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FAA proposes changes to pilot and flight crew training
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05/11/11 02:00 PM ET
The Federal Aviation Administration announced Wednesday proposed changes to flight-crew training procedures that it says will make the U.S. aviation system safer.
Pilots and flight crews would be required to train in "real world" scenarios, similar to the way many states test automobile drivers in live traffic. Pilots and flight attendants would train as a complete flight crew and their tests would be based of recent events.
Training for flight dispatchers would be enhanced too, and remedial training would be required for personnel who fail proficiency tests.
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said the recommendation was part of an overall effort to improve the aviation system, not a response to any recent incidents. A recent spate of napping air traffic controllers prompted hand-wringing in Washington and a series of management changes and reforms.
“The United States has the world’s safest aviation system, but we are continually seeking ways to make it even safer,” LaHood. “This proposal will make U.S. pilots and other crewmembers even better-equipped to handle any emergency they may encounter.”
FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt called the proposal the "most significant changes to air carrier training in 20 years.”
“This is a major effort to strengthen the performance of pilots, flight attendants and dispatchers through better training,” Babbitt said.
The chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.), had said that the FAA needed to make big changes after all the problems it has had in recent weeks.
“Incidents of near misses and close calls, and serious mishaps that have been reported — I am just a little concerned that our luck may be running out,” Mica told The Dallas Morning News last month.
Mica said the aviation system was "almost overdue for some kind of an incident.”
Pilots and flight crews would be required to train in "real world" scenarios, similar to the way many states test automobile drivers in live traffic. Pilots and flight attendants would train as a complete flight crew and their tests would be based of recent events.
Training for flight dispatchers would be enhanced too, and remedial training would be required for personnel who fail proficiency tests.
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said the recommendation was part of an overall effort to improve the aviation system, not a response to any recent incidents. A recent spate of napping air traffic controllers prompted hand-wringing in Washington and a series of management changes and reforms.
“The United States has the world’s safest aviation system, but we are continually seeking ways to make it even safer,” LaHood. “This proposal will make U.S. pilots and other crewmembers even better-equipped to handle any emergency they may encounter.”
FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt called the proposal the "most significant changes to air carrier training in 20 years.”
“This is a major effort to strengthen the performance of pilots, flight attendants and dispatchers through better training,” Babbitt said.
The chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.), had said that the FAA needed to make big changes after all the problems it has had in recent weeks.
“Incidents of near misses and close calls, and serious mishaps that have been reported — I am just a little concerned that our luck may be running out,” Mica told The Dallas Morning News last month.
Mica said the aviation system was "almost overdue for some kind of an incident.”
