Pilot Shortage Is Here

[DEFCON]

"Aviation consultant Mike Doiron believes that pilotless flights will be viable in the next five to ten years, "but whether it's acceptable to the general travelling public, that'll be a whole different kettle of fish.""

With cadets and the like, they already have pretty much pilotless aircraft.

What does a new hire cadet bring to an airline that justifies a large pay packet?

The air carriers took away deadhead credits etc. when they bankrupted themselves; I bet the carriers will entice junior commuters to forgo pay increases in favour of commuting benefits.

 

 

[Guest]

\seems nothing has changed.  According to "Net Letter" this was a Dave Mathias cartoon that appeared in the "Between Ourselves" magazine issued June 1956.

[Kip Powick]

 

I think the tag line would  now read ;

 

" First, gentlemen, let me ask you what drives men through untold  hardships in their struggle to conquer the skies for such a small pay cheque ?"

Edited January 31, 2018 by Kip Powick
speling

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Kip Powick said:

 

I think the tag line would  now read ;

 

" First, gentlemen, let me ask you what drives men through untold  hardships in their struggle to conquer the skies for such a small pay cheque ?"

Perhaps, but the majority of the complaints from present and future pilots revolve around the "Pay Cheque"
 

[Guest]

For Pilots in Canada, the message is go West until you hit China.

 

FLIGHTMARE

Airlines offer £354,000 salary TAX FREE as world faces massive pilot shortage

Reports say the world needs 620,000 new pilots over the next two decades - and airlines are reaching out with huge salary offers to those that they can employ

By Emily Payne

5th February 2018, 10:46 am

Updated: 5th February 2018, 1:58 pm

A MASSIVE global pilot shortage is causing desperate airlines to raise salaries to $500,000 (£354,000) year.

Due to increased demand in the travel industry, more planes are being ordered, so more pilots are needed to fly them.

In 2016, aircraft manufacturer Boeing predicted that the aviation industry would require 620,000 new pilots over the next two decades.

And in Asia, where people's disposable income is increasing and flying for work or pleasure is becoming more common, many airlines are falling short.

"China is trying to attract pilots by paying $500,000 (£354,000) tax free," says a BBC report.

Solutions such as airlines subsidising the cost of training and recruiting more women - who currently only account for 3 per cent of pilots worldwide - have been mooted.

It currently costs anywhere between £40,000 and £120,000 to train as a commercial pilot and most airlines expect the student pilot to pay.

According to Flight Deck Friend a full-time commercial flight training course completed at a European flight school will cost upwards of £80,000 to around £120,000.

And on his blog Ask the Pilot, Patrick Smith explains: "Although pilots are earning more, overall quality of life is still suffering. And that’s because things are in panic mode.

"The industry is being reactive when it should have been proactive. The improvements we’re seeing should have been put in place years ago.

"Because they weren’t, numerous airlines now face chronic understaffing issues. This results in pilots being forced to work high-stress schedules with minimal time off."

Last year the pilot shortage in the UK caused budget carrier Ryanair to cancel hundreds of thousands of flights.

 

Europe's largest airline sparked outrage by cancelling 20,000 flights after admitting it did not have enough standby pilots to operate its schedule without significant delays.

It responded by promising pilots significant improvements in pay and conditions, exceeding rates paid by rivals, with negotiations to take place with each of its 86 bases individually.

The airline said: "Ryanair will continue to engage with the London Stansted ERC (Employee Relations Council) to understand how it can address their remaining concerns, especially as it will be recruiting new pilots in Stansted from November at these higher pay rates.”

[rudder]

Meanwhile in Canada the airlines think that they are immune.......

it is unlikely that AC will ever hurt for new-hire pilots but experience levels will drop. WJ will do ok but it is entirely likely that in its current state of commercial chaos and pilot labour distress there will be continued attrition to AC which is offering a superior career path and labour stability for a new-hire.

Sunwing, Transat, and others will be staffed by those either rejected by or disinterested in AC. Tier 2 and Tier 3 are in for a rough ride.

Something has to change because the existing CDN pilot supply chain cannot sustain the industry.

First carrier to build/embrace a new model will achieve a competitive advantage in that its ability to execute the commercial plan will not be subject to the vagaries of the fragile and unreliable entry level pilot training market.

[Guest]

Jazz Aviation Pathways Program's growth continues with addition of Brampton Flight Centre Français

 

---

NEWS PROVIDED BY

Chorus Aviation Inc.

08:00 ET

---

 

• Total number of program organizations increased to 17.

HALIFAX, Feb. 7, 2018 /CNW/ - Jazz Aviation LP ("Jazz") is pleased to welcome Brampton Flight Centre ("BFC") of Caledon, ON to its Jazz Aviation Pathways Program ("Jazz APP"); a program developed in 2007 to create a streamlined career path for the pilot profession in Canada. The addition of BFC brings the number of Jazz APP educational institutions to 13, and the overall number of organizations within the Jazz APP program to 17.

