addition to requiring airlines to incorporate basic self-defense training for crewmembers, TSA developed and offers a voluntary advanced self-defense training class that also includes training on behavior detection.

One year later, the Homeland Security Act created the Department of Homeland Security, which combined TSA and 21 other federal agencies and offices under a single cabinet-level department devoted to national security.

A TSA spokesperson pointed out that contemporary strategic goals important to all aircraft operators' crewmember security training include the following:

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• Recognition of suspicious or threatening activity, corresponding threat levels, and appropriate actions to take; • The importance of communications and the necessity to know at all times with whom to communicate during a security incident; • How to effectively communicate with and issue commands to passengers during a security incident; • How to respond to and cooperate with law enforcement officials responding to a security incident; and • Knowledge of basic actions to take to defend themselves if physically attacked.

Protection Until 9/11 US passenger airliners were protected by 33 Federal Air Marshals (FAMs), who flew mostly international routes.

A significantly bolstered Federal Air Marshal Service has sought to promote increased confidence in the US civil aviation system through the effective deployment of additional marshals to detect, deter, and defeat hostile acts targeting US air carriers, airports, passengers, and crews. FAMs must operate independently without backup, and rank among those federal law enforcement officers that hold the highest standard for handgun accuracy. They blend in with passengers and rely on their training, including investigative techniques, criminal terrorist behavior recognition, firearms proficiency, aircraft specific tactics, and close quarters self-defense measures to protect the flying public.

Another post-9/11 initiative was the Federal Flight Deck Officer program. The effort was mandated in the 2002 Arming Pilots Against Terrorism Act, part of the broader Homeland Security Act, to provide yet another layer of security. Under this program, eligible flight crewmembers are authorized by TSA to use firearms to defend against an act of criminal violence or air piracy attempting to gain control of an aircraft. A flight crew member may be a pilot, flight engineer or navigator assigned to the flight.

In April 2003, the first class of 44 pilots for the program, graduated from the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center. The class was then deputized as federal law enforcement officers, charged with the responsibility of defending the flight decks of passenger airliners.

One year later, federal legislation made pilots who fly allcargo aircraft eligible to participate in the program.

Training is an important foundation of the FAM and FFDO programs.

“Federal Flight Deck Officers are trained by the Federal Air Marshal Service on the use of firearms, use of force, legal issues, defensive tactics, the psychology of survival and program standard operating procedures,” the TSA spokesperson added.

For their part, Federal Air Marshals complete approximately 16 weeks of intensive training before being commissioned, which includes basic police training and aviation and transportation specific courses, the TSA spokesperson noted.

At the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center’s site in Artesia, New Mexico, Federal Air Marshals and Federal Flight Deck Officers are provided training in several types of facilities.

Peggy Dixon, a spokesperson in the FLETC Director’s Office, noted that both cohorts “receive firearms training on indoor/outdoor ranges designed to accommodate a wide range of weapons and test their proficiency. FFDOs train on FLETC’s Judgment Pistol Shooting simulators which test students’ decision-mak-

ing by having them respond to a range of scenarios with varying threat levels.

The exercises require that the students communicate with the suspect, and if he or she complies, the scenario ends.

In others, where the suspect indicates a threat of serious bodily harm, the student makes a decision on using deadly force.”

Both FAMS and FFDOs programs also use mat rooms that provide a safe training environment for self-defense and close quarters training. Classrooms are provided for legal training and presentations.

“FAMs also receive aviation and transportation specific training at the Federal Air Marshal Service Training Center in Atlantic City,” Dixon added.

The Air Line Pilots Association, International (ALPA) was a proactive proponent for establishing the Federal Flight Deck Officer program, and remains an advocate for rigorous levels of onboard security. Captain Lee Moak, ALPA’s president, recalled that 9/11 created a total reassessment of the airline industry’s onboard security procedures and tactics. Today’s security environment has, as one foundation, a blend of

ALPA’s president also emphasized that current flight crew training remains dynamic to meet the current threat environment, and that agencies, airlines and labor “work hand-in-hand to be very vigilant in addressing current security concerns.”

One View from the Hill

Above Captain Lee Moak, president of the Air Line Pilots Association, International.

Image credit: ALPA.

live and virtual training for flight crews.

“What you see, post-9/11, is multi-layer security, the Federal Flight Deck Officer program, aircraft crew member selfdefense training, and training for all crew members, both pilots and flight attendants,” Moak said.

The post 9-11 US airline security environment continues to garner attention in the US Congress. Representative John Mica, of Florida, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, has remained focused on aviation security as a legislative issue since his elevation to his leadership position.

In comments provided to CAT, chairman Mica noted the primacy of trained and capable aircrews in the multi-layer security construct. “Secure cockpit doors and air marshals assist with improving passenger cabin security. Our best cabin security is the crew and passengers.

They captured Richard Reid and the Underwear Bomber. Our weakest link is TSA, which continues to be dysfunctional, bloated, inflexible and non-riskbased.” cat

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Pilot Training

British Airways Supporting Ab Initio Pilot Training Sourcing sufficient pilots to meet planned operating rates is a challenge for airlines. The effects of the surge in the numbers of pilots reaching retirement, coupled in some cases with a fleet expansion, is leading to a predicted increased demand for new flight crew. Chris Long reports.

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n Europe very few major carriers have made any investment in ab initio training, but that situation may be changing. One example of a new model is underway at British Airways (BA). In the face of a requirement for up to 150 new pilots a year there has been review of the traditional sourcing of flight deck crews. As Robin Glover, Head of Resourcing, IR and Strategy, explains, British Airways sees the investment in ab initio training as a natural compliment to the other channels of recruitment. The selection of Direct Entry pilots will continue, as will the “Managed Path” for some exmilitary pilots, but about half of the new pilots will now come through the Future Pilot Programme (FPP), an initiative which is designed to guarantee an additional source of quality pilots.

A basic premise is that the cost of self-funding the training has prevented many talented people from entering the career. By identifying and facilitating a source of funding for the candidates, the entry into the career can be made

available to “anyone with the right skills, passion and potential... to realise their dream of becoming an airline pilot.” The emphasis is very much on the career potential – with an annual turnover of about 1%, most pilots who start with BA remain with them until retirement from the company. The belief is that by addressing the funding issue sympathetically, the pool from which to recruit candidates will be very much larger, and therefore will help to guarantee that there will be continuity in the quality of pilots coming to BA.

How does it work?

Three Flight Training Organisations (FTOs) have been designated as the training providers of choice for the FPP. These are, in alphabetical order, CTC, based in Southampton, UK, FTEJerez, based in Spain, and OAA, also based in the UK. The chronology of the process is straightforward – there is an initial online application to BA, in which the candidates make a choice of one of the three FTOs, and the names of the relevant

Above BA expects that half of its new pilots will now come through the Future Pilot Programme.

All images: British Airways.

candidates are passed to the FTO, which completes its own selection procedures.

Successful candidates then have further interviews and selection at BA. A provisional job offer as a First Officer with BA is conditional on successful completion of the entire training package. Those who are fortunate enough to be selected will begin training with the FTO. It is BA which starts the process of recruitment, but from the point at which the online application results are known, another organisation, Airline Placement Limited (APL), a company wholly owned by the CTC Group, takes on the role to oversee the administrative management of all cadets in the FPP up to the point of licence issue. This includes completing a contracting process, sponsoring the training from the

FTOs and so on. It is also APL which arranges for a security bond of £84,000 to be lodged as the cadet pilots go through training. In addition each cadet is expected to contribute a figure in the region of £3-6000 as a top up fee to pay for ancillaries such as some of the food and accommodation charges. When the training is completed, and a cadet pilot successfully joins the airline, BA takes over that bond, and it is then repaid over the initial seven years of service. Whilst it is the FTOs responsibility to deliver the training, BA follow the progress and welfare of the cadets closely so that early on they start to assimilate the company culture and expected behaviours – passion for the role is part of that!

What is the training?

An Interesting Model There has been a very vigorous response

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BA has chosen to follow the “classic” and well proven ab initio CPL/IR Frozen ATPL package. All three FTOs have an excellent track record of delivering this form of training, which results in the issue of an EASA licence. Glover believes that, although there are many attractions to the MPL system, there is yet insufficient data to switch to that option. It certainly remains something to be considered in the future.

