Member Papers

Member Papers, Articles, and Presentations

(Note: The complete paper, article, or presentation is only available here after the event or publication.)

2013

Barnes, R., “In an increasingly globalized world, how can we be sure that a pilot is who he/she says they are?” SPACE 2013, Singapore, 16-17 April 2013

The pilot of a Russian charter aircraft that crashed in September 2011, wiping out a professional Russian ice hockey team, had been granted permission to fly based on forged documents. A possible contributing factor was the serious lack of qualified pilots in Russia. If growth projections for air transport over the next 20 years are correct, all employers, both large and small, will need to turn increasingly to the worldwide pool of applicant pilots in order to achieve their staffing goals. This is an applicant pool for which there currently is no internationally standardized way to securely verify who the person is or what training and experience has actually been accomplished.

Today, the International Association of Flight Training Professionals (IAFTP) is working with the Saudi Aviation Flight Academy (SAFA) to introduce a unique and highly secure personal electronic CV that could eventually be carried by every pilot in the world to positively verify his or her identity and competence.

The IAFTP eCV™ combines an advanced personal identification credential with a highly secure system to collect, authenticate, and use personal data stored in a cloud database. This presentation will discuss how the IAFTP eCV™ can help to both facilitate the hiring of qualified pilots and ensure their competence. [Read the Paper]

Drappier, J., “Enabling Training Excellence with Modern Technology,” WATS 2013, Orlando, FL, 16-18 April 2013

The last decade has seen an astonishing development in technology, especially the IT sector. It is therefore obvious that airline training will, and has followed this development, and we have seen a great number of improvements. Whilst ten years ago, PowerPoint CBT was state-of-the-art, it would now look obsolete. Part task trainers, FMS trainers, even whole cockpits can now be squeezed into a PC. Maintenance training has changed dramatically, and the maintenance simulators and virtual aircraft have now become the new norm. But what more can we do with the technology we have? How can we individualize training? And where do we want to go? What do we want to do with the technology of tomorrow? [Read the Paper]

Barnes, R. and Roe, W., “Introducing unique and highly secure CVs at Saudi Aviation Flight Academy,” ID World, Abu Dhabi, 11-12 February 2013

The March 2004 issue of Global ID Magazine featured an article on the need for “Secure Global Pilot Credentials.” It has long been recognized that there should be a way to securely document every pilot’s identity, training, experience, and certifications— a pilot’s personal curriculum vitae. It simply has never happened. However, if growth projections for air transport over the next 20 years are correct, the need for such a pilot’s personal CV will become more critical as employers turn increasingly to the worldwide pool of applicant pilots in order to achieve their staffing goals.

That thought causes many airline recruiters concern because assessing a candidate pilot’s background and experience even today is incredibly challenging. Contacting previous employers is problematic because many candidates have flown for operators based around the globe. Even when reached, the information former employers might provide is often of limited help, especially when mergers and bankruptcies make the retrieval of individual records a time consuming, costly, or even impossible effort.

The IAFTP eCV combines an advanced personal identification credential provided by Oberthur Technologies with a secure system featuring SecureKey technology to collect, authenticate, and use personal data stored in a cloud database. This presentation will discuss the development and introduction of the IAFTP eCV at SAFA. [Read the Paper]

Barnes, R., “Managing the Pilot Training Process to Help Ensure Pilot Competence,” ASEAN Aviation Training and Education Summit (AATES), Jakarta, 22-23 January 2013

The daily management of a pilot training program requires constant monitoring and decision-making based on accurate and current information. It requires in depth knowledge of students, instructors, aircraft, availabilities, regulations, course syllabus and many other factors and elements comprising the flight training domain. A training management system provides a systematic approach to addressing this challenge and graduating competent pilots. However, graduation from one training program does not end a pilot’s learning nor does a license or rating necessarily demonstrate a pilot’s true level of competence. This presentation will discuss how a training management system by Talon Systems and the IAFTP eCV™ are being used to help ensure basic pilot competence at the Saudi Aviation Flight Academy (SAFA). [Read the Paper]