 

"We're very pleased to continue growing the Jazz Aviation Pathways Program and adding such high-quality member organizations as Brampton Flight Centre," said Steve Linthwaite, Vice President, Flight Operations at Jazz. "Our commitment to the future of the pilot profession in Canada includes this important opportunity to support aviation programs with operational experience, and to promote safety and professionalism."

This agreement is the first of its kind between Jazz and Brampton Flight Centre's Integrated ATPL program. The industry-leading Jazz APP includes collaboration on training and curriculum to promote safety and professionalism, while providing up-to-date information on industry best practices. The Jazz APP is aimed at establishing a direct career path for qualifying graduates; including flight simulator evaluations, student scholarships, and the opportunity for top-performing graduates to transition to first officer positions at Jazz.

"The Brampton Flight Centre is extremely proud to have been selected by Jazz to be a part of their Aviation Pathways Program," said Scott Chayko, Chief Flight Instructor, Brampton Flight Centre. "Being selected speaks to the quality of our pilot training and our commitment to providing a superior flying and learning experience to our students."

The Jazz APP awards nearly $80,000 each year to top students in recognition of safety and professionalism.

The Jazz Aviation Pathway Award for Professionalism. Awarded to a full-time student in his or her final year of the Integrated ATPL program for outstanding contributions to safety, leadership and professionalism. The Award consists of a $3000 scholarship and an opportunity to participate in the Jazz Aviation Pathways Program selection process. The award recipient is selected by the program chair or designate in consultation with Jazz to ensure the criteria as outlined are respected.

The Jazz Aviation Pathway Award for Professionalism and Diversity. Awarded to a full-time student in his or her final year of the Integrated ATPL program who has self-identified as Aboriginal, a person with a disability, a visible minority, or female; for outstanding contributions to safety, leadership and professionalism. The Award consists of a $3000scholarship and an opportunity to participate in the Jazz Aviation Pathways Program selection process. The award recipient is selected by the program chair or designate in consultation with Jazz to ensure the criteria as outlined are respected.

[Moon The Loon]

On 2/5/2018 at 3:27 PM, Malcolm said:

For Pilots in Canada, the message is go West until you hit China.

 

FLIGHTMARE

Airlines offer £354,000 salary TAX FREE as world faces massive pilot shortage

Reports say the world needs 620,000 new pilots over the next two decades - and airlines are reaching out with huge salary offers to those that they can employ

By Emily Payne

5th February 2018, 10:46 am

Updated: 5th February 2018, 1:58 pm

A MASSIVE global pilot shortage is causing desperate airlines to raise salaries to $500,000 (£354,000) year.

Missed the Big Boat by 10 years

[rudder]

BC minimum wage now planned to increase to $15.20 over next 3 years.

So, any 40 hour per week job(unskilled) in BC will pay a minimum of $30,000+ per annum. Ontario will be there January 1st, 2019.

Meanwhile, flight schools will still try to find flight instructors who are willing to work for $30k or less, and some commercial airlines will still try to find pilots that have spent $60-110k on education and training who will work for $25-36k. 

Total disconnect with reality. All the corporate feel good announcements in the world do not change that.

https://globalnews.ca/news/4014200/b-c-to-raise-minimum-wage-to-15-20-an-hour-by-june-2021/

[j.k.]

On 31/01/2018 at 12:08 PM, Malcolm said:

\seems nothing has changed.  According to "Net Letter" this was a Dave Mathias cartoon that appeared in the "Between Ourselves" magazine issued June 1956.

... and Airlines in this country still think they can pay what's on that cheque because... "that's how we did it on the Viscount"... 

 

[blues deville]

Someone  in Boeing sales needs to get out of the office.  

Boeing studying potential for just one pilot in plane cockpit

Feb. 9, 2018 11:57 AM ET

Boeing (BA -1.9%) and other aircraft manufacturers are exploring the possibility of single pilot planes in a bid to cut tens of billions of dollars a year in costs of pilot salaries and training.

“We are studying that, and where you will first see that is probably in cargo transport, so the passenger question is off the table,” Boeing research and technology VP Charles Toups tells The Guardian.

It would take a “couple of decades” to persuade passengers to take a single-pilot jet, Toups says, adding that gaining public support would be a step-by-step process starting with proliferation of self-driving cars.

Boeing and Airbus (OTCPK:EADSF, OTCPK:EADSY) jets are designed for two pilots, and taking away one would require a revamp of the flight deck as well as more automated systems so controllers on the ground could take over if necessary.

Edited February 9, 2018 by blues deville

[DEFCON]

"controllers on the ground could take over if necessary"

Now there's a foolproof notion

And who says passengers are going to want to share ever more crowded airspace with cargo drones?

 

 

[Kip Powick]

All for a one man pilot aircraft provided...each  pax seat is ejection-able at 0-0 and naturally comes with a parachute.