Although the minimum standards for the basic course are well defined, the FTOs were chosen largely because they have all routinely exceeded those standards, so have not had to make huge changes to satisfy BA's requirements. The training delivered by each the FTOs is approved by BA, but there

is some variation in the precise content and duration of the course. CTC, for instance, completes some of the flight training at Hamilton in New Zealand, whilst OAA does a similar amount at Phoenix Goodyear airport in the USA. FTEJerez carries out all of its training at Jerez, Spain. In all cases the completion of the flying element of twin engine instrument flying and skill test is carried out in Europe.

The final element of the training delivered by the FTOs is a 44 hour Jet Orientation Course (JOC), the content of which has been carefully defined by BA. It incorporates the mandatory regulatory requirement of MCC, but, importantly, introduces specific-to-BA operating procedures, thus facilitating the smooth transition to a standard A320 or B737 Type Rating course which is carried out

by BA Flight Training.

to the first round of applications, some 3500, such that even after the first administrative screening there has been some 1500 who have gone through to the FTO selection. That perhaps points to the fact that the reason why there have recently been such low numbers coming into the industry has been driven rather more by the very high financial cost of entry rather than an inherent disinterest. Intriguingly Glover believes that the scale of response not only shows the interest in a career as a pilot, but also has the spinoff of generating a broader interest in the aviation industry as a career. He quotes a ratio of two to three potential recruits to other disciplines within the industry for every expression of interest in becoming a pilot, and attributes this to the high visibility campaign which was used to launch the FPP. If this is correct then it reinforces the value of vigorously promoting the industry as a career option, a task to which the whole industry should be committed if it is to properly address the anticipated manning shortfall. The first run of online applications closed on 9th September 2011, and the first group of 90 cadet pilots are scheduled to start their training in Q1 2012 and so should be online with BA from Q3 2013 onwards.

It could just be that this new initiative by BA not only points the way to sourcing a new stream of flight deck crew, but also demonstrates to the broader industry the value in robust promotion of aviation as a credible career option. cat

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Pilot Training

ST Aerospace Academy MPL – A "Fully Clean" Solution Chris Long investigates the results of the latest Multi-Crew Pilots’ Licence (MPL) beta test, conducted

by Singapore’s ST Aerospace Academy and Tiger Airways.

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hen ICAO published the requirements for MPL it deliberately left some scope for national authorities and training organisations to decide on the detail of the course content and delivery platforms. That understanding enabled established players to adapt their existing schools and equipment with a minimum of extra expense, although the technical specifications of some of the training aids necessarily required further investment.

New entrants into the training industry, however, had the opportunity to design a whole system from scratch, and this was essentially the approach of what is now the ST Aerospace Academy, based in Singapore. Right from the start it embraced the undiluted philosophy of MPL, not least because one of the guiding lights in this project is Dieter Harms, commonly referred to as the "Father of MPL".

Teamwork The spirit of teamwork which is an

essential skill for the fledging pilot was actually present during the project setup, when the triumvirate of the Approved Training Organisation (ST Aerospace Academy), the authority (CAAS) and the customer airline (Tiger Airways) were involved right from the start. In addition there were other major players, including the equipment manufacturer, Mechtronix Systems, who were consulted on the best form of training device for each stage.

The early discussions resulted in the key decision that, rather than progress through different generic and then type specific FTDs and FFSs, the cadets would move from the Cessna 172S, equipped with a Garmin 1000 and supported by an Alsim FNPT2 used during the core phase, carried out at STAA (Australia) in Ballarat, on to A320 devices for the remaining phases. The A320 was the type rating in the licence which would be issued on course completion. This simplified profile is what drives the "Fully Clean" description of the training package.

Above Cessna 172S, equipped with a Garmin 1000 glass cockpit.

Image credit: ST Aerospace Academy.

Each element of the Beta test was analysed in detail, so that maximum benefit could be drawn from the first course.

For instance, although selection (including using the EPST Compass system) exclusively of those who were outstanding in the selection process would have potentially given the best results, it was decided to select those who matched the entry standards, with an inevitable but realistic range of potential. Thus would the baseline capability of the training system be most accurately assessed against a demographic norm.

Course Content The detailed content of the course can be seen at the Halldale website www. halldale.com/apats-2011/proceedings, where the joint presentation which Adrian Cheok, Vice President/Deputy

General Manager, Operations, of ST Aerospace Academy, and Jim Duggan, former Head of Training of Tiger Airways, made together at APATS 2011. The bold decision to use this “Fully Clean” course was made very deliberately, as a result of a careful Training Needs Analysis, and Cheok was very much aware that “the biggest concern we had at the time was potential overload. Would the complexity of the A320 in comparison to the relative simplicity of the Cessna 172 be an issue?

How did we overcome this area of concern?”

The answer was to very deliberately control the rate of knowledge imparted to the students during Phase 2. By breaking down the flow of information into manageable stages the students would not be overwhelmed by too much information in one indigestible lump. Basic handling of the aircraft in manual flying without the use of either the autopilot or autothrottle gives a solid introduction to the handling characteristics of an operational aircraft, which then builds to the establishment of sound manual instrument flying skills. This stage uses the platform of an A320 to firmly reinforce these skills. The specifics of operating

Above Based in Singapore - the ST Aerospace Academy.

Image credit: ST Aerospace Academy.

all the automation of the A320 are deliberately and appropriately left to the later stages of the course when type training addresses these functions.

Another innovation was the use of an advanced FTD for the first course,

but so encouraging were the results that a purpose-built device has now been developed by Mechtronix to adapt to the knowledge build up sculpted for the critical Phase 2. This platform is designated by Mechtronix as the A320 FFTX MPL. This device operates on an Airbus Level D Data Package, has Level D collimated visual, it is a nearly exact replication of the A320 cockpit with all systems tactile except for the overhead panel which is flat panel. The IOS is

With an overall first-series flight test pass rate of 98%.

ISSUE 6.2011

Our students clearly don’t have their heads in the clouds.

www.pilottrainingcollege.com Source: IAA Personnel Licensing Office (Average Pass Rate 1/08/2010 – 1/2/2011, across PPL, CPL MEIR Flight Tests)

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Pilot Training

fully capable of generating scenarios as would a full flight simulator; the device is fixed base and within the terminology of ICAO Doc 9625, will be qualified to ICAO Level 4. Here is a clear example of the value of that ICAO Document, which can embrace new equipment by defining it by its capability and tasks completed.

What makes this device unique is switchable fidelity. There is a switch which reduces the complexity of the simulator from Basic functionality to Full functionality in three steps. This essentially switches off displays and switches not necessary at the earlier stages of Phase 2. The systems are still running and providing simulation data to other functioning systems but do not provide any display or functions in themselves.

The fidelity steps are devised in line with the STAA phase 2 syllabus.

The critical role of the instructor in this training pattern and the particular skill set now required was recognised as a prime issue, so all instructors (including instructors from the airline) were given a course on the appropriate instructional techniques.

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Lessons Learnt

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Cheok was keen to share the lessons learnt from the Beta test, and spelt these out very clearly: “Lessons Learnt - 1. I would have to say that the program actually went almost like clockwork in relation to the syllabus, there were a few issues that needed adjustments and certainly nothing major.

We concluded that it was due largely to the open manner in which we worked with the regulator and experts from the various related fields of flight training.

The significant time and effort put into developing a robust syllabus paid dividends.

2. We strongly believe in the importance of providing a solid grounding to the cadets in preparation for the intensity of the sessions during the Phases 3 & 4. We felt the Phase 2 played a huge role in the preparation of the cadets by helping build in them a solid A320 foundation before they went into the type rating per se.

3. I cannot over emphasize the importance of pilot selection. There are good pilots and there are good multicrew pilots. I would like to state here that the six cadets selected are good, but were not in any way exceptional. I

say this with no disrespect to them. We essentially did not go out of our way to pick six super candidates.

4. One of the points we picked up on, and I say this despite having only one course under our belt, was that due to the progressive nature of the training in the MPL program, it would be good if a team of instructors were to follow the cadets through from Phase 2 to the end of the course.

5. One of the great decisions made at the very beginning was the immediate creation of the MPL Working Group which was in our case to be a tri-partite entity comprising fixed representatives from the regulator, airline and FTO. Chaired by CAAS, the MWG met regularly and at least once after every phase for a review. The program gained tremendously from the transparency, cooperation and joint decision making (with exception of regulatory matters although the non-regulators member were consulted on various regulatory issues).”

Ultimately the success of the course and the effectiveness of the training is judged by the customer airline. It is here that the views of Tiger Airways, expressed by Jim Duggan are particularly interesting.

“Having been involved with STAA from the very beginning of the concept, we were fully familiar with all the steps that were going to be required to make this programme the success it has proved to be. The tripartite nature of all decisionmaking was a huge factor in this.

