ALERT LEVELS

1
SAFETY IN FLYING TRAINING
Juris Ignatovics Head of Training, ERIVA FTO
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OVERVIEW

• What we miss in our safety procedures
• Airmanship vs Procedures
• What is in regulations?
• Proposed safety procedures
• Proper identification of training threats
• Importance of CRM principles
• Things to improve

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ACCIDENT P2006T, YL-SVN

• Very experienced and disciplined examiner
• Qualified student (almost CPL-holder)
• Brand-new modern airplane
• WHY THEY CRASHED???

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THREATS

• General threats
• Applicable for all flights
• Counteracted by training, regulations, general
  airmanship
• Example engine failure on SE airplane,
  counteracted by specific training and minimum
  altitude regulations
• Flying training-specific threats
• Applicable only for flying training activities
• Counteracted by instructors training and
  experience, school procedures
• Example unexpected control input by the student,
  counteracted by overtaking of the controls by
  instructor
• Excercise-specific threats

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EXERCISE-SPECIFIC THREATS

• Counteracted only by instructors airmanship and
  skill, maximum by school procedures
• No regulatory guidances exist to assist
  instructors!
• Example
• Unusual attitudes exercise
• How far we can go in terms of pitch, bank,
  airspeed?
• PA-28 airplane operated by Patria Pilot Training
  (leading FTO in Finland) crashed after airframe
  overstressing during unusual attitudes training
• MORE EXAMPLES IN A MOMENT...

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THIS PRESENTATION IS NOT ABOUT

• Discipline
• If somebody ignores any kind of rules, new set
  of limitations will not change anything
• General airmanship
• Absolutely necessary but airmanship alone is too
  general and person-dependant, therefore it
  doesnt work very well for training threats
• General hazards
• Real problems during training flights are pretty
  rare compared to instructor / student induced
• ALL THAT IS REQUIRED AND SHALL BE TEACHED BUT
  THIS IS SEPARATE TOPIC

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WHY EXISTING SYSTEM FAILS?

• What safety measures specifically related to
  flight training are in place around the industry?
• Schools procedures ATO-SPECIFIC
• Instructors initial and recurrent training
  ATO-SPECIFIC
• Instructors standartization ATO-SPECIFIC
• Pre-flight briefings INSTRUCTORS-SPECIFIC
• Judgement and airmanship CREW-SPECIFIC
• Nothing in the list is INDUSTRY-WIDE

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BRIEFINGS, TEM, PLANNING ETC...

• CURRENT POPULAR SAFETY MEASURES CANNOT ACT
  AGAINST EXERCISE-SPECIFIC THREAT!
• Briefings are useful only if specific procedure
  is defined
• Example airline operations
• Operator has very detailed operating manuals
  (OM-A, OM-B)
• Briefings are conducted on basis of operating
  manuals
• Examiners are airline-stndartized and shall
  strictly follow procedures
• Planning is strategic tool, not tactical
• Good weather, airspace compliance or MBL in
  limits cannot prevent airframe overstressing
  doing unusual attitudes

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BRIEFINGS, TEM, PLANNING ETC...

• Threat and Error Management (TEM) theory
• Very good safety tool, BUT...
• It is too general
• Its application heavily depends on individual
• And it is still ATO or Instructor specific

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AIRMANSHIP vs PROCEDURES

• Currently great emphasis is placed on
  instructors / student airmanship as an accident
  prevention tool
• This could be similar to an airline without
  detailed operations manual (OM-A, OM-B)
• Airline captain (ATPL holder) in most cases has
  much more experience and airmanship than school
  instructor BUT...
• HE IS REQUIRED TO OPERATE AIRPLANE STRICTLY IN
  ACCORDANCE WITH LIMITATIONS SET OUT IN THE
  MANUALS!
• AIRMANSHIP IS SUPPLEMENTARY TO PROCEDURES, NOT
  THE REPLACEMENT

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WHAT IS IN THE REGULATIONS?

• AMC1 ORA.ATO.230(a)
• TRAINING manuals for use at an ATO conducting
  integrated or modular flight training courses
  should include the following
• (a)(8) Safety training
• - individual responsibilities
• - essential exercises
• - emergency drills (frequency)
• - dual checks (frequency at various stages)
• - requirements before first solo flights
• THIS TRAINING COVERS GENERAL THREATS(i.e. real
  fire or engine failure)

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WHAT IS IN THE REGULATIONS?

• AMC1 ORA.ATO.230(b)
• OPERATIONS manual for use at an ATO conducting
  integrated or modular flight training courses
  should include the following
• (b) Technical
• - aircraft descriptive notes
• - aircraft handling (checklists, limitations,
  ...)
• - emergency procedures
• - radio and radio navigation aids
• - allowable deficiencies
• THESE PROCEDURES AGAIN COVERS GENERAL THREATS
  (i.e. real failures, icing etc.)

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WHAT IS IN THE REGULATIONS?

• ARA.FCL.210 Information for examiners
• The competent authority may provide examiners it
  has certified and examiners certified by other
  competent authorities exercising their privileges
  in their territory with safety criteria to be
  observed when skill tests and proficiency checks
  are conducted in an aircraft.
• THIS COULD BE EXACTLY WHAT WE NEED BUT THAT
  INFORMATION IS TARGETED ONLY TO EXAMINERS...