[Moon The Loon]

2 hours ago, blues deville said:

Someone  in Boeing sales needs to get out of the office.  

Boeing studying potential for just one pilot in plane cockpit

Feb. 9, 2018 11:57 AM ET

Boeing (BA -1.9%) and other aircraft manufacturers are exploring the possibility of single pilot planes in a bid to cut tens of billions of dollars a year in costs of pilot salaries and training.

“We are studying that, and where you will first see that is probably in cargo transport, so the passenger question is off the table,” Boeing research and technology VP Charles Toups tells The Guardian.

It would take a “couple of decades” to persuade passengers to take a single-pilot jet, Toups says, adding that gaining public support would be a step-by-step process starting with proliferation of self-driving cars.

Boeing and Airbus (OTCPK:EADSF, OTCPK:EADSY) jets are designed for two pilots, and taking away one would require a revamp of the flight deck as well as more automated systems so controllers on the ground could take over if necessary.

Pass that along to the friends and relatives of mine who died at the controls of his 777 a few months ago. Should go over well...NOT!

[Boney]

Ok autopilot, you have control, I have to go to the bathroom. 

Not gonna happen. 

[Guest]

Seems that some folks think there is money  to be made training new pilots.

Exchange Income Corporation Enters into an Agreement to Acquire CANLink Global Inc. (Moncton Flight College)

 

---

NEWS PROVIDED BY

Exchange Income Corporation

---

WINNIPEG, Feb. 21, 2018 /CNW/ - Exchange Income Corporation (TSX: EIF) (the "Corporation" or "EIC"), a diversified, acquisition-oriented company announced today it has entered into an agreement to acquire CANLink Global Inc. (Moncton Flight College) for a purchase price of approximately $35 million, subject to customary post-closing adjustments, which can increase to $55 million if post-closing growth targets are met. The transaction is expected to close within the next 30 days.

 

Moncton Flight College (MFC) is the largest flight training college in Canada having trained over 19,000 students since its inception. MFC offers domestic Canadian pilot training as well as a foreign pilot program. They domestically offer a full range of training from private pilot licensing to commercial pilot programs, which include an Integrated Commercial Pilot Program, a Diploma in Aviation Technology Pilot Program and a four year Bachelor of Science/Pilot Program with Mount Allison University. MFC currently operates with approximately 160 employees, including over 90 flight instructors out of two campuses located in Moncton and Fredericton, New Brunswick.

Having a long standing reputation as a best in class flight school, MFC provides a unique opportunity as an internal avenue for pilot recruitment and retention for EIC's aviation companies while supporting the domestic and foreign commercial pilot aviation industry demands. The impact of an increased pilot demand is global in nature and airlines have been taking action to secure their own pilot streams. Internationally, it is estimated there will be a demand for approximately 615,000 pilots by 2035.

The initial base purchase of $35 million will be funded by the issuance of EIC common shares to the vendors representing $6 million and the Corporation's available cash resources from its currently available credit facility representing approximately $29 million, which is based on MFC having generated EBITDA of $7.6 million in 2017. If the post-closing targets are met, the purchase price will increase to $55 million, which would also result in the transaction being more accretive to EIC.

"The acquisition of Moncton Flight College is extremely exciting. Not only is it an accretive acquisition, it provides EIC with unique ability to address the pilot recruiting and retention issue. I believe that this strategic acquisition will support our future growth and operational requirements of our airline and aerospace portfolio," said Mike Pyle, Chief Executive Officer of EIC. "We are pleased to welcome Moncton Flight College to the EIC family and excited about the additional market opportunities that this will provide our organization."

Mike Tilley, Chief Executive Officer of MFC, and the senior management team are remaining to operate the business moving forward under the new ownership of EIC. "Moncton Flight College has grown from a flying club founded in 1929 into an international industry leader within the flight training industry," said Mike Tilley, CEO of MFC. "I am proud of what Moncton Flight College has accomplished over our history and we feel joining EIC will allow us to continue to capitalize on market demand while assisting the EIC family of companies to meet their own requirements."

"Moncton Flight College is a well-established training organization that we are excited about leveraging to expand our aerospace service compliment to include training," continued Brian Chafe, CEO of PAL Aerospace. "We are excited to be adding this team to PAL Aerospace as we continue to open new markets and grow our capabilities."

About Exchange Income Corporation 

Exchange Income Corporation is a diversified acquisition-oriented company, focused in two sectors: aerospace and aviation services and equipment, and manufacturing. The Corporation uses a disciplined acquisition strategy to identify already profitable, well-established companies that have strong management teams, generate steady cash flow, operate in niche markets and have opportunities for organic growth.

The Corporation currently operates two segments: Aerospace & Aviation and Manufacturing. The Aerospace & Aviation segment consists of the operations of Perimeter Aviation (including Bearskin Airlines), Keewatin Air, Calm Air International, Custom Helicopters, Regional One and Provincial Aerospace. The Manufacturing segment consists of the operations of Overlanders, Water Blast, Stainless Fabrication, WesTower Communications, Ben Machine and Quest. For more information on the Corporation, please visit www.ExchangeIncomeCorp.ca. Additional information relating to the Corporation, including all public filings, is available on SEDAR (www.sedar.com).