Two of our AFEs (Examiners) were

Above The Alsim FNPT2 supports the Cessna 172S during the core phase.

Image credit: ST Aerospace Academy.

involved in part of Phase 2 training which ensured that Tiger had an immediate hand-on influence on that critical Phase.

At the end of Phase 2 I conducted the Competency Assurance Flights with the three crews. This comprised a flight from SIN to PEN – approximately 1 hr duration with manual flight for departure and arrival and with some adverse weather issues to be handled at both ends. As the trainees had not completed the Type Specific ground studies at this stage this was all that could be expected of them so there were no system failures planned into the check.

Essentially, it almost exactly replicated a routine Annual Line Check that any airline conducts on every crew member per year.

How did they do? I have no hesitation in saying that I was astonished at the level of competency displayed by all six trainees. They were totally at home with the aircraft, handled the weather threats with ease and displayed a standard of normal operation that I would have been very happy with, from one of our experienced normal crews – Capt and F/O. I deliberately introduced a little extra pressure by holding them high on the descent profile just to test their awareness of the threats that this often

produces in normal line operations (and which is often not particularly well handled by line crews). These trainees took it in their stride, demanded extra track miles to lose the height and flew textbook approaches and landings. I was astounded by the relaxed, yet totally professional attitude they displayed throughout the flights. They were totally at home with an A320 – normal operation – at this stage.

At the end of the Type Rating Phase I also conducted the MPL Proficiency Check with all six pilots.

This was a standard LPC, comprising all the usual items, start problems, TCAS RAs, Flight Instrument Failures, VOR and NDB tracking and holds, NDB approaches and landings with Flap and Slat failures conducted in Selected Lateral and Vertical Modes in accordance with TGW’s approval from CAAS, plus the usual Engine Failure at V1, Engine Fire, Emergency Turn Procedures, Single-Engine ILS and Go Around and single-engine visual approach and landing. Last item was a high-speed RTO followed by a Passenger Evacuation.

Again, the trainees handled these critical failures with all the skill and above

Above Inside the A320 FFTX MPL with Captain Chira Fernando, Head of Training for STAA (left).

Image credit: ST Aerospace Academy.

all, the confidence, of seasoned A320 pilots. They were simply outstanding, again displaying a level of performance that anyone would be extremely happy with, from an experienced line crew.”

Whilst an increasing number of MPL

programmes around the world are now yielding encouraging results, this Singapore-based programme with it's “FullyClean” pattern has certainly more than met the expectations of the first airline customer, and has triggered the debate as to just how specific the MPL has to be – by any measure this highly-focused programme would appear to be a very solid success. CAT constantly searches for Best Practice – maybe this is one MPL solution to watch? cat

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29

www.halldale.com/apats

CAT MAGAZINE

28-29 August 2012

ISSUE 6.2011

A Halldale Media Group Event

Conference Report

EATS 2011 – Focusing on the Issues Held in Prague, Czech Republic, the 2011 European Airline Training Symposium (EATS) saw more than 500 delegates benefit from the expert viewpoints of both European and International industry personalities. Conference Chair Chris Lehman files this report.

ISSUE 6.2011

W

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ith 48 countries and 74 airlines represented, the 10th iteration of the event focused on today’s pressing aviation training issues. With critical support from Czech Airlines, Gold Sponsor CAE, and many others, EATS 2011 explored the theme of “Integrating Simulation and Operational Evidence to Deliver Aviation Safety.” Throughout the event there was emphasis on feeding back our operational experience and data to the current training system, and doing so quickly and efficiently. This ranged from recognizing the learning characteristics of the current generation and then optimizing instructional techniques, through to using accident data in flight path reconstructions for training.

EATS has striven since the first event in 2002 to be a truly pan-European training conference, and this year increased attendance from Eastern Gold Sponsor

Silver Sponsors

Europe stimulated a decision to provide real time English-Russian translation. A considerable number of speakers - and delegates - hailed from the Baltic, Russian, and CIS states.

Above Oxford Aviation Academy's Anthony Petteford, kicked off proceedings on the second full day of conferencing.

Image credit: David Malley/Halldale Media.

Expansion Josef Rada, General Director of the Czech CAA delivered the first of two keynotes, and picked up on the conference theme by exploring the relationship between theoretical knowledge and practical experience, suggesting that the challenge is to get this balance right, and that we need to ensure that pilots have ready access to the experiences and mentoring of senior pilots and current data. Roei Ganzarski, Chief Customer Officer, Boeing Flight Services continued with the conference theme by addressing the unique role of the instructor, suggesting that the time has come to create a new breed of instructors who are measured and Host Airline

Bronze Sponsors

rewarded for their ability to teach, inspire and motivate, not just on how long they have flown. Given the massive number of pilots, mechanics and instructors needed to support the more than 33,000 commercial airplanes that will be delivered over the next 20 years, the idea demands our attention.

EASA provided a sincere and muchappreciated overview of FCL status in the midst of the continuing transition from the JAA, but it was apparent from the delegate questions that there remains a need for clarity and haste, particularly for training organisations whose commercial decisions are dependent on the regulatory details. The

importance of instructor qualifications and standardisation emerged again via a presentation from the International Association of Flight Training Professionals (IAFTP), an organisation which is collecting training “Best Practises” in an on-line database – something that could be very valuable as the industry deals with both industry growth and an aging demographic. Together with standardization, harmonisation is another critical need, and delegates learned from the Professional Aviation Board of Certification (PABC) about efforts to establish a global standard for professional pilot assessment, which would complement ICAO and IATA initiatives.

EATS 2011 Speakers

Proficiency

• Josef Rada, Czech Republic CAA • Roei Ganzarski, Boeing Flight Services • Miroslav Ehl, Czech Air Navigation Inst.

• Capt. Christof Kemény, Lufthansa CityLine • Joël Lebrun, Airbus • Matthias Borgmeier, EASA • John Wickenden, CAE • Robert Barnes, International Association of Flight Training Professionals (IAFTP) • Capt. Peter Wolfe, Professional Aviation Board of Certification (PABC) • Capt. Chris Mann, easyJet • Capt. Christian Schmid, Lufthansa • Mike Poole, CAE FlightScape • Anthony Petteford, Oxford Aviation Academy • Michal Markovic, AeroJOB • Capt. Mark Sawyer, Aerosim • Maxime Wauters, Belgian Flight School

Above

• Randall Brooks, International Committee

Impressions from this year's exhibition floor.

for Aviation Training in Extended

All images: David Malley/Halldale Media.

Envelopes (ICATEE) • Vytis Zalimas, Baltic Aviation Academy • Carsten Kappenberger, German Aerospace Center (DLR) • Viktor Robeck, IATA • Leen van der Spek, KLM Flight Academy • Hector Sclar, Avieduc Aviation Training • AICC Panel Session with Capt. Herbert Schwarz, Austrian Airlines; Capt. Bo Neilsen, SAS; Capt. Guenter Haemmerle, Hong Kong Airlines; Capt. Roland Gatt, infoWERK multimedia GmbH; Gerhard Schwed, Danube University Krems; Arndt Bubenzer, common sense elearning; William McDonald, Boeing Training & Flight Services With the support of

Conference by:

ISSUE 6.2011

ence was led by the Aviation Industries Computer-Based Training Committee (AICC). A distinguished panel of industry experts led by Captain Herbert Schwarz of Austrian Airlines explored the merits of mobile learning, demonstrating the enormous value of this medium in aviation training.

All EATS 2011 conference presentations are available on the Halldale website at www.halldale.com/eats Join us for EATS 2012, to be held in Berlin, November 6-7, 2012. cat

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The importance of training regimes that focus on proficiency, rather than accumulated hours was a central theme of the conference and delegates heard from major training providers on the status of the innovative Multi-Crew Pilots License (MPL). Issues of Loss of Control Inflight (LOC-I) and Upset Recovery Training were dominant in much of the conference, as they are in the industry itself, and the increasing use of FOQA/FODA data in flight simulators to enhance training was well-received. Further, and critically, it was apparent that the community has begun to challenge the paradigm of “pilots are system operators,” or that automation always enhances safety.

Degradation of manual flying skills is a world-wide concern and there was a sense that there is a need to move the pendulum somewhat back from “knowwhat” to “know-how.”

Delegates also heard about very specific Eastern European issues such as transitioning from Soviet-era aircraft to western machines. And there was discussion about the training challenges specific to Europe, as compared to other jurisdictions, such as restricted airspace, high user fees and taxes, and excessive environmental and political opposition. However, European acceptance of MPL, a more established tradition of proficiency-based training, and generally high training standards were seen as offsets to some of the aforementioned disadvantages.

