Special Report The Future of Pilot Training FlightSafety International’s new Operational Day Flow training system lets pilots learn the aircraft’s systems by practicing simulated flights with realistic failures and distractions instead of rote memorization. ON THE FLY The Future of Pilot Training FAA Views Stall Training As Critical Part of Pilot Education by Matt Thurber The flight in the Citation started out the new protocol, which emphasizes initial training or their training for pilot normally enough. A takeoff followed reducing angle of attack as the primary certificates. Rather, “it is important to by steep turns, slow flight, stall recog- means of stall recovery. This protocol reinforce this basic training throughout nition and recovery, then descend and is in marked contrast to the FAA’s ear- their careers.” It’s also important that level off before reaching the final ap- lier advice, which was to try not to lose some pilots “may need to unlearn pre- proach fix. Everything was going well, altitude and to use power to recover vious stall recovery procedures based at least from my viewpoint in the copi- from a stall event. on their prior experience.” In any case, lot’s chair. The air was smooth as silk, The FAA doesn’t identify the ac- the FAA added, stall training should be and my captain’s touch on the controls cidents on which it based the changes either standalone or part of other train- rock steady, although at this point we in AC 120-109, but it’s clear that the ing areas, and approach-to-stall and stick were back on autopilot. agency was galvanized into action by pusher (if applicable) training should be Suddenly, the control column vi- the Colgan Air Flight 3407 Q400 ac- part of initial, transition, requalification, brated rapidly. Stick-shaker! That cident near Buffalo, N.Y., on Feb. 12, differences, conversion, upgrade and re- means stall! Realizing the mistake, 2009, and the loss of the A330 op- current training. my captain simultaneously clicked erating Air France Flight 447 in the The FAA notes that full-motion flight off the autopilot and pushed the nose Atlantic Ocean on June 1, 2009. Both simulators can be used for approach-to-stall forward to unload the wings and then involved stalls, although the circum- training, but instructors and pilots must be added power. The unobservant copi- stances were not similar. In any familiar with the limitations of the simula- lot (that was me) had failed to notice case, according to the FAA, “A the loss of airspeed after we leveled growing causal factor in LOC U.S. Department off and I also neglected to let my dis- [loss-of-control] accidents is the of Transportation Advisory Federal Aviation tracted captain know that we needed pilot’s inappropriate reaction to Administration Circular Subject: Stall and Stick Pusher Training to add power. the first indication of a stall or Date: 8/6/12 AC No: 120-109 Initiated by: AFS-200 Change: Luckily, this flight was not in a stick pusher event.” Another The information contained in this advisory circular (AC) was developed based on a review of recommended practices developed by major airp real airplane but in a FlightSafety stall-related accident, in which carriers, training organizations, simulator lane manufacturers, labor organizations, air organizations. This AC does not provide guidamanufacturers, and industry representative Citation simulator, and I learned an the pilots failed to add power industry and government stakeholders are now nce for full aerodynamic stall training, which revised to include that guidance. developing. Once developed, this AC will be excellent lesson about what I should after leveling off during an ap- The goal of this AC is to provide best practic for pilots, within existing regulations, to ensurees and guidance for training, testing, and checking be watching when flying as copi- proach, was the Circuit City stall warnings and stick pusher correct and consistent responses to unexpected activations. This AC emphasizes (AOA) at the first indication of a reducing the angle of attack stall as the primary means of appr lot and also how to apply the FAA’s Citation 560 crash in Pueblo, Additionally, this AC provides guidance for operators and training oach-to-stall or stall recovery. new recommendations on stall train- Colo., on Feb. 16, 2005. stall and stick pusher event training. centers in the development of Core principals of this AC include: ing. That advice comes in the form of • Reduction of AOA is the most important respon Advisory Circular 120-109 “Stall and Reinforcement of Basic • Evaluation criteria for a recovery from a sta se when confronted with a stall event. predetermined value for altitude loss and s ll or approach-to-stall that does not mandate a internal variables which aff hould consider the multitude of external and Stick Pusher Training,” a comprehen- Training Needed ect the recovery altitude. (Reference: Safety Alerts for Operators (SAFO) 10012, Possible Misinterpretation of the sive resource that came out just before The FAA emphasized in the (PTS) Language “Minimal Loss of Altitude”). Practical