2012

Barnes, R., “Sharing Pilot Training Best Practices and Ensuring Pilot Professionalism,” Indonesia Aviation Training & Education Conference, Jakarta, 27-28 June 2012

As in any endeavor, the cornerstone of the future is the frontline teacher. In aviation, that teacher is the flight instructor. There are as many ways to teach flying as there are good instructors. And, each of these good instructors has developed special ways to guide students toward becoming safe and competent pilots instead of simply accumulating hours to a minimum standard. Until now it has been too hard to share such professional experience beyond the local flight line. The International Association of Flight Training Professionals is helping to change this through the global reach of social media. This paper addresses two questions: (1) How can we share the professional experience of good instructors beyond the local flight line? and (2) What steps can be taken to ensure that the pilots on our flight decks are qualified to fly the aircraft? [Read the Paper]

Barnes, R., Role of the Flight Instructor Panel, 2012 NTSB General Aviation Safety Forum, Washington, D.C., 19-20 June 2012

Chan, Dr. K. and Bent, Capt J., “How effective training is key to airline safety,” Flight International Safety Conference, Singapore, 7-8 May 2012

Generation 3 and 4 airliners have advanced to a point where the airline industry in terms of fatal accidents is now a factor of 100 times better than it was 60 years ago. This has exposed human limitations as the most important part of the airline system to focus on for further safety dividends. As airliner technology has advanced, training processes in most regions of the world have not. Much of the training we do today is still based on 1947 standards, with many add-on training modules inserted over the decades to address the entry of new technology. In fact, due to the advances in airliner design, and increasing focus on costs, training has progressively subsided towards minimum regulatory standards. The additional impact of automation, where long haul pilots may not manually fly the aircraft for much more than around 3 to 4 hours per year, has sharply degraded manual flying skills. In some regions, training schools dropped full stall recovery training many years ago; now being aggressively re-inserted following a number of loss of control accidents. But the training story today is still not a good one for an industry espousing safety as the top priority. While modern improved processes such as competency and evidence-based training are well understood, and recommended by ICAO, very few ATOs have embraced these best practices. This presentation suggests that a new emphasis on training will generate improved future safety margins. [Read the Paper]

Cox, Captain John, “Using Financial Tools for Safety,” WATS 2012, April 2012

Aviation has become the safest form of travel due to the extensive efforts of many people and organizations. It is now so safe that it is difficult for safety officers to cost justify proactive safety programs to their senior management. No longer is just reducing the risk of an accident sufficient to justify the expense of a new program. Using a long accepted costing methodology this presentation shows how safety officers can show the organizational costs incurred by preventable abnormal operations. Proactive safety programs can be cost effective by reducing or eliminating these costs. This provides the dual benefits of reducing risk while improving cost control. This ground breaking work not only provides the audience with the theory of the costing methodology (in easy to understand English), but provides real word examples. Audience members will take away a new understanding of how to show the value of a proposed safety program in financial terms. [Read the Paper]

Wolfe, Captain Peter, “NGAP in Afterburner,” WATS 2012, April 2012

ICAO, EASA, FAA and IATA leaders have repeatedly called for increased collaboration between regulatory authorities and industry stakeholders on a wide range of issues, including the recruitment and training of the men and women needed by our future workforce. While ICAO’s NGAP and IATAs ITQI are among the many well-known examples of such collaborative efforts, we still face a number of “open” workforce development issues that are yet to be addressed. This presentation will identify several new collaborative initiatives and show how they support the objectives sought by ICAO, our industry and the public we serve. [Read the Paper]

Kuortti, Sauli, “Ab Initio Flight Training by Finnish Aviation Academy: Old Fashion Model, New Fashion Outcome,” WATS 2012, April 2012

This paper highlights the screening and training concept of the Finnish Aviation Academy, a joint-venture of Finnair and the Government of Finland. It includes the importance of co-operation with airlines and having experienced flight instructors. [Read the Paper]

Brown, L.J., and Beauregard, S., “Generation whY? The Next Generation of Aviation Professionals,” WATS 2012, April 2012

