Will Help Facilitate Renewed Cockpit Training For ATC Personnel

After a ten-year pause, U.S. Air Traffic Controllers will once again be allowed into the cockpits of commercial airline flights to observe operations under a renewed Flight Deck Training program of the FAA. Following recent discussions with the FAA Academy, ARINC Incorporated has agreed to enhance its widely used CASS Cockpit Access Security System to include screening of Air Traffic Controllers as well as pilots.

Controllers have not had access to jumpseats since the FAA’s original Flight Deck Training (FDT) Program was discontinued following the events of 9/11/2001. Most domestic airlines use the ARINC CASS system to verify the status of pilots flying in the jumpseat on U.S. domestic flights. The change will allow Controllers to ride in cockpit jumpseats to familiarize themselves with cockpit operations during a flight. “The voluntary jumpseat program will provide a valuable training perspective which Controllers cannot obtain otherwise.” said Tim Ryan, ARINC Director of New Service Development. “We are pleased to help the FAA re-introduce this educational program.”

The change to ARINC’s CASS security system is also a milestone for ARINC’s related service, CrewPASS. The CrewPASS Service is now capable of permitting non-crewmembers to clear airport security as trusted travelers. “ARINC expects more system changes will be requested to meet the growing needs of the FAA and government agencies,” adds Ryan. “The natural extension of this program will enable other trusted Government travelers—FAA Inspectors, Air Marshals, federal, state, and local law enforcement officers—to participate in the ARINC CrewPASS expedited screening program currently offered to flight deck crewmembers.”

CrewPASS was developed by ARINC in response to a 2007 Congressional mandate for expedited TSA screening of airline pilots and crewmembers. It is currently in operational testing at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI), Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT), and Columbia Metropolitan Airport (CAE) in Columbia, South Carolina. Pilots from 61 airlines are participating. TSA officers are able to verify their identities using CrewPASS in less than 8 seconds, allowing them to have secure, expedited boarding.

FMI: www.arinc.com