Test Standards • Realistic scenarios that could be encountered in operational cond my training session. The FlightSafety AC that stall training should not encountered with the autopilot engaged. itions including stalls • Pilot training which emphasizes treating an “appr and execute the stall recovery at oach-to-stall” the same as a “full stall,” folks didn’t waste any time adopting be considered just a part of pilots’ the first indication of a stall. • Incorporation of stick pusher training into flight training scenarios, if installed on the aircraft. /s/ for John M. Allen Director, Flight Standards Service XX I BJT april_may 2014 I bjtonline.com ON THE FLY The Future of Pilot Training tor “to mitigate negative training.” The so on). At high altitudes, stall recovery to permit the reduction in AOA even at skills covered by the curriculum should may require thousands of feet.” low altitudes.” include takeoff or maneuvering, clean In the Colgan Air Flight 3407 The concept of “startle” is also and landing configuration approach-to- accident, after the stick shaker acti- a factor in many incidents and ac- stalls; scenarios that include level flight vated and the autopilot disconnected, cidents, according to the FAA. “Al- with bank angles of 25 to 30 degrees, the captain reacted with “startle and though it may be difficult to create the manual and autopilot control, visual confusion,” according to the NTSB. physiological response of startle in and instrument flight conditions, Even though the pusher activated the training environment, if achieved, high and low altitudes and various three times, the captain pulled back startle events may provide a powerful weight-and-balance conditions. on the yoke and raised the nose to 19 lesson for the crew. The goal of us- Also important are emphasis degrees nose-up pitch, resulting in ing startle in training is to provide the items that cover such subjects as the loss of control. crew with a startle experience that al- “abrupt pitch up and trim change The FAA wants pilots who fly air- lows for the effective recovery of the commonly associated when the auto- planes equipped with stick pushers to airplane. Considerable care should be pilot unexpectedly disconnects dur- undergo academic training and flight used in startle training to avoid nega- ing a stall event. This dramatic pitch training in a full-flight simulator. “It tive learning.” and trim change typically repres- is important for pilots to experience “The FAA is making a serious ents an unexpected physical chal- the sudden forward movement of the push these days for different types of lenge to the pilot when trying to control wheel during a stick-pusher stall recoveries as they relate to re- reduce AOA [angle of attack]. In activation. From observations, most cent accidents,” said Richard Sears, some airplanes, this may be exac- instructors state that, regardless of founder of Carlsbad, Calif.-based erbated by an additional pitch up previous academic training, pilots (on Citation training provider Loft. The when the pilot increases thrust dur- their first encounter with a stick push- company offers training in both a ing stall recovery.” er) usually resist the stick pusher and full-motion simulator and Citations, Another critical emphasis item is immediately pull back on the control as well as upset recovery and stall fundamental to the whole issue of stall wheel rather than releasing pressure training in an Aero Vodochody L-39. training: “Reducing AOA is the prop- as they have been taught. Therefore, Among other things, the L-39 is used er way to recover from a stall event. pilots should receive practical stick is to teach students how to deal with Pilots must accept that reducing the pusher training in a FFS to develop the the startle factor that results when the au- airplane’s AOA may often result in proper response (allowing the pusher topilot suddenly shuts off during a stall. altitude loss. The amount of altitude to reduce AOA) when confronted with “What we’ve done is to incorporate real- loss will be affected by the airplane’s a stick-pusher activation. Stick-pusher life events,” he said. “I think the FAA and operational environment (entry alti- training should be completed as a dem- training companies are understanding the tude, airplane weight, density altitude, onstration/practice exercise, including need for real-world [training], and we’re bank angle, airplane configuration and repetitions, until the pilot’s reaction is in agreement with that. n XX I BJT april_may 2014 I bjtonline.com ON THE FLY The Future of Pilot Training Training for a lifetime of safe piloting by Matt Thurber Recurrent training–and the way At last year’s NBAA Convention, Recurrent Training it is delivered–could hold the key the Safety Committee released a doc- Because the SMS helps identify to improving training for busi- ument that summarizes the problems threats, it is ideally suited to help ness aviation pilots, according to with business aviation pilot training operators discover areas where train- the NBAA Training Advisory Com- and offers solutions.