Generation ‘Y’ is entering the workforce at an ever increasing pace and their expectations of learning are much different than past generations. In order to look beyond the economic crisis and mobilize the aviation community to recruit, educate, train and retain the next generation of aviation professionals- we must first understand who they are. Western Michigan University, College of Aviation students will engage you in an interactive presentation to allow you to see the future of aviation training from their eyes. [Read the Paper]

Drappier, Captain J., “Maintaining Manual Flying Skills,” WATS 2012, April 2012-04-23

The last 5 years there has been probably no bigger subject in aviation conferences, articles or blogs then the erosion or lack of manual flying skills. Certainly the automation has brought great improvements in safety, comfort and economy but at certain moments the basic stick and rudder is still needed to fulfil the mission or save the aircraft. If everybody agrees that maintaining these skills is essential, the question is: how to make sure that all pilots master these skills to begin with, and secondly how to keep them current. Hand flying on the line is not the (only) answer. Specific training is necessary. Let us discuss what we can do. [Read the Paper]

Singh, Captain A., “Redefining Crew Training Program,” WATS 2012, April 2012

Crew training programmes are typically provided by the manufacturer. The Airlines are more comfortable sticking to the syllabus and profiles provided by the manufacturer Flight Crew Training Manual. The manufacturer prepares a training program which is generic in nature and they attempt to cater to all categories and experience levels of pilots. It is quite obvious that one size fits all type of training program will lead to some pilots with experience being able to manage the training with proficiency and others, less experienced barely being able to manage or a compromise in the standards in order to meet with the commercial and operational requirements of the airlines. An example is the type rating syllabus for a Captain and a First Officer has the same foot print whereas the experience levels, CRM standards, maturity and requirements are different. To begin with we need to ask ourselves the question “why do we train?” [Read the Paper]

Advani, Dr. S., “Implementing Effective Upset Prevention and Recovery Training to Resolve our Largest Safety Threat: Loss-of-Control In Flight,” WATS 2012, April 2012

Upset Prevention and Recovery Training (UPRT) can significantly mitigate Loss-of-Control In-Flight, which is the current leading cause of commercial aviation fatalities. However, UPRT must be conducted in a properly organized training program and through the integration of knowledge and skills by the pilot. These capabilities can be achieved through three media: Academics, FSTD’s and aerobatic-capable aircraft. Proper instruction is necessary to translate the skills learned in each of these elements to the operational environment, in order for pilots to gain the required skills for awareness, recognition and avoidance, and recovery from airplane upsets. [Read the Paper]

Saehlenou, S., “Putting the C back in CRM – How Well Do We Communicate?” WATS 2012, April 2012

Crew resource management (CRM) continues to evolve – this time to encompass the latest issues that the FAA has raised. Pilots will be in very short supply, and need to integrate quickly into the aviation culture. Where will this influx of new hires come from and how do we get them ‘up to speed’ quickly and efficiently? Have you noticed gaps in CRM program? Gaps among pilots, mechanics, flight attendants, and the departments they interact with? CRM is critical to exceptional ‘team performance,’ in any arena, and the effectiveness of your team depends upon how well everyone communicates. Clear communication reduces errors, saves time and money, and helps avoid accidents or safety mishaps. The cultural diversity within our industry presents a valuable opportunity to examine how others perceive what we say. Understanding, and being understood, is a critical piece to putting the C back in CRM in all team situations. [Read the Paper]

Butterworth-Hayes, P., “Pilot training for fifth-generation fighters,” Aerospace America, January 2012, pp 4-6.

The T-38 replacement program will involve far more than just finding a new aircraft. It will require new thinking in the way ground-based training aids will be integrated with real flying experiences. [Read the Article]

2011

Wolfe, P., and Barnes, R., “Two new industry endeavors complement ICAO and IATA workforce development efforts,” European Airline Training Symposium (EATS) 2011, Prague, Czech Republic, 8-9 November 2011.

