Airline Pilots Should Also Have Greater Access To Advance Simulators

An industry group comprised of safety experts, airline industry officials, and labor representatives has recommended to the United States Congress that airline pilots be better trained in manual flying skills, as well as enhanced leadership skills, and be afforded better access to advanced simulators.

The group, which was commissioned by Congress, also said that airlines and regulators need to re-think how aircrews are selected, trained, and checked. The as-yet unpublished report contains 24 recommendations for initial and recurrent training, according to the Wall Street Journal, which got an advance look at the document.

For example, in response to the Colgan Air accident in Buffalo, as well as the Air France accident which occurred between Rio and Paris, the panel suggests that more training on high-fidelity simulators could allow pilots to practice real-life scenarios which require the use of manual flying skills. Those scenarios could be based on actual incidents, and the simulators should be "as realistic as technology will allow."

The report also calls for specialized leadership training for pilots, particularly airline captains, and standardized training for flight instructors. It suggest that pilots should be willing to ask for extra training if they are uncertain of some skills, or have been away from flying for an extended period of time. It also calls on airlines to set realistic goals for "pilots to maintain proficiency in manual flying."

A date for the general release of the document has not been announced.

FMI: www.faa.gov