The final session of the confer-

Left

Conference report

Randy Babbitt, Administrator, US Federal Aviation Administration.

All images: RAeS.

Flight Crew Training –

London Conference Shows the Future Ian Strachan reports on the Royal Aeronautical Society’s annual Flight Crew Training conference.

T

he Royal Aeronautical Society’s annual conference on Flight Crew Training attracted speakers from Canada, France, Lithuania, Netherlands, UK and the USA, also from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) with its 31 national members. There is not the space to cover all the conference subjects, and this article is limited to keynotes from three Regulatory Authorities and ICAO.

ISSUE 6.2011

FAA Administrator

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Randy Babbitt is head of the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and said that safety is the primary mission of the FAA and its top priority. The mechanical malfunctions of the past, such as engine failures, can be trained, he said, but human factors are more difficult. He has focussed on "professionalism" since day one of his tenure as Administrator.

However, "professionalism is needed but cannot be mandated", he said. However, Flight Crew Training (FCT) Standards can be designed to mitigate the effect of any future errors. Procedures must

be followed all of the time, not only on check rides, particularly when "no-one is watching". The 2009 Colgan Air accident caused much debate and as a result the FAA published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPR). This was to increase Flight Crew Training and Evaluation in normal, abnormal and emergency tasks.

It also requires the "pilot monitoring" to inform other crew and appropriate agencies of the progress of the flight, systems status and situational awareness. The pilot-not-flying (PNF) must have an active role and be prepared to speak up when necessary. The Training and Evaluation (T&E) interval is to be nine months and will require the use of a Flight Simulation Training Device (FSTD). Crucially, after the Colgan accident, the NPR "incorporates training in stall, upset recovery and remedial training". Related concepts are training for stick pusher and adverse weather events.

Commenting on ICAO Document 9625, he appreciated the ground-breaking work of ICAO and the Royal Aeronautical Society in its development, and

said that the FAA supported its principles and standards, and was working to adopt them. The challenge was the time needed for adoption. Currently, the FAA’s rulemaking resources are driven by the requirements that Congress mandated in 2010 in the Airline Safety and FAA Extension Act. Commenting on simulators and flight training devices (FTDs), he was encouraged by their use for "sophisticated scenario-based training and checking".

Turning to the FAA’s NextGen project, this will "transform our entire aviation system" in terms of technology, leadership and the "overall philosophy for safely moving aircraft ". He pointed out that elements of NextGen were already in service in the Gulf of Mexico and Seattle areas, in particular the use of (GPS-based) Automatic Dependant Surveillance - Broadcast (ADS-B) which is "paying off in terms of safety, efficiency and situational awareness". Savings in terms of time and fuel are real, he said, for instance in the Gulf of Mexico area over some 250 thousand square kilometres where there is no radar. He is "excited about the progress we are making with NextGen", and, "accruing a lot of flight hours is not a proxy for skill". In conclusion, "the FAA has a clear vision of where it will go in the next 15 years".

This was an inspiring address, and as well as support for flight simulation and the principles of ICAO 9625, it also indicated that ADS-B technology, already in service in Australia and North America, will spread wider as the decade progresses.

EASA Rulemaking Jules Kneepkens is Rulemaking Director of the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and spoke on future European requirements and challenges. The EASA regulatory framework includes Flight Crew Licensing (FCL), Medical, Authority and Organisational Requirements for Aircrew. These are abbreviated to Part-FCL, Part-Med, Part-ARA and Part-ORA. FCL is based on JARFCL 1 and 2 and ICAO Annex 1. New

Andrew Haines is chief executive of the UK CAA and said that the transfer to the new EASA licences will start in July 2012. Existing JAR licences will be changed to "Part FCL" when they expire or are amended. Existing nonJAR licence holders needing to change will have to apply for a new licence, and for commercial pilots this is before 8 April 2014. Those flying non-EASA aircraft can retain their UK licence if they wish. JAR licences will automatically become EASA licences on the day of transition. An EASA Notice on IMC flight for private pilots was published in September 2011 and seems to offer a more attainable instrument licence for Europe.

The UK CAA is seeking to align regulatory requirements with academic qualifications and encourages vocational programmes, academic qualifications and apprenticeships to provide the skills and knowledge to carry out complex tasks. They are working with City & Guilds, and are supported by GoSkills, training providers, universities and gov-

Mark Dransfield, Chairman, Flight Simulation Group, Royal Aeronautical Society.

Below Andrew Haines, Chief Executive, UK CAA.

ernment agencies. The aim is to build a closer relationship with the instructor community and provide more guidance on what is taught with the aim of ensuring high levels of training to a more common standard.

In concluding, he said that there are many reasons to converge and harmonise, the upmost being gains in safety.

However, the CAA realises that the gains are not obvious for individual licence holders. “We should all work together, under the lead of EASA, to show that we can improve safety, while, where possible, reducing costs,” he concluded.

ICAO Nancy Graham is Director of the ICAO Air Navigation Bureau and talked about safety, the next generation of aviation professionals, and future systems. Accidents in worldwide "scheduled commercial transport" operations were lower than before, but there were still some 600 fatalities annually from between 15 and 20 airliner accidents per year. Looking at regions, there are about four aircraft accidents per million departures, except for the Western and Central African (WACAF) region where the rate is over 20. Looking at the cause of fatalities, since 2005 some 30% have been due to loss-of-control in flight (LOC-I) followed

by controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) and runway-related accidents at about 18% each. Failures of systems such as engines are very low, causing only about 3% of fatalities. In January 2012, ICAO will issue a safety report analysing these matters, as a part of a Global Aviation Safety Plan (GASP).

In terms of future Air Traffic Management (ATM), as FAA Administrator Babbitt had said, elements of the FAA NextGen programme were already in use. The equivalent in Europe was SESAR and in Japan, CARATS. ICAO is trying to harmonise these and other similar systems and has proposed three "block upgrades" to be dated 2018, 2023 and 2028. This was said to be a major team effort involving some 17 organisations. As well as ICAO and world Regulatory Authorities, other organisations are involved such as EuroCAE, Eurocontrol, IAOPA, IATA, IFALPA, RTCA, and the International Federation of Air Traffic Controllers.

At the end of the conference, an agreement was made between ICAO, IATA and the RAeS "to work in partnership together, and with other stakeholders, to minimise as far as practical the current differences in pilot training and instruction standards". The participation of ICAO is particularly significant because its recommendations are commonly adopted by individual Regulatory Authorities such as EASA in Europe and the FAA in the USA. The RAeS has also been given Observer status at ICAO, recognising the role it has played over many years in co-ordinating several international efforts to standardise procedures in the Simulation and Training area.

It can be seen from the above that much progress has been made, but there is still much to do. The biggest challenge is probably the ICAO figure of 850,000 new aviation personnel that will be needed in the next 20 years. Training these to the appropriate standards will be a huge task. The tools are there, it is up to Regulatory Authorities, ATM bodies, airlines and others to use them. cat

ISSUE 6.2011

UK CAA

Left

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common requirements have been proposed for sailplanes, balloons and airships, and powered lift aircraft are to follow later. A light aircraft pilot licence (LAPL) has been introduced. Medical requirements are based on JAR-FCL 3 and ICAO Annex 1. Class 1 and Class 2 medicals for ICAO licences will not change. There are new medical certificates for the LAPL, and General Medical Practitioners (GPs) may issue such certificates if permitted under national law. Medical assessment of cabin crew is included. On requirements for aircrew, there is to be a three year transition period for PPLs and existing training organisations. FCL work includes a Cruise Relief Co-pilot and an IMC rating.

After April 2012, further standardisation and harmonisation is to take place.

Longer term developments include the Single European Sky (SES) and its relation to the US FAA’s NextGen, and the Multi-crew Pilot Licence (MPL). A bilateral aviation safety agreement between the European Union and the USA was mentioned, as was EASA’s participation in the ICAO Next Generation of Aviation Professionals (NGAP) programme and the IATA Training and Qualification Initiative (ITQI).

World News & Analysis ISSUE 6.2011 CAT MAGAZINE

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Seen&Heard A compendium of current news from the civil aviation training industry, compiled and edited by the CAT editorial team. For the latest breaking news and in-depth reports go to www.halldale.com.

The World’s First TRAINAIR PLUS Member - The Gulf Centre for Aviation Studies (GCAS), based in Abu Dhabi was established in 2009 by Abu Dhabi Airports Company to lead the development of the aviation industry in the UAE and the region through delivering highly qualified aviation professionals.