There are many international aviation organizations working to find better ways to recruit, train and retain our future professional workforce. ICAO’s Next Generation Aviation Professionals (NGAP) and IATA’s Training and Qualification Initiative (ITQI) are the best known examples of programs designed to address the growing shortage of well-trained pilots, aircraft maintenance technicians and air traffic controllers. This presentation will introduce two additional initiatives that complement the efforts of ICAO and IATA. The International Association of Flight Training Professionals (IAFTP) will discuss its global clearinghouse for pilot training best practices. And, the Professional Aviation Board of Certification (PABC) will show how its ATPL-level pre-employment theoretical knowledge testing supports all industry stakeholders by proving the preparedness of pilots to seek employment as professional flight crew members. [View the Slides HERE]

Barnes, R., and Brown, L., “Pilot Shortage – Preparing the Seed Corn,” CAT Magazine, Issue 5/2011, October 2011.

A few years ago, a global airline pilot shortage was just a distant rumor. Today, it is fast becoming a global reality. Not only is this pilot shortage already having an impact on airline operations, it is making it difficult to recruit and retain the best and brightest flight instructors. And, it is these very flight instructors upon whom we depend to effectively produce the next generation of pilots – a generation faced with both changing competencies and a changing workplace. The Western Michigan University College of Aviation is working with the International Association of Flight Training Professionals to explore new ideas for improving global pilot training effectiveness. One such idea, described in this article, is the global sharing of pilot training best practices and how flight training organizations might use this process to improve their own instructors’ effectiveness. [More]

Damos, D., “Pilot Selection and Screening Systems,” CAT Magazine, Issue 5/2011, October 2011.

Public Law 111-216 (HR 5900), The Airline Safety and Federal Aviation Extension Act of 2010, has two major sections: Title 1 and Title 2. Title 1 is concerned with airports. Title 2, “Airline Safety and Pilot Training Improvement,” deals with several safety- and training-related issues. This article is concerned with Section 216 of Title 2, “Flight Crewmember Screening and Qualifications.” Part of this section (216 a (2)) is remarkable because, for the first time, Congress has passed legislation specifying the attributes that Part 121 carriers must assess in their pilot selection systems. [More]

Blair, J., “Position Report: Instructor Shortage – Coming soon to your flight-training operation,” NAFI Mentor, October 2011.

Each day our NAFI office is getting calls from training providers asking for help finding instructors. Flight instructors who are interested in working as a flight instructor are becoming scarce … We are heading toward a period when flight-instructor services are going to be in demand or the supply of pilots is going to go down. Our industry needs to understand these changing dynamics and work to make our training efforts effective, efficient, and professional. If we don’t, the aviation industry isn’t going to meet the demand for pilot supply. [More]

Bent, J., “Airline Pilot Training and Recruitment – Topical Issues,” Aviation Business Magazine – Australia, September/October 2011.

Projections suggest that the global demand for new airline pilots over the next 20 years may approach 500,000, or about 25,000 new pilots per year. To provide a sense of regional need, China projections show a need for over 3,000 new pilots per year (12% of the global total), yet China can only produce 800-1,200 new commercial pilots in-country each year. No airline is likely to be completely spared some impact from the growth ahead. The multiple threats of outdated recruitment and training practices, a decline in average experience levels, less career interest, and fewer quality instructors, will lead to poor safety outcomes. [More]

Barnes, R, “Best Practices and Professionalism – Where Next?” RAeS Annual International Flight Crew Training Conference 2011, London, UK, 27-29 September 2011.

One year ago at this conference, interest in finding ways to share pilot training best practices seemed to be growing. In fact, some flight training professionals were even suggesting that applying industry best practices should be considered a key component of every well-designed, competency-based training program. However, last year there was no way to effectively share such training practices beyond the local flight line. An obvious need existed for an international forum that would enable all flight training professionals to participate in the identification, recognition, and sharing of pilot training best practices. The ultimate goal would be to help improve global flight training effectiveness. That forum now exists. It is maintained by the International Association of Flight Training Professionals (IAFTP) and this presentation will briefly describe both how it works and share some of the lessons that have been learned in beginning to address this important need. [Click here for a copy of the paper and slides]

Bent, J., “MPL Implementation Update,” Asia Pacific Airline Training Symposium (APATS) 2011, Bangkok, Thailand, 20-21 September 2011.

