Airline Training Research Articles

The Role of Self-Study in Addressing Competency Decline Among Airline Pilots During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

ObjectiveThis study aimed to investigate the self-study methods used by pilots while grounded and their perception of competence decline and confidence upon their return to flying.BackgroundPreviously, long absences from flying were managed on a case-by-case basis. Thousands of pilots returning to flying as the pandemic eases have burdened airline training systems. Limited research has been conducted on the decline in skills of airline pilots while operationally absent from the cockpit. Few studies have considered this topic in the context of a pandemic.MethodA questionnaire study was conducted with 234 airline pilots who were grounded during the COVID-19 pandemic.ResultsUncertainty regarding sudden and indefinite periods of grounding made it challenging to maintain motivation to self-study. This matter was aggravated by the additional financial and personal stress caused by the state of the airline industry and the outcomes of the pandemic. The participants anticipated a decline in manual flying skills as the worst outcome after being absent from the flight deck. However, these pilots proved quick to recover these skills when they resumed flying. It took significantly more time for pilots to regain proficiency in applying knowledge, procedures and compliance with regulations, situation awareness and workload management.ConclusionThe study proposes recommendations for pilots and airlines to harness essential self-study practices in competency areas identified to have significantly declined.ApplicationThe outcome of this paper guides airlines, pilots and regulators in better understanding how grounded pilots observe skill decline in a broader range of competencies.

Meetings and Congresses

Meetings and Congresses

Mastering Automation: New Airline Pilots’ Perspective

ABSTRACT Aircraft accidents over the last decade have raised questions about the most effective way to transition pilots onto new aircraft automation systems. This debate can range from the details contained within aircraft flight manuals to computer-based versus simulator-based training. While some questions are still under consideration, most fall short in the understanding of how pilots “actually” learn. The researchers conducted a longitudinal study focusing on pilot learning; through interviews, observations, and field documentation, 10 pilot trainees from two regional airlines were followed for 5 months throughout their initial airline training. Using joint cognitive systems theory, and concepts from curriculum theory to understand the utility of training programs, the study revealed gaps between the airlines’ intended learning outcomes and the trainees’ actual experiences. The findings demonstrate that automation, as opposed to other aircraft systems, may require different approaches to learning. Recommendations for possible modifications to current pilot training are discussed.

The learning and development process of pilots during initial airline training

Aviation is a rapidly expanding industry that requires effective means for training pilots. However, little attention has been given to trainees themselves when contemplating training improvements....

Financial performance and safety in the aviation industry

PurposeThis paper investigates whether financial factors, which are presumed to influence an airline's maintenance, purchasing, and training policies, are associated with the air carrier's safety performance.Design/methodology/approachIn this paper, we employ a series of univariate and multivariate tests (OLS and Poisson regressions) to examine whether an airline's financial well-being as well as a country's legal and economic environment affect the airline's accident rate. Our study is the first to employ an international sample that covers 110 airlines in 26 countries over the period 1990–2009.FindingsWe document an inverse relationship between the profitability of air carriers and their accident propensity. Other financial variables such as liquidity, asset utilization, and financial leverage also appear to affect an airline's safety record, although these findings do not reach significance in all models. Flight equipment maintenance and overhaul expenditures are negatively related to accident rates. In addition, our results show that country-level variables related to the legal and economic environment have a significant effect on airline safety. Specifically, airlines in countries with strong law enforcement, more stringent regulatory systems, and better economic performance have superior safety performance. A series of robustness tests confirms our results.Originality/valueThe unique contributions of the study are (1) that it is the first to explore the drivers of safety performance in a cross-country context and (2) that it introduces a novel index of capacity when computing accident rates. By using data from 110 airlines in 26 countries, the study does not only provide insights into the firm-level but also the country-level determinants of an airline’s safety performance. The results of this research should be of interest both to academics and to regulators who develop, oversee, and implement policies targeted at improving aviation safety on a national and supranational level.