About PAL Aerospace

[blues deville]

MCF has a produced many of Canada’s pilots and in recent years it’s been a pilot factory for the growing airline market in Asia. These young foreign pilots will go home with 200-300 hours and hop into the right seat of some brand new Boeing, Airbus or Bombardier jet. 

[MD2]

Ridiculous, wanting to cut one pilot, sacrifice safety to save money! How much would the impact of an FO's salary be if divided over a year per flight and then per passenger? Is it that critical to save a few dollars in the grand scheme of things!

[Bobcaygeon]

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/mar/19/uber-self-driving-car-kills-woman-arizona-tempe

 

[Guest]

Great Lakes Airlines ceases flights after pilot shortage warnings

• 27 March, 2018
• SOURCE: Flight Dashboard
• BY: Jon Hemmerdinger
• Boston

Great Lakes Airlines, a turboprop operator with a network that connected cities in the western USA, suspended all scheduled flights on 26 March.

The move, which follows several years during the which the Cheyanne, Wyoming-based carrier trimmed scheduled flying, makes Great Lakes the latest small US regional airline to shut its doors.

Though Great Lakes has not specified why it ended operations, the company has long said a 2013 pilot hiring rule created a shortage of pilots that particularly impacted small regional airlines.

Part of Great Lakes Aviation, the carrier marketed and sold its own flights and operated under a codeshare agreement with United Airlines. It had partnerships with several other US airlines, including American Airlines and Delta Air Lines, according to securities filings.

Great Lakes did not respond to multiple telephone calls requesting comment. The once publicly-traded company delisted its stock in March 2016.

“At midnight tonight… Great Lakes will suspend scheduled flight operations as an air carrier,” the company says in a 26 March statement. “It is important to note that the company has not entered bankruptcy and will continue to operate certain segments of the business.”

Segments that will remain in operation include a deal under which Great Lakes provides ticketing and customer service for flights between Denver and the South Dakota cities of Pierre and Watertown, says the statement.

A company called Aerodynamics operates those flights, according to Aerodynamics’ website.

Great Lakes’ fleet includes six 30-seat Embraer EMB 120 Brasilias and 28 19-seat Beech 1900Ds, according to Flight Fleets Analyzer.

The company’s network connected about 10 cities from Watertown in the east to Los Angeles in the west, with most routes originating from Denver, FlightMaps Analytics shows.

In February, Great Lakes logged 1.7 million available seat miles (ASMs), according to FlightGlobal schedules data.

But several years ago the company’s network was much more substantial. In February 2015, Great Lakes served nearly 30 cities and logged 7.5 million ASMs, Diio shows.

Great Lakes was among US carriers to raise concern about the Federal Aviation Administration’s 2013 rule requiring airline pilots to have at least 1,500h of flight time, up from a previous minimum of 250h.

Critics insist the rule stymied the new-pilot pipeline. They say the cost of reaching the 1,500h threshold dissuades pilots from choosing an airline career, and they say the smallest regional carriers have been hardest hit. But proponents of the rule, including pilot unions, say it ensures more-qualified pilots are at the controls.

“It is difficult for a turboprop operator such as Great Lakes to compete for qualified pilots with other airlines operating larger jet equipment. These jet operators have greater revenue-generating capability due to the greater number of aircraft seats, and therefore can afford to offer higher compensation,” says a Great Lakes’ 2015 securities filing. “All of these factors put Great Lakes at a disadvantage, and the result is that small community air service is being lost as we reduce our level of operations to match pilot supply.”

In 2013, year Great Lakes requested that the FAA grant it an exemption from the 1,500h rule on the condition that it limit 19-seat Beach 1900Ds to just nine passengers. Nine-passenger aircraft fall outside the 1,500h rule requirement.

“Great Lakes had been confronting a sharp reduction in its eligible pilot hiring pool availability that was a byproduct” of the rule, the company said in a 2013 statement to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation.

The FAA granted that request.

Other small regional airlines have likewise shuttered operations or struggled financially in recent years.

Earlier this year, San Juan-based Seaborne Airlines filed for bankruptcy court protection, though it attributed the filing to hurricane-related disruptions.

In September 2016 independent operator SeaPort Airlines ceased operations.

[DEFCON]

Pilot Shortage Forces World's Biggest Long-Haul Airline to Cut Flights

• Earnings recovery continued in second half, Clark reveals
• Lack of cockpit crew a factor in moves to trim frequencies

Emirates, the world's biggest long-haul airline, said a rebound in earnings over the past year faces a challenge this summer as a pilot shortage forces the Dubai-based carrier to trim frequencies.