MPL implementation is an important part of the IATA Training and Qualification Initiative (ITQI). Published by ICAO in 2006 as PANS–‐TRG document 9868, MPL is the first airline—dedicated professional pilots license, a need formally recognized in 1982. The pilot shortage tsunami in Asia has already made landfall, and the impact will be felt globally. There are the makings of a ‘perfect storm’ triggered by the mix of experience loss, industry expansion, and reduced career interest. So the accident rate must be reduced, but if important new initiatives such as ITQI are not implemented at speed there is the very real risk of an increase in the accident rate. MPL is just one of the five ITQI initiatives comprising MPL, Pilot Aptitude Testing (PAT), evidence based training (EBT), Instructor & Evaluator Qualification (IEQ), and simulation (FSTD). MPL is ready to be implemented by ICAO contracting States and IATA members, in the interests of long–term safety. As a major safety–‐centered upgrade to airline training, IATA encourages airlines to adopt MPL. [Click here for a copy of the presentation slides]

Singh, A., “Quality or Quantity,” Asia Pacific Airline Training Symposium (APATS) 2011, Bangkok, Thailand, 20-21 September 2011.

The most important defence on board an aircraft is a highly trained pilot. The challenge of the next 20 years in aviation is to churn out as per initial estimates, 330,000 pilots. In the future, we will be having a number of low time Captains and Co-Pilots. The only way to safely replace the loss of experience is to ensure that the pilots are trained to proficiency to meet with the current needs. Data reveals that pilot age and experience v/s accidents co-relation does not conclude that increase in Quantity will by itself result in safe operations. It is the Quality of training imparted which ensures that the pilot takes decisions which result in continued safe operations. The presentation will provide an overview of the training standards required for safe operations. Data will also reflect the facts that Quantity alone cannot sustain for long unless accompanied with Quality. [Click here for a copy of the paper]

Panel Discussion led by IAFTP, “Pilot Qualifications – The Need to Verify Identity and Competence,” Business Aircraft Europe (BAE 2011), London Biggin Hill Airport, UK, 14-15 Sep 2011.

Recent press reports about alleged falsifications of aviation records in China and India imply that this was not restricted to logbook entries but included complete work, employment, recurrent training histories. While recent media attention is on China and India, such transgressions have occurred for decades in many areas of the global aviation community. Although the alleged culprits represent only a small percentage of the total pilot community, this is completely unacceptable in any safety critical industry. This session will explore both what needs to be done and what is being done to mitigate this problem. [Click here for a copy of the complete paper and slides]

Mark, Robert P., “Pitch and Power: Lessons from Air France Flight 447,” Aviation International News (AIN Online), 30 June 2011.

The most troubling unanswered questions center around why the crew was unable to recognize that the airplane was not flying, but rather falling like a rock from 35,000 feet. If they did understand what was happening, why were they unable to take the required action to make the Airbus fly again? [Read the Article]

Saehlenou, Sherry, “Navigating Cultural Waters,” World Aviation Training Conference (WATS 2011), Orlando, FL, USA, 19-21 April 2011.

Whether we’re in management, sales, training, pilots, mechanics or cabin crew it is necessary to expand our awareness of the ‘cultural’ subgroups among us and develop ways of working together to leverage the strengths that such diverse groups can bring to stay safe and to remain profitable. Regardless of where we sit, we tend to think that our goals, values and methods are ‘universal’ and that all parties are ‘on board.’ Later, we are surprised when misunderstanding, conflict or worse occurs. This paper examines cultural differences throughout the organization and their impact on performance. [Read the Paper]

Bent, J., “Future Needs Pilot Selection & Training,” World Aviation Training Conference (WATS 2011), Orlando, FL, USA, 19-21 April 2011.