GCAS is now the world’s first International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) TRAINAIR PLUS training member; a fully certified and endorsed aviation training institution by the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) of the United Arab Emirates, and is accredited by the Abu Dhabi Centre for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (ACTVET).

TRAINAIR is a system to improve safety and efficiency of air transport through the establishment and maintenance of high standards of training and competency for aviation personnel. The TRAINAIR PLUS programme will allow GCAS to share its educational resources with other members, promoting the country’s knowledge sharing and exporting capabilities.

Business Expansion - Lockheed Martin Corporation is expanding its simulation and training business into the commercial aviation market with the acquisition of Sim-Industries B.V., a commercial aviation simulation company in the Netherlands.

Chairman and CEO Bob Stevens commented, “The combination of SimIndustries with our military simulation business will provide airlines, civil pilot training centers and military customers access to training systems that can be provided more quickly and with lower operating costs.”

Above The Gulf Centre for Aviation Studies, based in Abu Dhabi.

Image Credit: GCAS.

Sim-Industries develops and manufactures full-motion and fixedbased civil aviation flight simulators for a wide range of airline customers and independent pilot training centers worldwide. Its products include singleaisle commercial aircraft simulators for the Boeing 737 and Airbus 320, and will soon have certification for its first twinaisle simulator for the Airbus 330.

Training Centre News First Phenom 100 at Asia-Pacific Flying School - Embraer has concluded the sale of a Phenom 100 entrylevel jet to the CAE Global Academy Perth, Australia.

CAE Global Academy Perth, also known as China Southern West Aus-

tralia Flying College, is a joint venture of China Southern Airlines and CAE. The flight school has also ordered a CAE 5000 Series Level D full flight simulator for the training program. This will be the first Phenom 100 FFS to be available in Asia-Pacific at an ab-initio flight school and is expected to be in operation by the end of 2012.

Algonquin College Partnership with OAS - Students in Algonquin College’s Aviation Management - General Arts and Science program now have the opportunity to join Ottawa Aviation Services (OAS) new Professional Pilot flight training program in Canada. The program is directly aimed at training highly qualified professional pilots by using ‘best practices’ training, assessing pilot aptitude, and conducting upset recovery, and glass cockpit training in modern aircraft and simulators.

New Flight Training Program Ottawa Aviation Services (OAS) has announced a new flight training program that delivers highly trained pilot

candidates to Canadian and International commercial operators.

The integrated ATP course has been successfully executed by Joan Williams and the program was developed with the assistance of Mark Holmes, a retired Cathay Pacific B747 Captain, and approved by Transport Canada (TC).

OAS is now one of only seven Canadian flight schools authorised to deliver the Transport Canada Airline Transport Pilot (Integrated) course. OAS is offering two courses in 2012, with the first course starting on 23rd January.

10 Year Celebration - Aviation Australia has celebrated 10 years since its inception in 2001. The company was initially set up by the Queensland Government to train aeroskills appren-

Above Aviation Australia has celebrated 10 years since its inception in 2001.

Image Credit: Aviation Australia.

tices. Today, the company specialises in aircraft maintenance training; cabin crew and English language training in its Queensland campuses, and is a training partner to over 60 airlines and aerospace companies, governments, defence forces and regulatory authorities around the world.

The company has graduated a total of 895 aeroskills students and 90% of these graduates have secured full time employment. A total of 790 cabin crew students have graduated

from the cabin crew course, and over half of these graduates are working as cabin crew with 35 airlines around the world. Since 2007, 39 international students have graduated from the Diploma in Aircraft Maintenance Engineering course and 62% of these graduates have secured employment in the aviation industry.

TFC Opens Training Centre - TFC has opened a new Training Centre at Cologne Airport, with a brand new cabin emergency evacuation trainer for an Airbus A320, developed and constructed by TFC. This training centre opening follows the opening of another training centre in Berlin in May 2011.

A330/340 Training Approval - Baltic Aviation Academy has added Airbus A330/340 type rating training to its list of provided training programmes. The Lithuanian Civil Aviation Administration issued the approval certificate.

The approved programmes include A330-200, A330-300, A200-F, A330 MRTT, A340-300, A340-500, and A340600 training. The ground training will be carried out at Baltic Aviation Academy’s facilities in Vilnius or the client’s preferred location. The main full flight simulator for practical training will be in Madrid, Spain. And as a back-up choice customers will be able to choose training locations in Paris, Helsinki, Frankfurt and Zurich. Baltic Aviation Academy

Safety specialists first observed that attention to human factors on the flight deck and on flight crew behaviour had a positive impact on safety. From the early

national plans for human aviation human factors to a twenty-five year legacy of international maintenance human factors symposia Dr. Johnson has been a key planner and contributor. At the international level, in his corporate and government roles, Dr. Johnson has influenced attitude, procedures, tools, training systems, and policy regarding human factors in maintenance.

Working with labor, management, industry consortiums, and government Johnson has impacted training and procedures for maintenance human factors.

IFA awards Dr. Johnson’s long-term and continuing legacy of creativity, applied scientific approach, clear communication, and international leadership as exemplified by his publications and software/media production activity.

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The International Federation of Airworthiness (IFA) has announced that the 2011 honouree of the Whittle Safety Award is Dr. William B. Johnson, Chief Scientific and Technical Advisor for Human Factors in Aviation Maintenance for the US Federal Aviation Administration.

The award, which honours the co-inventor of the jet engine, Sir Frank Whittle, is the highest and most prestigious award the Federation can confer to recognise an advance in aviation safety.

The citation reads: ‘In recognition of his dedication, research, leadership, and promotion of Human Factors in aviation maintenance and engineering and his many publications exemplified by the “Maintenance Human Factors Presentation System” and the video production “Grounded”.’

ISSUE 6.2011

Prestigious Safety Award

World News & Analysis

has signed partnership contracts with instructors from the United States and Germany to conduct the training.

Third Cirrus Flight Training Center - The leader in the Cirrus Aircraft Partner Network, Platinum Aviation, has added another Cirrus Aircraft training and rental center to its growing network. The newest flight training facility is located at the Palm Beach, North County Airport (F45) adjacent to the Landmark Aviation FBO. New Dubai Aviation Academy - Jetstream Aviation Academy has opened its new Training Centre in Dubai Silicon Oasis FZE to meet regional airlines’ increasing demand for flight and cabin

crew training. The new facility, Jetstream Aviation Academy Arabia FZE, is JAA/EASA approved and provides training both from 0 hours to ATPL Integrated for future airline pilots, Type Ratings for Airbus, Boeing, ATR, Bombardier Dash-8 aircraft and cabin crew.

The theoretical training is conducted in Jetstream’s facilities in Dubai and student pilots then continue their flight training at Jetstream’s facilities in Greece.

Captain James McKillen has been appointed Managing Director and Head of Training.

Flight Training in Azerbaijan Boeing and Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL)

ISSUE 6.2011

Emirates Cadet Pilots Graduate in Jerez

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Oscar Sordo, the CEO of FTEJerez (based in southern Spain), was joined by two pilots from Emirates airline, Captain Martin Mahoney, Senior Vice President Flight Training, and Captain Abdullah Al Hammadi, National Cadet Pilot Programme Manager, who presented the first group of newly qualified Emirates pilots with their wings. With some 70 Emirates cadets having entered training here, the plans are to continue with new courses through 2012. This course follows a classic and well-proven JAR CPL/IR Frozen ATPL pattern.

FTEJerez has been involved for some time in another airline programme in the form of an MPL course, which it delivers in partnership with Flybe airline in the UK. Derek Earp, Director of Operations, believes that an important element in the success of that programme is the use of a Mechtronix B737-800NG FFT X FTD. An in-house developed software programme delivers ATC input in the form of background RT chatter and it enables the instructor to respond to student calls via a variety of realistic computer generated voices.

Having completed three flights in the Slingsby T67 which enables students to become familiar with the “g” forces and sensory inputs during upset recovery, a session in the B737 device is programmed to fly similar scenarios in a jet aircraft.

The Flybe graduates achieved the landing competency in the type rating phase of MPL in a very low number of actual landings in the aircraft, so both Flybe and FTEJerez (and Industry in general) would like to see the mandatory requirement of a minimum of 12 landings reduced to six as originally allowed for in PANS TRNG .