Pilot Source Study 2018: Five Years after the FOQ Rule—New-Hire First Officer Backgrounds and their Performance in US Regional Airline Training

Pilot Source Study 2018: Five Years after the FOQ Rule—New-Hire First Officer Backgrounds and their Performance in US Regional Airline Training

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Pilot Source Study 2015: An Analysis of FAR Part 121 Pilots Hired after Public Law 111-216—Their Backgrounds and Subsequent Successes in US Regional Airline Training and Operating Experience

Pilot Source Study 2015: An Analysis of FAR Part 121 Pilots Hired after Public Law 111-216—Their Backgrounds and Subsequent Successes in US Regional Airline Training and Operating Experience

Industry in Motion: Pilot Study on Instructor and Management Perceptions of New Hire Pilot Technical and Professional Preparation

Each new generation entering the workforce follows a unique path preparing them for success in their respective industry. A myriad of factors influence this transitional process including advancements in technology, economic and cultural factors as well as characteristics common to each generation. This process of training in technical and professional knowledge is uniquely important in the transition into the airline industry. This pilot study focused on collecting and evaluating the perceptions of management and instructors in a regional airline training environment as they trained new hire pilots from day 1 of Company Indoctrination to completion of Operating Experience (OE). This pilot study was completed to determine validity and reliability of the survey instrument which focused on instructors’ perceptions of technical and professional preparedness. The survey, found to be reliable and valid, was structured primarily using Likert-style questions as well as providing opportunity for qualitative feedback. The data-set included 37 responses to Likert-style survey questions which were grouped into three phases based on chronology of interaction with the new hire. The preliminary data suggests an appropriate improvement is perceived in selected metrics as new hires progress, whereas others should be considered for further enhancement. Communications with air traffic control (ATC) as well as knowledge of emergencies and abnormal procedures are training where additional preparation may be required. The data also shows correlations between certain measured variables, both in professionalism and technical knowledge, which suggests preparations in certain areas may have corresponding improvements or impact in secondary or tertiary performance opportunities.

The Effectiveness of Airline Pilot Training for Abnormal Events

To evaluate the effectiveness of airline pilot training for abnormal in-flight events. Numerous accident reports describe situations in which pilots responded to abnormal events in ways that were different from what they had practiced many times before. One explanation for these missteps is that training and testing for these skills have become a highly predictable routine for pilots who arrive to the training environment well aware of what to expect. Under these circumstances, pilots get plentiful practice in responding to abnormal events but may get little practice in recognizing them and deciding which responses to offer. We presented 18 airline pilots with three abnormal events that are required during periodic training and testing. Pilots were presented with each event under the familiar circumstances used during training and also under less predictable circumstances as they might occur during flight. When presented in the routine ways seen during training, pilots gave appropriate responses and showed little variability. However, when the abnormal events were presented unexpectedly, pilots' responses were less appropriate and showed great variability from pilot to pilot. The results suggest that the training and testing practices used in airline training may result in rote-memorized skills that are specific to the training situation and that offer modest generalizability to other situations. We recommend a more complete treatment of abnormal events that allows pilots to practice recognizing the event and choosing and recalling the appropriate response. The results will aid the improvement of existing airline training practices.

Hypoxia Awareness Training Using Normobaric Lab Technology as a Training System

Walking across the ramp of almost any general aviation airport ramp it is easy to spot an array of high performance aircraft like the Cirrus or Diamond that have joined the ranks of Cessna and Pipers with capabilities of flying at altitudes above 18,000 feet. With the current popularity of new personal Very Light Jets (VLJs) capable of reaching 41,000 feet, a growing number of pilots are flying at altitudes for which they have little understanding or training, especially in the event of loss of pressurization. If you diligently search the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) part 61.31g and Advisory Circular (AC) 61-107A, you will find some regulatory guidance for high altitude ground training, but there is a lack of specific standardization in training skills for flight at these altitudes. Pilots are not adequately trained to understand their personal and equipment limitations at altitudes above 10,000 feet. Military aircrews receive initial and recurrent academic and hypobaric chamber training in the recognition and recovery from hypoxia as part of their flight training. General aviation and even airline training only requires an academic and procedural knowledge of high altitude operations, but does not require a pilot to ever experience their symptoms of hypoxia or recovery effectiveness of 100% oxygen. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) lists hypoxia as a factor in many altitude related accidents, and these accidents represent a wide range of pilot skills and levels of expertise. In a 1991 study, the U.S. NTSB documented at least 40 aircraft accidents related to hypoxia between 1965 and 1990. More recently, hypoxia was determined to be the cause of a Greek Helios Airways B-737 crash that killed 121 people in 2005 and the Learjet crash that killed professional golfer Payne Stewart and five others aboard a Learjet in 1999. The consensus of the study was that "a more complete knowledge of high altitude physiology issues relevant to civilian flight is needed." But how and where do civilian pilots get this training?