Despite regular industry statements that safety is always the top priority and recognition in the safety industry that pilot performance is critical, pilot training remains traditionally reactive rather than proactive. From recent safety data, human factors and training still remain significant causal variables. Airline safety has not improved for eight years (IATA safety report – 2010). Therefore, more growth will likely result in more accidents unless the accident rate can be further reduced. This presentation explores the many challenges of pilot selection and training in a holistic way, with emphasis on an urgent collaborative global effort to lift the bar. [Paper] [Slides]

Barnes, R., “Leaders Log: Paths to Proficiency,”AeroSafety World, March 2011.

The International Association of Flight Training Professionals, Inc. (IAFTP) has been organized to facilitate the identification, recognition, and timely communication of demonstrable global pilot training best practices. It has evolved out of a three year online discussion about pilot training practices by more than 300 aviation professionals. During this discussion, the concept of pilot training best practices often surfaced. However, it was quickly discovered that there are more than 25 aviation safety organizations worldwide that currently use the term “best practices” when describing their individual training initiatives. Unfortunately, it also became apparent that there is no consistent definition for this term. How IAFTP will help address this issue is discussed. [More]

Bent, J., “Multi-Crew Pilots Licence (MPL) Implementation,” APATS Summary Paper (unpublished), Hong Kong, PRC, 8-10 March 2011.

There is evidence to show that attitudes, motivation, interest, and passion of potential young entrants to the industry are all deteriorating in parallel with the decline in career remuneration, and the imposition of self-funding of training on students. There are numerous other generational issues not discussed here. It therefore follows that a doubling of the global fleet will present massive challenges to the provision of the required quality of aviation professionals such as pilots. If there is a progressive reduction in entry standards, it will be essential to counterbalance this with smarter selection and training processes, or additional downstream costs will again be incurred. [More]

Bent, J., “MPL – Adoption Lag,” APATS, Hong Kong, PRC, 8-10 March 2011.

For over 60 years commercial pilots have been trained via an essentially unchanged process of ab‐initio instruction in light propeller aircraft, to jet upgrade, to type transition. This traditional training model still prevails in the industry, subjecting students to irrelevant instruction at the core stage of learning, omitting some big messages, and poorly emphasizing training in areas relevant to modern commercial operations. Furthermore, deepening cost cuts have forced down the volume of this training towards regulatory minimums, and standards to bottom line. Future re‐growth will further exacerbate this challenge. This presentation explores reasons and suggests ways to accelerate the adoption of best practices across the industry to check the increasing human‐factor related accidents. [More]

2010

Brooks, Randall L., “Loss of Control in Flight – Training Foundations and Solutions,” European Airline Training Symposium (EATS 2010), Istanbul, Turkey, 9-10 November 2010

Although the overall accident rate has decreased, the category of loss of control-in flight (LOC-I) continues to outpace other factors as the leading cause of fatal accidents worldwide in the last 20 years. This paper will trace how the mind set and approach towards all-attitude/all-envelope flight instruction has contributed to this trend. Also reviewed are methods, techniques, and systems currently employed in the ongoing effort to lower the rate of LOC-I accidents. Finally, details of recent work by the International Committee on Aviation Training in Extended Envelopes (ICATEE) will be presented showing the technical and training solutions being addressed. [More]

Barnes, R., “Who is this person? – Identity and Professional Experience Verification,” CAT Magazine, Issue 5/2010, November 2010, pp 28-30.

The desire to find a better way to document a pilot’s personal training and experience is not new. It has long been recognized that there should be a way to securely document every pilot’s identity, training, experience, and certifications— a pilot’s personal curriculum vitae. It simply has never happened. However, if growth projections for air transport over the next 20 years are correct, the need for such a pilot CV will become more critical as employers turn increasingly to the worldwide pool of applicant pilots in order to achieve their staffing goals. [More]

Barnes, R. and Adam, C., “Operational Considerations in the Certification of Technically Advanced Aircraft (TAA)” SETP/SFTE 4th European Flight Test Workshop, Royal Aeronautical Society, London, 28-29 September 2010.