Sales that stumbled after the low oil price clipped travel in Persian Gulf economies continued to pick up in the second half through March 31, President Tim Clark said Wednesday in Hamburg. U.S. demand has also rebounded from restrictions imposed early in Donald Trump's presidency.

The revival will come under pressure as a shortfall of 100 to 150 pilots compels Emirates to pare frequencies to destinations including Fort Lauderdale and Miami during the looming high season for global travel. Cuts will also extend to several European and Asian routes, according to reports in the Gulf.

"We're a tad short in pilots," Clark said, adding that the service reductions will be short term and that crew numbers should be "alright by September or October." Factors including economic growth in the U.S. and U.K. and high employment and rising wages in Germany continue to favor growth, he said.

Clark was in Hamburg to promote the carrier's new first class product on a Boeing Co. 777 at the annual Aircraft Interiors Expo, with the cabins also set to feature on new 787 Dreamliners. The executive also said that:

• Emirates is continuing to weigh a basic economy offering that would include hand luggage, food and inflight entertainment only
• Introduction of premium-economy class still 18 months off; new cabin could also be retrofitted into some jets
• Carrier is in "substantive discussions'' with U.S. to advance "open skies'' plans, including so-called fifth-freedom rights
• Bookings for new London Stansted route are looking very good
• A380 super jumbo set to operate a daily Hamburg service
• Options to buy more A380s to be exercised "rather sooner than later,'' though no decision yet reached on engine choice for latest batch

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-04-11/emirates-profit-rebound-threatened-by-summer-pilot-shortage

[Guest]

Quote

But even when those pilots who do pass the airlines’ acceptance tests get onto the line, evidence from incidents, accidents and flight data monitoring (FDM) suggests the recurrent training does not advance their knowledge and skills the way it should. At many airlines, recurrent training is mis-named because it is still more about recurrent checking. And since the reliability of today’s aircraft is such that it deprives the crews of experience of dealing with real failures or anomalies, recurrent training is needed more than ever to advance pilot knowledge, resilience and confidence.

ANALYSIS: Keeping flight crews ahead of flightdeck technology

• 12 April, 2018
• SOURCE: FlightGlobal.com
• BY: David Learmount
• London

Keeping airline pilot training relevant while flightdeck technology advances apace - and while airspace management demands ever greater flight trajectory accuracy - is a task that will end only when airliners no longer have flightdecks.

The end of flightdecks, most experts agree, is in the distant future - even if the single-pilot flightdeck is looking feasible within the next decade or so, starting with freighters. For, there has long been, and still is, a conservative belief among many senior people in the industry that traditional pilot skills, and less tangible qualities like airmanship, are immutable absolutes.

Certainly these basic qualities are still an essential part of what makes a good pilot, but aircraft have changed massively, so has the airspace environment, the means of navigation, and the means of traffic separation and flow management. Expectations of safety standards are far higher than they used to be, and young recruits to the piloting profession have been raised and educated in a different era.

For three decades after the first digital avionics and flight control systems began to be introduced in the early 1980s, neither ab-initio nor recurrent airline pilot training was modified accordingly. As cockpit technology continued its rapid advance, although accidents rates were reducing, when they did occur it was increasingly because the pilots found themselves unable to cope if faced with an unexpected occurrence that called for independent decision-making.

Evidence that training philosophy and technique has not prepared pilots well for today’s fourth-generation cockpits has been the elephant in the flight simulator for a long time. The most obvious evidence is the distressingly regular incidence of loss of control in flight (LOC-I) involving aircraft that were actually controllable. As a statistic – given the number of flights that take place globally – LOC-I crashes do not represent a high risk, but their regularity over the years since 2000 is unacceptable, and no-one at present can claim confidently that they will not continue to happen.

The very existence today of an EASA advisory body called the Airline Training Policy Group (ATPG) is testimony to the fact that the present day ab initio pilot training system frequently does not produce the finished product airlines need, and that more needs to be done to correct this.

The ATPG is made up of training experts from the airlines, the training industry, the aircraft manufacturers and EASA. They are addressing the fact that many pilots with commercial pilot licences who present themselves for jobs at airlines are just not good enough to fly today’s jet airliners safely. EasyJet puts the figure at up to 90% of applicants, while adding that graduates from consolidated training courses are usually good.

AirTeamImages

But even when those pilots who do pass the airlines’ acceptance tests get onto the line, evidence from incidents, accidents and flight data monitoring (FDM) suggests the recurrent training does not advance their knowledge and skills the way it should. At many airlines, recurrent training is mis-named because it is still more about recurrent checking. And since the reliability of today’s aircraft is such that it deprives the crews of experience of dealing with real failures or anomalies, recurrent training is needed more than ever to advance pilot knowledge, resilience and confidence.

Capt Chris Warton, director of customer training in Europe for Bombardier Business Aircraft, said his company no longer reports on recurrent training sessions simply as pass or fail; it grades individual performance. The old pass/fail system did not encourage progress, said Warton, nor allow progress to be monitored.