One additional capability of FTEJerez is as one of only two organisations to hold formal UK CAA Approval as an examining centre for Aviation English Language Proficiency in both initial and recurrent assessments. This approval is recognised throughout the European Union, by a number of Gulf States, as well as by India. Bernie Brennan, Head of Student Programmes, indicates that the system of testing here gives close to ideal objective assessment, in that the Interlocutor conducts the exercise whilst digitally recording the test. That record is then uploaded for an independent Rater to undertake the assessment, identifying the candidate only by a reference number. The test and the assessment are then stored by FTE so that both the UK CAA and the Spanish authority (AESA) can see a transparent audit trail.

A final indication of the increasing range of training available here is in the recent start of the first 22 week course of 11 self-sponsored students training for a European Air Traffic Controller Tower licence. This is the first training organisation to obtain such approval in Spain. The principle training aid is an eight panel device which shows the airfield and visual circuit and this is manufactured by BAE Systems.

have partnered to add additional flight training capability in Baku, Azerbaijan.

The long-term agreement adds the new AZAL Aviation Training Center to Boeing’s global network of flight training campuses. The training campus includes new full flight simulators for the Boeing 757 and 767, Airbus A320 and ATR airplanes.

In addition to helping AZAL lower its training costs, the partnership means Boeing can offer regional customers a flight training location closer to their home operating bases without capital investment and with overall lower training costs.

Chile Training Centre Expansion CAE has inaugurated the expansion of its training centre for pilots and cabin crew with LAN Airlines S.A. The six bay facility is one of the most modern and largest training centres in South America and represents a total investment of US$40 million. The training venue was expanded to provide LAN with increased capacity to train future pilots. The centre is now able to train 4,500 pilots and 3,000 cabin crew per year.

The centre has two simulators for Airbus A320, two for Boeing 767-300ER, as well as a 3D flat-panel integrated procedures trainer for training on Airbus A320 and A340, two door trainers and two scale models to train crews in case of an emergency evacuation of the cabin.

New Indian Training Centre - CAE, InterGlobe Enterprises, and Airbus have held a ground breaking ceremony for a new pilot and maintenance technician training centre in Delhi, India. The CAEInterGlobe joint venture is expected to start offering pilot and maintenance training solutions in 2013 and will eventually be able to train up to 5,000 pilots and technicians annually for airlines in India and the neighbouring regions.

The new Delhi centre will be located on 3.5 acres in the Greater Noida Industrial Area about 40 kilometres southeast of Delhi. Its focus will be to provide wet and dry type-rating, recurrent, conversion and jet indoctrination training for commercial aircraft pilots and it will also offer programs for maintenance technicians. The training centre will initially house four full flight simulators and will be capable of expansion to eight simulator bays.

Advanced training technology will be used such as CAE Simfinity multimedia classrooms, computer-based training and brief/debrief facilities.

Above Bristow’s Sikorsky S-92 (l) and Eurocopter EC225 (r) full flight simulators.

Image Credit: Frasca International.

Frasca Helicopter Sims - Frasca International Inc. has contracted to Houston-based Bristow Group Inc. a Sikorsky S76 Level B full flight simulator (FFS) which will also be qualified as a Level 3 flight training device to CAA standards. In addition, Frasca has delivered two Level B full flight simulators for the Eurocopter EC225 and Sikorsky S-92 aircraft. The simulators are in use at training operations in Aberdeen, Scotland.

The S76 FFS will feature six axis electric motion, dome visual, vibration platform, and touch screen instructor operator station (IOS). The program also includes Frasca’s aircraft flight test service to collect the simulator data package. The simulator is scheduled for delivery in April 2013.

Two Sims for Emirates - CAE is to provide Emirates Airline with two full flight simulators (FFSs), one for the Airbus A380 aircraft and one for the Boeing 777. The contract is worth a total of more than C$34 million. The Boeing 777 FFS will be delivered to Emirates’ training facility in Dubai in the first half of 2013. The A380 FFS will be delivered in the second half of 2013.

King Air 350i FFS - CAE will deploy a new CAE 5000 Series full flight simulator (FFS) in the Melbourne, Australia area in the first half of 2012 for training pilots and maintenance technicians for the Hawker Beechcraft King Air 350i aircraft

with Pro Line 21 avionics.

The FFS will incorporate the Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 integrated avionics suite and will be qualified to Level D by the Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA). Training credits are also expected for operators of King Air 200 aircraft. Training will be provided at a location in the Melbourne area to be determined in consultation with customers in the region.

B787 FFS Approval - The CAE-built Boeing 787 Dreamliner full flight simulator for Continental Airlines has received interim Level C certification without restrictions by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Continental pilots have begun training on the device, located at the airline’s training facility in Houston, Texas USA. The FFS will be certified to Level D following receipt of the final aircraft data package from Boeing.

SSJ100 FFS - The new full flight simulator (FFS) of the Sukhoi Superjet 100 aircraft is ready to start training for Russian pilots at the SuperJet International Training Center in Zhukovsky, Russia, a joint venture between Alenia Aeronautica and Sukhoi Holding.

The FFS produced by Thales was approved by the Russian Aviation Authority Rosavjacia in compliance with an “interim Level C” per JAR FSTD (EASA). The first Type Rating Course for Aeroflot pilots will start shortly.

The device will be upgraded to Level D with the possibility of having ZFTT programs (zero flight time training) in the future. Thales is going to deliver two additional FFS for the SSJ100 in 2012.

One will be installed in Moscow and

37 CAT MAGAZINE

Four FFS Contracts - CAE has sold four Level D full flight simulators (FFS), a Boeing 777-300ER to Cathay Pacific Airways, an Airbus A320 to the Asian Aviation Centre of Excellence, an Airbus A330 FFS to Lufthansa Flight Training and a Boeing 777-300ER to an undisclosed customer.

The contracts are worth a total of more than C$55. This is Cathay Pacific’s eighth CAE-built FFS and third B777 simulator. The airline has also ordered a CAE Simfinity™ integrated procedures trainer, and both devices will be delivered in 2012 to the airline’s training centre in Hong Kong.

An Airbus A320 FFS is the seventh CAE-built simulator and fifth A320 FFS for The Asian Aviation Centre of Excellence, a joint venture of AirAsia and CAE in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The new simulator will be delivered in 2012.

The Airbus A330 FFS is Lufthansa Flight Training’s 33rd CAE-built FFS since 1986, and will also be delivered in 2012. The CAE 7000 Series device will feature new third-generation CAE Tropos™-6000 visual system.

Thales’ A380 Sim - Thales UK has been selected by British Airways (BA) to supply its new A380 full flight simulator.

The simulator will be delivered to the British Airways Flight Training Centre, Cranebank (near Heathrow Airport) in January 2013, and will initially be used to provide advance training for BA pilots and aircrew in readiness for the entry into service of the first tranche of BA’s new A380 aircraft later in 2013.

The simulator will be built at Thales UK Crawley facility and will be to the latest Airbus standard.

Cirrus Full Motion Simulator - Cirrus Aircraft has opened its first European SIM Center, complete with a full motion flight simulator, in Poznan, Poland. The center will offer simulation training for the Cirrus SR20 and SR22 aircraft with Cirrus Perspective™ by Garmin® avionics.

The simulator will be operated by Cirrus Poland – Aero Pozan at PoznanLawica International Airport.

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Flight Simulator News

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the other one in the SJI training center in Venice, where additional training programs will engage Interjet crews.

Pilot Training Cadet Pilot Training - Seven young Bruneians signed agreements in October to join Royal Brunei Airlines’ 41st intake of Cadet Pilot Training Scheme. The cadets were selected from 340 applicants who took part in the programme’s intensive and comprehensive screening process that included a series of tests administered by RBA and CTC Aviation.

At the end of their frozen Air Transport Pilot License (ATPL) training with CTC Aviation, the cadet pilots will be qualified under Joint Aviation Authority Commercial Pilots License/Instrument Rating.

Bahraini Pilot Training - Tamkeen and Gulf Aviation Academy (GAA) have signed a new agreement to train and employ Bahraini pilots over a three-year period into dual training programmes, namely the Ab-Initio Pilot Training Programme (APTP) and the Type Rating Training Programme (TRTP), both of which will be conducted separately.

Upon completion, GAA will support the candidates to find a suitable job in any of the leading airlines.

Commenting on the agreement, Mr. Tim Shattock, GAA Chief Executive Officer said, “We feel very privileged to have been chosen to assist in the delivery of such training programmes and feel the added value we bring to them as trainer will really aid the candidates to make their aspirations realised.”

Training Contract - An agreement to train Chinese pilots to commercial licence standards has been signed by Moncton Flight College and Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

The contract, valued at $7 million, is for training services to be provided by the college in 2012.