In August 2002, the Federal Aviation Administration’s Small Airplane Directorate (ACE-100) issued a public statement to clarify FAA certification policy on human factors. This clarification was due to requests for guidance on the content and structure of human factors certification plans for part 23 airplanes which includes Technically Advanced Aircraft (TAA).

In this certification policy, FAA described a series of nine human factors components that should be included in an applicant’s certification plan. Of particular relevance to this paper is the “Concept of Operation Considerations.” These considerations include the general characteristics of the intended user population, operating environment, system operating procedures, and any proposed training that may be required.

Unfortunately, FAA clearly stated that this Human Factors Certification Policy did not constitute a new regulation and that FAA would not apply or rely upon it as a regulation. It did, however, indicate that FAA Aircraft Certification Offices (ACO) should attempt to follow this policy when applicable to a specific project.

Is this position on human factors evaluations during certification strong enough? Does it encourage sufficient and appropriate evaluation of the human-machine interface to ensure safe operation by the typical pilot?

This paper discusses the need for and implementation of actual “user trial” human factors evaluations as part of the certification process for Technically Advanced Aircraft. The goal of such “user trials” is to ensure the proper recognition of potential operational issues that will be faced by the actual pilots of such airplanes. [More]

Barnes, R., “Pilots: Does Qualified Mean Competent?” Light Jets Europe (LJE 2010), Oxford, UK, 23-24 September 2010.

Are today’s pilots who are trained to minimum standards up to the task? The crash of Colgan Air Flight 3407 in the United States raised this question to a new level and now our global industry is experiencing a flurry of regulatory activity in response. Do we really need more regulation or simply better training? And, what is the role of industry best practices in this process? This discussion involves the concept of competency-based training, the identification of universally accepted best practices, and a renewed spirit of professionalism. It includes some comments from a recent ICAO aviation professionals’ symposium and from a very active aviation blog about how professional pilot training is evolving to meet industry needs. The common thread is that no matter what one flies, he or she must continuously strive to be the best pilot possible – a true aviation professional. The path to that level of professionalism starts with the identification of pilot training best practices. As a result, there is a need today for an international forum that would enable all flight training professionals to participate in the identification, recognition, and communication of global pilot training best practices. [More]

Barnes, R, and Lehman, C., “Mutual Recognition—The Way Forward: Building professionalism through globally recognized pilot training best practices—the need for IAFTP,” RAeS 2010 International Flight Crew Training Conference, London, UK, 22-23 September 2010.

There are as many ways to teach flying as there are good instructors. And, each of these good instructors has developed special ways to guide students toward becoming safe and competent pilots instead of simply accumulating hours to a minimum standard. Sometimes these techniques are shared with others and become a local training practice but typically they remain the unique knowledge of the individual instructor. It is simply too hard to share such expert knowledge beyond the local flight line. Yet, today there is much talk about how important the communication of pilot training best practices is to achieving pilot competency. In fact, applying industry best practices has been described as a key component of a well-designed, competency-based training program. Thus, there is a need for an international forum that would enable all flight training professionals to participate in the identification, recognition, and communication of global pilot training best practices. That forum is the International Association of Flight Training Professionals (IAFTP) and this is its story. [More]

Barnes, R., “Pilot Training: The case for global best practices,” CAT Magazine, Issue 3/2010, June 2010, pp 28-30

No matter what one flies, he or she must continuously strive to be the best pilot possible – a true aviation professional. The path to that level of professionalism starts with the identification of pilot training best practices. Yet there has been considerable discussion about how to identify and manage such “universally accepted best practices.” This has led to the formation of a group of highly motivated stakeholders that has already started working to identify global pilot training best practices and find ways to make them easily available to all aviation training professionals. [More]

Barnes, R., “Pilot Training: The case for identifying global best practices,” World Aviation Training Conference (WATS 2010), Orlando, FL, USA, 28 April 2010.