Ryanair’s head of training Capt Andy O’Shea, who is on the ATPG, summarises what is missing in pilot graduates from the ab initio system. He says they lack – to a greater or lesser degree – knowledge and understanding, flight path management skills, crew resource management ability, and what he calls “maturity and attitude”. The ATPG’s answer to the deficit is effectively a course extension to the commercial pilot licence/instrument training (CPL/IR) training course, adding high quality multi-crew-cooperation (MCC) and jet orientation courses (JOC). Unlike off-the-peg MCC/JOC, this includes simulator instruction in the style of line-oriented flight training (LOFT), plus advanced knowledge consolidation ground-school. The result is a course dubbed the Airline Pilot Certificate Course, which Ryanair requires all its own new recruits to go through.

This is an admission that the present system, as designed, does not work well enough for airlines which expect pilots with licences to arrive on the line completely trained.

Although improving the effectiveness of pilot ab initio and recurrent training has been much discussed at forums like the Royal Aeronautical Society’s annual International Flight Crew Training conference (IFCTC) over the last decade, until recently the focus has continued to be directed at making “better pilots” in the traditional sense, and on reacting to the kind of accidents that continue to happen, rather than on preparing pilots to be experts in understanding and manipulating the high-technology cockpit tools with which pilots manage flights today.

But this year’s conference (25-26 September) plans to home in on the human interface with technology, and on competency-based training. As national aviation authorities move toward “performance based regulation” rather than the traditional prescriptive kind of rulemaking, it will also be taking a look at training quality oversight.

Even aircraft with fourth-generation highly automated flightdecks need pilots with traditional skills because, as the notorious example of Air France flight 447 (LOC-I over the South Atlantic, June 2009) demonstrated, the automation is programmed to trip out if the system recognises it is being provided with faulty sensor data. And that will inevitably happen from time to time.

Thus, for more than two decades now, the commercial air transport industry has been confronted with a dilemma regarding pilot training policy, but it seems the changes needed are still under development.

The advent of the digital flightdeck brought with it improved avionics capability and reliability at the same time as higher design and engineering standards reduced failure rates for airframe and engine hardware. The result was that accident figures reduced significantly.

Meanwhile, in the early days of digital cockpits, the new smart flightdeck avionics were marketed as lowering pilots’ workload. In fact they did not lower the workload, they simply changed its nature. It became less physical and more cerebral. It demanded knowledge of the sophisticated flight management equipment and its capabilities, but it did not take away the need for crew planning and decision-making, and pilots still needed to exercise trajectory management and monitoring skills.

Nevertheless, the combination of reduced serious accident statistics and the illusion of lower pilot workloads provided the airlines with what they saw as an opportunity to trim pilot training cost.

As it became clear that LOC-I was here to stay, one solution to it was seen as being upset recovery training. Over the years, however, Airbus argued long and hard that it was better to train pilots to prevent upsets than to recover from them. Buried in the Airbus argument is the belief that the shortcomings in skills and knowledge that allowed licensed pilots to get the aeroplane into an upset were the real problem, not their failure to recover from a situation they had played their part in creating.

As the entry into service of Airbus’ A350 series was approaching, the manufacturer’s training policy experts engaged in a bold programme of rethinking the way pilots were prepared for the state-of-the-art digital flightdeck on a new aircraft type. Airbus called the new approach “learning by discovery”, or learning by doing. Boeing has adopted a similar approach and calls it “active learning”.

This starts with the concept that nobody nowadays reads a manual before operating a new tablet computer or smartphone. They know what the device is designed to do, and what they want to do with it, so they switch it on and experiment to discover how this particular product produces the results they want.

According to the new Airbus training philosophy, the crew are presented with a full-flight simulator for the aircraft on which they are going to do their type rating course, and told to “fly” it. After all the aircraft, however advanced, is an aeroplane like any other, and it will fly like any other. The pilots are told they can work out themselves how to start it, taxi it, line it up for take-off, but they are not allowed to engage the autopilot or flight director. They are encouraged to find out how it behaves in standard flight scenarios, and finally they land. This exercise also includes “learning by failing”, by being permitted to find out what does not work; this approach is the diametric opposite of the “don’t touch anything until you have learned all about it” attitude.

The psychology of this approach is sound. The rules of aerodynamics have not been altered just because this is a state of the art fly-by-wire machine. And after a couple of practical sessions flying the simulator, the ground-school classes will feel more relevant to the pilots, and the more traditional process of learning details about the new type can begin.

Pilots need to be re-introduced to the fact that their complex machine, with all its automation, is just an aeroplane, and it still flies like one. If a pilot loses sight of this basic fact, the traditional “get out of trouble” mantra that tells pilots to “Aviate, navigate, and communicate – in that order” does not mean very much. These reminders need to be provided not only when they begin their type rating training but also in their recurrent training.