Since 2006, more than 700 Chinese students have graduated from the college’s campuses in Moncton and Fredericton. The college has provided training for numerous Chinese airlines, including Air China, Air China Cargo, China Eastern, Shenzhen Airlines, Xiamen Airlines and SF Airlines.

Line-Oriented Flight Training Peach Aviation has begun line-oriented flight training on its first new aircraft,

Above CTC and Royal Brunei Airlines signing ceremony.

Image Credit: CTC Aviation.

the Airbus A320-200 in preparation for its first flight in March 2012. The flight training is based in Japan’s Osaka International Airport, with some training also scheduled at Fukuoka airport, Naha Airport and Shin-Chitose airport.

Pilot Training Services - CAE has entered into a long-term agreement with Qatar Executive, Qatar Airways’ corporate jet subsidiary, for pilot training services on the Bombardier Global Express XRS (GEX) and the Bombardier Challenger 605. The training will be conducted at Emirates-CAE Flight Training (ECFT) in Dubai, UAE. Qatar Executive pilots will be the first to train on the new Challenger 605 full flight simulator (FFS) when it is qualified by regulators in early 2012.

Training will include initial and recurrent courses for both aircraft as well as a range of CAE e-Learning general operating subjects.

Graduation Ceremony - The Coast Guard Search and Rescue crew, based at Waterford Airport in the South East of Ireland have been honoured with a special award for ‘Services to Aviation’ that was presented to them at the 2011 annual Pilot Training College International Aviation Ball and Awards Ceremony.

The helicopter crew were presented with this award following a graduation ceremony for more than 40 cadet pilots

who have completed flight training programmes at Flight Training College.

The Pilot Training College International Aviation Ball was also addressed by guest speaker, Capt. Chris Carder, a current Blade acrobatic pilot and a senior A340 Captain with Virgin Atlantic who previously flew with the RAF for more than 20 years, including a three year stint with the Red Arrows. The ‘pursuit of perfection’ and ‘attention to detail’ were common themes and something he said each Pilot Training College graduate must strive for as they embark on a new and exciting career as a commercial airline pilot.

Bridging Courses Needed - The Russian-Western European Pilot Training Data Analysis launched at EATS 2011 (European Airline Training Symposium) by Baltic Aviation Academy (BAA), states that 85% of the 150 pilots retrained from Russian to Western European aircraft types at BAA during 2011 needed additional focus on the Western approach to teamwork in the cockpit.

More than half of training instructors reported exposure to defining standard operations, divided between two equally responsible cockpit members, ‘Pilot Flying’ and ‘Pilot Non Flying’. The majority of training adaptations arise from the hierarchy leadership procedures in the Eastern aircraft training models, compared to the two roles of Western PF/ PNF duties, normally to be shared so that both cockpit members undertake PF and the PNF during a particular flight.

In addition to a different approach to teamwork in the cockpit, the analysis

pointed out different cockpit parts and instruments (such as Autopilot, FMS, artificial horizon) and requirements from the airlines for a pilot to have a higher education degree. 45% of training instructors surveyed stated that Russian pilots have a strong background of technical knowledge, see a broader view and are able to make fast calculations due to their formal higher education, while Western pilots are basically being taught to operate the aircraft according to standard operations in their 2-3 year occupational training.

Boeing Pilot Training Initiative Boeing is expanding its partnerships in Africa by announcing an agreement to jointly offer a comprehensive pilot training program with 43 Air School (Pty) Ltd., Africa’s largest flight training organization.

The agreement reflects a shared commitment by Boeing and 43 Air School to maintain and enhance aviation safety in Africa and around the world.

The three-phase program is designed to provide a candidate with no prior flying experience the opportunity to progress seamlessly through professional training to full competence and

accreditation. Program graduates will be qualified as Boeing Next-Generation 737 First Officer. Phase one of the program will take cadets through basic flight instruction at 43 Air School. Phases Two and Three continue with Boeing Flight Services Jet Bridge and Type Rating programs completed at any Boeing training campus around the world. Upon completion of training, graduates will have earned a private pilot license, with multi-engine and instrument ratings and commercial/multi-engine qualification and a type rating in a Next Generation 737 or other models, as the market requires.

ECFT Contract - Arabian Jets, a private aircraft management company based in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and CAE have entered into a long-term agreement for pilot training services on eight business aircraft types. The training will be conducted at Emirates-CAE Flight Training (ECFT) in Dubai, UAE, and other locations in the CAE global training network.

Training will include initial and recurrent courses as well as various CAE advanced airmanship and e-Learning subjects.

Pilot Training Courses - Florida Institute of Technology is offering two new advanced airline pilot flight courses in conjunction with Aerostar Training Services of Orlando. The Jet Transition and Commercial Type Rating courses are aimed at upper-division students planning careers with commercial airlines.

The offering allows students to use regular electives in their bachelor’s degree program to prepare fully for a career flying a large transport jet. Although most colleges and flight schools offer commercial multi-engine ratings in propeller airplanes, type ratings (required for all turbojets), have not been offered for academic credit. The type rating check ride is beyond the commercial certificate: it is conducted to airline transport pilot standards.

e-Learning Avsoft Courseware – Didavia Aviation Academy in Greece has leased Avsoft Courseware for training, A320 and B737-700 web based training courseware. Avsoft’s CBT/WBT courseware lets users create their own ground school, choose modules, edit and design

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World News & Analysis ISSUE 6.2011 CAT MAGAZINE

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quizzes, and customize graphics and content.

Embry-Riddle Selects NVIO NVG CBT Program - Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University has selected Night Flight Concepts NVIO NVG CBT program to be used within the Bachelor of Aeronautical Science Specialty degree program. Embry-Riddle’s Prescott, Arizona campus will be integrating the NVIO CBT program into one of their Advanced Helicopter Specialty Courses: “Environmental Helicopter Operations”.

In this course students obtain foundation for helicopter operations in varying environmental conditions. The students are introduced to aspects particular to helicopter flight as it pertains to adverse weather including day, night, and Night Vision Goggle (NVG) operations.

FMS Trainer - Avsoft has released the Level III FMS trainer, a web deployed, fully interactive program designed around the A320 Flight Management System. The company has also made its pilot and maintenance CBT/WBT courseware deployable on Mac and PC platforms, and iPad and Android platforms. Now users can access courses online, offline and on tablet platforms, at any time.

Collaboration - CPaT and ECA Faros announced a new marketing agreement at EATS (European Aviation Training Symposium) 2011. Effective immediately, CPaT will be delivering the complete ECA Faros library desktop FMS training online to customers worldwide.

The simulation library includes Airbus, Boeing, CRJ and ERJ aircraft.

PTC Adopts Padpilot - Pilot Training College (PTC) students beginning their Integrated and Modular Training Programmes in 2012 will use the iPad ATPL package instead of traditional books for learning and studying for their JAA ATPL Theoretical Knowledge examinations. The iPad’s ability to present different information in portrait and landscape modes and seamlessly blend multimedia and text on one ‘page’ offers the opportunity to present knowledge in ways never before possible, according to Graham Cownie, Managing Director of Padpilot. “Students can now choose between conventional text or multimedia based explanations – whichever best suits their learning style. The iPad’s storage capability allows us to deliver,

off-line, three quarters of a million words, over 3000 full colour images and extensive video animation with plenty of space to spare” and any book can be republished within hours of receiving suggestions for amendments or enhancements, which means books no longer go out of date.

Helicopter Training Helicopter Technician Training Civil Aviation Flight University of China (CAFUC) has begun its first helicopter ab-initio technician training class with 15 students, the start of a long-term plan devised by Eurocopter and CAFUC to develop a pool of qualified helicopter technicians to meet China’s future needs in the expanding general aviation sector.