Crew Resource Management is Still Flourishing in a Challenging Aviation Environment

CRM is alive and well. It has grown from an obscure concept - when even pilots had to ask what the initials represented - to a universally recognized model that plays a substantial role in military, airline, and corporate flight training and evaluative procedures. This growth has occurred over nearly three decades, and the time factor is significant in enabling its advancement by building upon earlier concepts, measuring its effectiveness, and adapting better strategies to suit changing environments. Its development and flexibility are aptly represented by the alteration of its name, expanding the meaning of the "C" to signify all "Crew" involved in a flight, rather than limiting it solely to human resources in the "Cockpit."

Testing Boeing's Flight Deck of the Future: A Comparison between Current and Prototype Autoflight Panels

Operational issues with the current generation of flight control panels in modern airliners are well documented, and include opaque operating modes, limited feedback when modifying settings, and inconsistent interactions that can result in unexpected aircraft behaviors, leading to costly training programs. Boeing engineers have proposed a redesigned panel known as the Flight Deck of the Future (FDF), in an attempt to address these issues. In the first experimental test of this new interface, we studied the effects of the redesign on transfer of initial training. Tasks known to present challenges in the current generation of aircraft were selected for training and testing. Airline pilots were asked to perform these tasks on both the FDF panel, and the corresponding panel on a typical large commercial aircraft. Training transfer was found to be substantially improved on the FDF system. Implications for continued design, adoption, and airline training of the new interface are discussed.

Human factors in multi-crew flight operations

AbstractThis paper discusses selected aviation human factors challenges in the air transport environment. Because of the authors’ background, much of this paper will be based upon the growth of human factors and airline training in transport aviation in the United States. However, parallel growth and advancements have been made in other parts of the world from the beginning of air transport and are being made in many parts of the world today. This is certainly true of Great Britain. One should never forget that air transport is a world enterprise and has been since its beginning. While it is important to recognise that cultural and other differences should be considered if they are relevant, it is equally important in air transport to recognise that common problems are solved by common solutions and can be addressed by, but are not limited to, common approaches.It is recognised that the behavioral aspect of aviation human factors deserves considerable attention, particularly in the area of training and evaluation. We have also learned that previous training criteria are not satisfactory for operation with increasingly complex aircraft being operated in an increasingly complex environment. Human errors occur with greater frequency than is often believed and can be made by anyone — even an airline captain. An inevitable consequence of this entirely human characteristic is that the role of the co-pilot has been considerably enhanced. Furthermore, the monitoring function of the pilot-not-flying, whether he/she is the captain or co-pilot, is now recognised as a critical safety function by virtually all serious operational experts.

Sharing the Burden of Flight Deck Automation Training

Flight deck automation has generated new training requirements, most of which have been absorbed by in-house airline training, in particular, aircraft transition training. This leaves little room for learning about how human roles have shifted in automated cockpits or how the distinction between technical and nontechnical skills has become blurred when managing the flight path of an automated aircraft. This article explores how overall pilot training quality, efficiency, and effectiveness would benefit from pulling automation training forward into the pilot training curriculum, reducing the burden carried mainly by transition training today. This article examines various stages of pilot training (including ab initio, multicrew cooperation, and crew resource management training) and lays out the opportunities and obstacles they contain for the integration of flight deck automation. In conclusion, airlines themselves can play a constructive role by specifying what kinds of automation learning requirements earlier pilot training stages should cover, and by sharing their automation philosophies and actively taking part in the design of the preairline training. Such participation from an airline can help achieve appropriate knowledge and attitudes toward automation among its future pilots.

