Training Pilots for Resilience
Resilience training is not a new concept in aviation. It was introduced in mandatory Crew Resource Management (CRM) training for pilots a few years ago. Resilience is built on a pilot’s confidence and competencies. But what if they did not fly for many weeks or months?With many aircraft returning to service following the massive fleet grounding our industry has faced as a result of the COVID-19 crisis, it is a good time to highlight the importance of resilience training.
Preparing Flight Crews to Face Unexpected Events
During an approach at night-time into Glasgow Airport, the crew of an easyJet A319 experienced a strong cross-wind and turbulent conditions, which created a WINDSHEAR alert and led them to perform a go-around.As they did this, PFD information including Flight Modes Annunciator, Flight Director bars, and characteristic speeds all disappeared from both PFDs. In addition, the rudder travel limiter function became unavailable, and the auto-thrust disconnected. The crew was facing a very challenging situation, and needed to use their training in back-to-basics flying and efficient Crew Resource Management.
Learning from the evidence
In September 2014, Airbus will inaugurate its new A350 pilots Type-Rating course. The drivers for this development were both the EBT (Evidence-Based Training) principles and an analysis of natural learning mechanisms.