The Memorandum of Understanding between Eurocopter and CAFUC

Commercial Aircraft Sales October 7 - December 1 2011 Aircraft type

Number Operator/Buyer

ACJ321 1 Comlux

A320 30 Spirit Airlines A320 14 Volaris

A320 10 TAM Airlines A320 Neo 22 TAM Airlines A320 Neo 30 ACG A320 Neo 30 Volaris A320 Neo 50 Qatar Airways A320 Neo 45 Spirit Airlines A320 Neo 80 (30 opt) ALAFCO A330-200 5 Hawaiian A330-200 3 Air Pacific

A380 5 Qatar Airways

A380 4 Transaero Airlines

B737 MAX 201 Lion Air B737 MAX 35 ACG B737 800ER 20 ACG B737 900ER 29 Lion Air B747-8 2 Arik Air B777 200ER 8 Singapore Airlines B777F 2 Qatar Airways B777-300ER 70 (20 opt) Emirates B787-8 6 Oman Air

E190 15 BOC Aviation E190 30 CIT

E190 12 (6 opt) GECAS E195 10 CIT

E195 11 Azul Linhas Aereas

CRJ900 1 Petroleum Air Services CRJ900 6 Unidentified China CS900 15 (5 opt) Atlas Havacilik

2SBJ 2 Comlux

ATR42-600 7 (2 opt) Nordstar Airlines ATR72-600 12 (5 opt) Air New Zealand

was signed in July 2010, with the aim of training 120 helicopter technicians annually by 2015. In the “train the trainer” scheme, Eurocopter provides training to CAFUC instructors both in China (one month) and its training academy in Germany (three months), to certify them to the highest international standards as qualified instructors to provide ab-initio technician training to students in CAFUC. AW139 Authorized Training Centre - Following the announcement that Mubadala Aerospace, through its subsidiary Horizon Flight Academy, will form a joint venture with Abu Dhabi Aviation (ADA) to develop a dedicated commercial and defence advanced flight training facility, AgustaWestland has also announced its intention to establish the joint venture as an AgustaWestland Authorized Training Centre.

ADA/Mubadala will provide training services using a European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) certified AW139 Level D full flight simulator designed, developed and supplied by CAE and AgustaWestland.

Maintenance Training Online Presence - Lufthansa Technical Training has launched a new website and at the core of it is the Training Finder, which helps visitors identify the Lufthansa Technical Training educational measures best suited to their needs.

Company news, press releases and links to Lufthansa Technical Training Network’s facebook web page complete the new online presence, with other functions scheduled to be added later.

Maintenance Training Approvals - ST Aerospace has been certified as a Part 147 Maintenance Training Organisation (MTO) by the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) and European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to provide aircraft type training for narrow body and wide body aircraft.

The training courses will be conducted at ST Aerospace’s dedicated technical training centre in Paya Lebar, Singapore.

Approved by EASA - The Ethiopian Airlines Aviation Academy has been officially recognized as an approved Part-147 type maintenance training organization by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).

The recognition means the Ethio-

pian Aviation Academy can offer international standard technical training to produce a professional workforce for itself and other carriers. The approval is an important milestone in the effort to make the academy a center of excellence in the region said Samuel Assefa, vice president of the Ethiopia Aviation Academy.

MPL Training MPL Partnership - Monarch Airlines and CTC Aviation Group (CTC) have formed a new partnership to deliver Multi-crew Pilot Licence (MPL) training together. Monarch has selected CTC to exclusively supply all their future cadet pilots under a newly launched cadet training programme – “Monarch Wings.”

The two companies have been working closely together with the Civil Aviation Authority to finalise an MPL course syllabus that is tailored specifically to meet Monarch’s operational needs. The first “Monarch Wings” MPL course is scheduled to begin in December 2011 and pilots will be ready to begin flying on the line from spring 2013.

The “Monarch Wings” MPL will continue to use CTC’s cadet pilot selection process. Another important feature of this particular course includes utilising CTC’s bespoke, competencybased evaluation tool, CARS (Crew Assessment and Reporting System), an electronic, web-based performance monitoring application.

Above The ribbon-cutting event with Virgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson (r) and Virgin America president and CEO David Cush (l).

Image Credit: Virgin America.

Cabin Crew Training Cabin Trainer - Virgin America has opened a new cabin trainer facility within its Burlinghame, California headquarters. At a ribbon-cutting event, Virgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson, Virgin America president and CEO David Cush and the airline’s teammates opened the new cabin trainer facility - a replica Virgin America aircraft fuselage that will allow the growing airline to train thousands of its flight crew in California.

The composite-material aircraft fuselage cabin trainer was designed and built by Spatial Composite Solutions as a full-size replica of a new Virgin America Airbus A320 aircraft. The trainer features an enhanced cabin layout complete with galleys, seats, overhead stowage bins, operational PSU’s and an over wing exit. The device will provide Virgin America with a realistic environment in which to train cabin crew on all aspects of premium cabin service procedures.

Emergency Evacuation Trainers - Gulf Aviation Academy (GAA) has awarded a $2.2m contract to Spatial Composite Solutions to build and install Airbus A320 and EMB190 cabin emergency evacuation trainers at GAA’s

headquarters in Muharraq, Kingdom of Bahrain.

Spatial will build 1:1 scale replicas of actual Airbus A320 and EMB190 fuselage sections. These trainers incorporate flight deck, fully operational doors and evacuation slides. The devices also feature smoke and fire simulation, decompression and sound effects.

The two simulators are scheduled to be operational at GAA’s training facility in Bahrain in July 2012.

Embraer Cabin Trainer – FlightSafety International has introduced a new Embraer 170/190 aircraft cabin for use in pilot and flight attendant training.

The cabin trainer has been installed at FlightSafety’s Learning Center in St. Louis, Missouri.

The cabin trainer will be used to provide transition training and features a replica of the Embraer 170/190 aircraft’s main cabin door and fully outfitted forward section of the fuselage. It is also equipped with over wing and emergency exit doors as well as an extendible main door exit slide which inflates for use during emergency egress training. A platform can be deployed over the slide to permit training on external main door handle operation.

The main door of the device is equipped with an advanced electronic door hinge and handle control system.

The emergency exit door provides indications to allow cross-checks to be carried out during the scenario-based training. Both doors feature a visual system which provides out of the window scenes to enhance realism.

41 CAT MAGAZINE

New ETA Test Centre - Emery Roberts has announced a new ETA test centre in Cameroon to be managed in partnership with CAE Global Academy Douala, Sabena Flight Academy Africa (SFA-A).

Testing services, fully approved by the Cameroon Civil Aviation Authority, will be conducted on two sites; one in the capital city, Yaoundé, and the second in Cameroon’s major port city, Douala. The examiner team is comprised of local language teaching professionals, pilots and air traffic controllers.

Testing operations have begun at CAE’s premises in Yaoundé. 15 candidates took the ETA including pilots from Cameroon’s recently established flag carrier, Camair-Co, and the Cameroon Air Force, amongst others.

ISSUE 6.2011

English Language Training

World News & Analysis

CEET Refurbishment - Gulf Aviation Academy (GAA) and TFC Simulatoren and Technik GmbH have signed a contract for the refurbishment of an A340 CEET (cabin emergency evacuation trainer).

GAA’s training facilities are located at Bahrain International Airport, and provide state-of-the-art simulator equipment for all aviation personnel, including pilots, engineers and cabin crew.

Fire Training Service Hub - TFC and Interfire have opened a service hub in Abu Dhabi, UAE. The service hub will be operated by Interfire Installing & Repairing Fire Systems LLC which is a member of the local Belbadi Enterprises Ltd. The hub will offer 24/7 year-round service which will enhance and improve the maintenance service to their Middle East customers.

TFC and Interfire have also decided to build their fire simulators at the premises of TFC Simulatoren and Technik GmbH in Velbert, Germany.

ATC Training Newcastle International Airport Upgrades to BEST Sims - Newcastle International Airport (NIA) has selected Micro Nav to upgrade their training programme with the latest BEST Air Traffic Control (ATC) simulators.

Micro Nav supplied a radar simulator and a tower simulator with a panoramic three-dimensional display of the airport.

The tower and radar simulators are integrated so that advanced team training can be carried out for handling unusual and emergency situations as well as regular refresher training.

ISSUE 6.2011

Arrivals & Departures

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EgyptAir - Captain Hany Azmy has been appointed vice president for the EgyptAir Training Center and plans to see the organisation reach out to the burgeoning African airlines. He aims to extend the training business to go further into Africa and cooperate with the African airlines to provide training expertise to the ones in need and utilise the strong relationship between Egypt “and its sister African countries.”

Lufthansa Technik Group - The Managing Directors of Lufthansa Tech-

nical Training and Lufthansa Bombardier Aviation Services are exchanging positions. Christoph Meyerrose will become the new managing director of Lufthansa Bombardier Aviation Services (LBAS) and the present managing director of LBAS, Andreas Kaden, will become managing director of Lufthansa Technical Training in Hamburg.

EPST - Eric Duijkers has been appointed as the new managing director for EPST. Eric will succeed the founder and co-owner Dick Verburg, who will continue as chairman and advisor.

FlightSafety International – Steve Phillips has been promoted to vice president, Communications. Steve joined FlightSafety as director, Communications in 2005 and helped launch and support many of FlightSafety’s innovative products, services and programs. cat

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