Reliability and validity of the Maintenance Resources Management/Technical Operations Questionnaire

The Maintenance Resource Management–Technical Operations Questionnaire (MRM/TOQ) is a brief survey questionnaire instrument developed to measure the attitudes and intentions of participants in airline maintenance communication and safety training workshops. This present paper describes the test of the effectiveness of the MRM/TOQ for its intended purpose as an evaluative measure. The test included samples of both maintenance management and aviation maintenance technicians (AMT) from the same airline who attended similar workshops several years apart. The test of the MRM/TOQ reveals an integrity of factor structure and a reasonable reliability of both individual items and multi-item scales. Tests of concurrent validity indicate that many of the items and scales measure what they purport to measure. Testing construct validity is important, but is often difficult. The various measures of fixed response items and open-ended questions in the questionnaire allowed a test of construct validity which indicated that what respondents reported about the importance of several topics was consistent with predicted responses about what would be implemented from the training. The MRM/TOQ has reasonable psychometric characteristics, and it can be used as a robust measure to evaluate communication and MRM training programs in other aviation maintenance settings. Relevance to industry Many airlines use surveys to understand the attitudes, opinions, and perceptions of their employees. It is important that surveys are scientifically “good” measures. One survey questionnaire, the “MRM/TOQ”, has become widely used for assessing communication and management improvement programs in aviation maintenance. Evaluating the reliability and validity of the MRM/TOQ helps confirm its scientific “goodness” as a measurement instrument.

Human Factors in Multi-crew Flight Operations

This paper discusses selected aviation human factors challenges in the air transport environment. Because of the authors' background, much of this paper will be based upon the growth of human factors and airline training in transport aviation in the United States. However, parallel growth and advancements have been made in other parts of the world from the beginning of air transport and are being made in many parts of the world today. This is certainly true of Great Britain. One should never forget that air transport is a world enterprise and has been since its beginning. While it is important to recognise that cultural and other differences should be considered if they are relevant, it is equally important in air transport to recognise that common problems are solved by common solutions and can be addressed by, but are not limited to, common approaches. It is recognised that the behavioral aspect of aviation human factors deserves considerable attention, particularly in the area of training and evaluation. We have also learned that previous training criteria are not satisfactory for operation with increasingly complex aircraft being operated in an increasingly complex environment. Human errors occur with greater frequency than is often believed and can be made by anyone - even an airline captain. An inevitable consequence of this entirely human characteristic is that the role of the co-pilot has been considerably enhanced. Furthermore, the monitoring function of the pilot-not-flying, whether he/she is the captain or co-pilot, is now recognised as a critical safety function by virtually all serious operational experts. Language: en

Advanced Qualification Training: A Study Of Implementation of Crm into Airline Training

The emphasis in training pilots on today's aircraft is placed on preparing the crew to interact with each other and to recognize any problem that may occur long before such a problem becomes a flight hazard. The training that is necessary to do this is called Crew Resource Management (CRM). Although CRM has been used by the airlines for about the past ten years, no integrated training among the airlines has been formulated until recently. Recent pressure from outside sources has prompted the FAA to initiate action to formalize CRM training in the airlines. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) established Special Federal Aviation Regulation (SFAR) 58, which created the Advanced Qualification Program (AQP) (Federal Aviation Administration, 1990). This allowed the airlines to develop their own training program which incorporates CRM and Line Operational Simulations (LOS). LOS utilizes simulator training using a typical operational passenger flight scenario, in a controlled training environment. It is designed to improve cockpit/cabin communication and coordination skills, and pilot decisionmaking skills (Federal Aviation Administration, 1995).

Future Directions for Cost Effective Air Force Aircrew Training: Managed Technology and the Training System

Although early simulation efforts were slow to be accepted and exploited, their value in reducing flight training risk and cost has resulted in the development and use of modern technology to the point where today many airline training programs require zero hours of inflight training time. This means that the first time a first officer steps into the real airplane to fly it is full of passengers. The savings from these efforts in terms of dollars, safety and time to train have been so significant that airlines were able to pay for their entire training programs with the fuel savings alone. The oil embargo provided the military the incentive to try and achieve the same type of benefit as the airlines, from its aircrew training programs, through an extensive use of aircrew training devices. Early in this effort, the military realized that the vast differences between commercial airline operations and military missions made it extremely difficult to apply ground based trainers to the same extent as the airlines. Simulators lacked the fidelity to reproduce the military training environment. This paper will review the current situation concerning simulation within the Air Force and outline the steps we are taking to better apply training simulation to the military mission. It reviews the challenges still lying ahead, especially in the areas which require the exploitation of human factors research and application.