Jacqui Suren, head of regulation and training development at L3 Commercial Training Solutions talks of new teaching/learning processes using virtual reality and “gamification” of the learning process, which she says relates ground-school more closely to flying.

Regulators like the US FAA and Europe’s EASA have always known that innovation brings risk as well as reward, especially during the introduction of new equipment or capabilities, but they also acknowledge that technical advances tend to bring net benefits. Modern flight instrument and navigation displays may have a graphic clarity that improves pilot situational awareness, but the flight management computers (FMC), with their multiple capabilities, also introduced the potential for mode confusion, and FMS can take the pilot out of the cognitive loop by being so accurate and reliable that his/her critical faculties become comatose.

Training changes – like evidence-based and competency-based training – designed to correct this situation have only begun to be adopted in the last three years or so, but at least the process is beginning in some parts of the air transport industry. There is, however, a long way to go, and technology will still keep advancing, so the training goalposts will keep moving, so the new instructional methodologies have to have flexibility built-in.

The principal change that is making recurrent training more relevant now is the gradual adoption of evidence-based training (EBT). Data provides the evidence of what pilots are getting wrong – or not getting quite right – whether through individual aircraft FDM, or “big data” assembled by organisations like the International Air Transport Association (IATA). The possession of this evidence enables airlines to identify where their training challenges lie as an operator, but also enables a fully-capable in-house training department to tailor training to individual pilot needs.

In Europe EBT will be implemented as policy fully in early 2019 by EASA. The agency’s executive director Patrick Ky observes that the capacity of this carefully-mined data to maximise the effectiveness of an EBT session works best when airlines carry out their training in-house. This is so, he says, because the specific lessons are naturally brought together with the airline’s own standard operating procedures.

Achieving this with the use of third party training organisations is much more difficult, he points out, suggesting the full advantage that EBT should be able to deliver can only be provided by third party trainers if they work extremely closely with the airline. Global third party training provider CAE commented at the 2017 IFCTC that “airline-focussed” flight training provision is increasing as a proportion of the market, and generic third party training is reducing. CAE points out that an airline can provide a third party training supplier with FDM data so as to tailor the training to the airline’s needs.

Ky insists that syllabus-based or generic training is not adequate for the task when flight deck technology is advancing fast, and when some risks are declining and others are increasing. Pilot training now, says Ky, has to be aimed at coping with identified risks, and providing pilots with the knowledge and skills to use cockpit technology to its best advantage. The old adage that the crew should always be ahead of the aircraft contains the implication that today’s pilots must now be ahead of the flight management system.

Asked whether, in these days of performance-based oversight, close training standards inspection by regulators still needs to be exercised, Ky observed that airlines are always looking for training economies, and if they start cutting corners “it immediately shows”. That sounds like a “yes”.

Finally Dr Georgina Fletcher, principal consultant at analyst Frazer Nash, was given the task of taking a look at training systems from a UK perspective and making recommendations to ensure the maintenance of quality pilot training. She presented her findings at the 2017 IFCTC, and recommended that training quality would benefit if all parts of the industry were to take “collective ownership” of the task. That means the end-user – the airlines – should work closely with the Civil Aviation Authority, the flight training organisations, educational establishments and with what is now the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills. There should, said Fletcher, be a Training Needs Analysis, and training policy should be based on its findings. Unfortunately airline representation was thin on the ground at the 2017 IFCTC, which tends to validate Fletcher’s recommendation.

Now EBT is to be formally implemented, and because there is a growing awareness of the need to train and improve crews in simulator sessions rather than just checking, it looks as if recurrent training has the potential to address skill needs far better than it has been doing. The product of ab-initio flight training organisations, however, remains hugely variable and even the top quality still seems to fall short of expectations. But that problem can only be solved if the airlines will invest in improvement.

[blues deville]

Anyone who has done their time in Dubai with EK and recently returned home will tell you the same story. They’re glad to be out.

[Guest]

Introducing Air Georgian Academy, Canada's Airline Learning Centre

 

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Air Georgian Limited

12:08 ET

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MISSISSAUGA, ON, May 8, 2018 /CNW/ - We develop careers. During our 24 years in business we have trained more than 6,000 pilots to perform their best in an airline environment. We are proud to announce the creation of our airline operations academy, "The Academy".

Inspired by our culture of professionalism and career development, the Academy will provide our pilots and other employees, industry players, and academic partners a dedicated, purpose-designed facility for training, personal study, learning development, and the tools required to expand their careers.

One of Air Georgian Limited's CRJ aircraft. (CNW Group/Air Georgian Limited)

Our goal with the Academy, currently in design/planning and scheduled to open for Canadian Thanksgiving, is to promote professional learning and individual advancement through research and development, the use of leading technologies, and promoting partnerships.

We are committed to fostering an environment where regulators, unions, academics, flight attendants, maintenance engineers, and pilots can freely explore learning and teaching techniques, create new practices, and collaborate with leaders in aviation, education, technology and innovation while moving our industry forward with a focus on airline safety and operations.

