Page 11 - AAA SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2013 Online Magazine

FEATURE AVIATION TRAINING

“ThE GREAT NEEd FOR AVIATION the accident rate. Since the late 1940s,
personnel is a global issue, but it’s hitting commercial aviation organisations
the Asia-Pacific region particularly hard,” worldwide have made major investments
says Bob Bellitto, global sales director, in pilot training, with the aim of improving
Boeing Flight Services. Bellitto notes that safety. Most of these have been on a
some airlines are already experiencing piecemeal basis, with little coordination
delays and operational interruptions of efforts across the various organisations
because they don’t have enough and states. As the International Civil
qualified pilots. Surging economies and Aviation Organisation (ICAO) notes in
a proliferation of LCCs and smaller a report, although these initiatives have
regional operators across Southeast Asia generally met with success, they stretch
are driving demand for the people who sit the resources of individual organisations
in the front seats. and may result in divergent solutions to
“Airlines and training providers need shared challenges; moreover, they cannot
new and more engaging ways to fill the benefit from the synergies that can result
pipeline of pilots and technicians for the through a combined, coordinated effort.
future,” he adds. Major operators such as The ICAO calls for what it calls a
Etihad Airways are growing so fast they “paradigm shift through a sustained
buy simulators almost by the dozen. “The collaborative effort” in the way pilot
pilot training requirements for Etihad training is implemented. The IATA
Airways, as well as members of our equity Training and Qualification Initiative
alliance, continue to grow,” said James (ITQI), launched in 2007, aims to provide
Hogan, Etihad Airways President and civil aviation with the tools to develop
CEO. “We place great emphasis on the more effective recruitment, selection
efficiency of our operations and the safety and training processes for pilots and
of our passengers and […] will be using maintenance staff. It also addresses
the most advanced training technologies proposals to introduce Evidence
for the broadest range of aircraft types. Based Training (EBT) to the training
The construction work at [our] training syllabus, and new competency levels
academy will double its size and eventually for instructors and evaluators. And at
house 11 full-flight simulators and be a workshop in Paris, the International
among the best in the world.” Federation of Airline Pilots’
Although it is true that advances in Associations (IFALPA) developed a set
training and aircraft design have made of best practices, including instructor
commercial aviation the safest mode standards, to provide for the most
of public transport, a recent spate of effective pilot training programmes.
moderately significant accidents has put
the spotlight on pilot training around the New approach
world. Questions are being asked about Devising a standard set of best-practice
type training, about airtime hours, and rules is important, but making the rules
about the validity of simulator training a reality is just as important. One of the
when applied to real-life situations – such significant players in the region, CAE
as the recent Asiana crash short of the Oxford Aviation Academy, is also trying
runway at San Francisco. to make the path to the right-hand seat
So the goal of the trainers is to more accessible and engaging, as well as
make it even safer by further reducing safer, per Bellitto’s mantra. The company

Boeing estimates the industry will need
185,000 new pilots in the Asia-Pacific region
alone; China will make up 71,300 of those

– Boeing Industry Report, 2013
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