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WHY WE NEED COMMON SAFETY STANDARDS?

• EXAMPLE STALL TRAINING ON MEP AIRPLANE
• (ME airplanes are not tested for spin recovery)
• Based on risk assessment, ATO procedures
  prescribe initiation of recovery on first
  indication of stall (i.e. aural stall warning)
• Student havent experienced full stall during
  training and therefore is not prepared for it
• Examiner has different interpretation of stall
  training and requests a developed stall
  demonstration from the student
• Examiner may not realize that student has never
  done full stall
• RISK OF STALL/SPIN DEVELOPMENT

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WHY WE NEED COMMON SAFETY STANDARDS?

• DIFFERENCES BETWEEN DIFFERENT INSTRUCTORS, ATOs
  AND EXAMINERS HOW SPECIFIC EXERCISES ARE FLOWN
• Minimum altitude for stalls
• Limits for unusual attitudes
• BIFM advanced exercises IMC or VMC?
• Stall recovery initiation (VFR, IFR, SEP, MEP)
• Simulated engine failure procedures (SEP, MEP)
• OEI exercises on MEP airplanes
• Actual engine shutdown or simulated (idle
  thrust)?
• Minimum altitudes or other safety considerations
• Safety in cross-country flights (ELT, FPL, Fuel,
  Daylight)
• Night flying safety (Altitudes, Fuel, Safety
  Equipment etc.)

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EVERYBODY SHALL BE INVOLVED!

• Authority
• Publishes safety procedures and guidelines
• Examiners
• Know what to ask and expect from the student
• ATOs and instructors
• Operate in accordance with safety guidelines
• Students
• Act as a last defence line, i.e. dont accept
  unsafe practices
• CAA guidelines shall be available to students!

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INFORMATION CHAIN

• SAFETY PROCEDURES AND GUIDELINES
• ?
• DISTRIBUTION OF INFORMATION
• ?
• TRAINING OF INSTRUCTORS AND EXAMINERS
• ?
• TEM, SAFETY BRIEFINGS
• ?
• SAFE TRAINING

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SOME PROCEDURE EXAMPLES

• SEP stall exercises
• Full Stall and Incipient Spin exercises may be
  performed only on airplanes certified in utility
  category
• SEP simulated engine failure exercises
• Shall be terminated not later than reaching 500
  ft height AGL
• MEP OEI (One Engine Inop) exercises
• Actual engine shut-downs may be performed not
  lower than 2500 ft AGL, at a safe (cruising)
  speed
• Speed shall never drop below Vyse (blue line)
• Instructor shall be ready to reduce power on
  remaining engine in case of any controlability
  problems

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PROPER IDENTIFICATION OF THREATS

• We shall identify and prioritize threats
  properly
• It would be useless to name too many threats for
  any specific exercise, some of them may be
  overlooked
• The key threat may be masked with secondary or
  obvious tasks
• EXAMPLE Simulation of engine failure on MEP
  airplane
• Watch altitude
• Guard controls of operating engine
• Monitor engine instruments
• Perform good look-out
• Monitor speed
• Apply carburator heat
• TOO MANY TASKS and THEY ARE TOO GENERAL...

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PROPER IDENTIFICATION OF THREATS

• More safety-efficient approach
• Name 1-2 threats or tasks, be specific
• EXAMPLE Simulation of engine failure on MEP
  airplane
• Guard controls of operating engine, reduce power
  in case of controlability issues
• Monitor speed not below Vyse (blue line)
• Also
• Poor OEI performance of MEP airplanes is not a
  training-specific threat

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WHAT ELSE COULD HELP?

• CRM principles
• SEP training
• Call-outs during taxi(i.e. Left side / Right
  side clear)
• Call-outs during takeoff (Speed alive / Checked)
• MEP training, additionally
• Confirmation of engine controls / switches during
  securing the failed engine
• FAILURE TO OBTAIN CONFIRMATION FROM THE
  INSTRUCTOR / EXAMINER BEFORE OPERATING FAILED
  ENGINE CONTROLS SHALL BE CONSIDERED AS A SERIOUS
  THREAT AND SERIOUS ERROR BY THE STUDENT

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THINGS TO IMPROVE...

• Safety procedures shall be produced for everyone
  involved in flight training or checking
  activities
• Examiners
• ATOs
• Instructors
• Students
• Airspace shall be available for safety-critical
  training exercises
• Not far from training aerodromes
• With more flexible attitude from LGS and minimum
  formalities
• Foreign examiners shall be briefed about local
  airspace and training procedures

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ABOUT AIRMANSHIP

• CAA-ISSUED GUIDANCE WOULD BE USEFUL ON SOME
  SUBJECTS
• Carburator heat operation
• Too many carb ice accidents in Latvia for the
  hours flown
• Still unsatisfactory related knowledge and
  procedures observed by the students
• Fuel planning
• Students try to plan flights with 30..45 min.
  final res. fuel, no contingency fuel, no extra
  fuel
• Unrealistic book cruise performance figures,
  which underestimates real fuel consumption by 10
  and overestimates airspeed by 5 at average
• Emergency briefings
• Bad discipline for emergency briefings
• Often unrelated to real conditions, excessive or
  with decision-making errors

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QUESTIONS?