Are today’s airline pilots who are trained to minimum standards up to the task? Colgan Air Flight 3407 raised this question and now our industry is experiencing a flurry of regulatory activity in response. Do we really need more regulation or simply better training? And, what is the role of industry best practices in this process? This conversation involves the concept of competency-based training, the identification of universally accepted best practices, and a renewed spirit of professionalism. It includes some recent comments from an ICAO aviation professionals’ symposium and from a very active aviation blog about how professional pilot training is evolving to meet industry needs. The common thread is that no matter what one flies, he or she must continuously strive to be the best pilot possible – a true aviation professional. The path to that level of professionalism starts with the identification of pilot training best practices. [More]

Burton, A., “Analyzing instructor performance for quality assurance,” Mentor Magazine, National Association of Flight Instructors, Volume 12, Number 3, March 2010, pp 16-19.

Both the strengths and weaknesses of most flight training programs emerge from the fact that they’re operated by flight instructors, and as with all institutions, flight training programs reflect the areas of strength and weakness of the people who operate them. In North America for the most part, ab initio training is carried out by the least experienced and least trained personnel in our industry. The inevitable result of this structure is a noticeably high level of variance in their product – trained pilots. Fortunately, some very simple and inexpensive tools are now available to help us monitor and control the quality of our training. [More]

2006 – 2009

“Ensuring the Safety of Very Light Jet (VLJ) Operations – Activities of the International VLJ Training Stakeholders Group,” December 2006 – December 2009.

This discussion group began in December 2006 with a simple white paper (“Achieving VLJ Training Standardization”) that was circulated to a few aviation professionals. This simple conversation between people interested in aviation safety grew into an on-line discussion that included more than 300 aviation professionals representing VLJ training stakeholders from around the world. Their comments made it possible to identify and discuss significant global concerns regarding very light jet (VLJ) pilot training. And, it generated more than 300 pages of discussion summaries that identify key stakeholder concerns relating to VLJ pilot training with the ultimate goal of helping to improve VLJ operational safety. CLICK HERE to review these archives, maintained by JetWhine.

2002 – 2004

“Airport Security: Secure global pilot credentials,” Global ID Magazine, March 2004, pp 68-71.

A critical issue for the global aviation community is the secure, personal documentation of an individual pilot’s identity, training, experience, and certifications – characteristics current pilot credentials lack. This article provides a look at the issues behind the issuance of a secure pilot credential and some possible technological solutions. [Read the Article]

“Comment: Trust Me, I’m a Driver,” Editorial, CAT Magazine, Issue 2/2004.

Alan Emmings, Managing Editor of CAT Magazine writes: “… All too readily we assume that a person holding an official document containing their photograph must have been vetted to some extent and is proven to be the genuine article … In the fourth article in our series on pilot credentials our guest author exposes more of the shortcomings of the pilot licensing system, which is still wide open to abuse…” [Read the Editorial]

“Pilot Training: The time is now,” CAT Magazine, Issue 2/2004, pp 20-22.

Robert B. Barnes continues his series on the need for secure global pilot credentials. In this, his fourth article, he presents some recent opinions which lend weight to the debate: “A secure personal pilot credential would serve to provide positive identification of the license holder and provide proof of the scope and depth of his/her competency.” – International regulator. [Read the Article]

“Pilot Credentials: A globally accepted pilot credential – technology alternatives,” CAT Magazine, Issue 8/2002, pp 19-21.

The subject of this, the third in our series of articles designed to focus the global training community on solutions to critical professional issues, is global pilot credentials. Several questions are included within the article and readers’ comments will continue to play a key part of future articles in this series. [Read the Article]

“Pilot Credentials: Defining the issues for a global pilot credential,” CAT Magazine, Issue 6/2002, pp 18-21.

In this, the second in our series of interactive articles designed to focus our training community on solutions to critical professional issues, Robert Barnes (USA) and Norman MacLeod (UK) look at global pilot credentials. Readers will find several specific questions included within the article. Your comments will become a key part of future articles in this series. [Read the Article]

“Training Documentation: Going global with pilot credentials,” CAT Magazine, Issue 3/2002, pp 24-26.

In the first of a series of articles, Robert Barnes and Norman MacLeod look at positive solutions to critical professional issues. This month, they pose the question: Has the time arrived for globally accepted pilot credentials? [Read the Article]