The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Wednesday proposed a substantial and wide-ranging overhaul of air carrier crew training.
The supplemental Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (SNPRM) requires flight crews to demonstrate, not just learn, critical skills in “real-world” training scenarios. Pilots would be required to train as a complete flight crew, coordinate their actions through Crew Resource Management, and fly scenarios based on actual events.
In addition, dispatchers would have enhanced training and would be required to apply that knowledge in today’s complex operating environment.
The revised proposal would also require ground and flight training to teach pilots how to recognize and recover from stalls and aircraft upsets, while pilots with performance deficiencies such as failing a proficiency test or check, or unsatisfactory performance during flight training or a simulator course would have to go through remedial training.
“The United States has the world’s safest aviation system, but we are continually seeking ways to make it even safer,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “This proposal will make U.S. pilots and other crewmembers even better-equipped to handle any emergency they may encounter.”
SNPRM, which addresses comments from the January 2009 proposal and provisions laid out in the Airline Safety and Federal Aviation Administration Extension Act of 2010, would use pilot flight simulation training devices, as pilots would be required to complete special hazard training in addition to practicing the use of crew resource management skills.
Furthermore, flight attendants would need to complete hands-on emergency drills every 12 months, and the proposal would standardize the training and experience requirements for certain dispatchers and instructors.