As a proud Air Canada Express partner flying our nation's flag we believe strongly that aviation in Canada is a community, and that it is our responsibility to punch above our weight in solving the many complex issues relating to industry awareness, recruitment, skills development, and career advancement.

"Today, almost 1 in 3 Air Canada pilots spent part of their journey at Air Georgian," stated Julie Mailhot, Air Georgian's COO. "I am excited by our investment in training not only for pilots but also for the rest of our team and the promise it holds for the next generation of Air Georgian pilots, maintenance personnel, and cabin crew."

The Academy will draw on the guidance of Dr. Suzanne Kearns, Associate Professor, University of Waterloo, and Air Georgian Advisory Board Member.

"It's my pleasure to congratulate Air Georgian on the development of their Academy. At a time when the global aviation industry is facing a shortage of qualified professionals, it is encouraging to see a company investing in a forward-thinking educational environment."

The Academy serves as a learning-focused centre. It incorporates classrooms of varying sizes, capable of supporting ground schools, maintenance type training, flight attendant training, corporate training, and communications events.

Competency-Based Training
As an industry leader in regional aviation, Air Georgian operates approximately 200 flights a day as Air Canada Express. We have long integrated elements of competency-based learning into our pilot training culture and we will expand upon those initiatives by working with our employees, unions, and industry to bring this training to the mainstream and allow students and instructors to manage the pace and pressure of their learning.

All students learn differently. While many benefit from a linear, one-class-at-a-time approach to training, many aviation professionals prefer to learn from several, individually-mastered learner-focused sources while collaborating with peers. Competency based training (CBT) embraces the diversity, independence, and intellectual complexity of our employees.

Dr. Kearns is a respected author and professor in aviation training and the use of CBT. She comments, "Competency-based education is a process where training is strategically designed to foster the knowledge, skills, and attitudes required for competent professional performance. By carefully reviewing how current professionals behave and think, learner-centered training can be developed that aligns key educational experiences to expedite a person's progression from trainee to professional."

Open Source Learning
Open Source Learning is an empowering tool that allows students to independently manage their education while working full-time. In a communications and information driven world where employees are demanding more resources for their development, Open Source Learning encourages each employee to embrace being a student.

Open Source Learning allows students to study a complete curriculum but at their own pace. It involves:

• International academic resources;
• Technology-based and portable media;
• Augmented reality, Interactive apps, and software;
• Anecdotal and Community-Based Learning and non-formal industry pedagogy.

Building on SOAR
The Academy will play a central role in the continued development and promotion of SOAR. The Academy will offer training services on a cost-recovery basis to our SOAR partners and will promote harmonized learning and professional development, the creation of innovative ideas, career-management technologies, and new techniques to help us achieve our collective safety and business goals.

Mitigating the Pilot Shortage
The lack of a reliable and sufficient stream of capable pilots is the most pressing challenge facing the airline industry.

"ICAO predicts that by 2036 the aviation industry will need 620,000 new pilots," says Dr. Kearns. "Remarkably, 80% of these pilots are currently young people who have not yet begun training. A similar considerable number of other aviation professionals are also needed. This reinforces the need for and importance of innovative training organizations."

Air Georgian is committing the Academy to the improvement of Canada's aviation industry. We will invite our SOAR partners, regulators, educators, and members of the airline industry to collaboratively improve training methods, systems, standards, and procedures.

Eric Edmondson, CEO of Air Georgian, says, "Safety has no brand. We welcome all of our industry colleagues to collaborate on ways to improve training techniques and develop best practices for pilots, maintenance personnel, cabin crew and ground staff."

Other Quotes
"Having started my career as a pilot, I am so excited for the next generations of pilots, who have incredible corporate resources supporting their personal growth alongside their professional endeavours. We are here for our employees and the Academy is a significant investment in, and commitment to our training and safety values." John Tory, Vice President Corporate Development and Government Relations.

"This is one of the most significant initiatives Air Georgian has ever undertaken because there is no greater investment than the ones made in the development of great people. The Academy will not only satisfy our internal training needs but it will serve as an anchor for research and development of advanced training techniques in Canadian aviation.

The Academy will create an open environment for aviation professionals to collaborate and develop advanced training programs and new techniques. The Academy is an important development for Air Georgian as we continue to expand our role as an Air Canada Express partner and in supplying top talent to Air Canada." Eric Edmondson, CEO.

About Air Georgian
Air Georgian is the longest serving regional partner of the Air Canada family, operating 64,000 regional flights per year on behalf of Air Canada. With bases in Calgary and Toronto, Air Georgian carries close to 2 million passengers a year to 31 domestic and transborder destinations.

[j.k.]

17 hours ago, Malcolm said:

"Today, almost 1 in 3 Air Canada pilots spent part of their journey at Air Georgian," stated Julie Mailhot, Air Georgian's COO. 

I don't have a number, but I guarantee that is not even remotely correct.