ECA Cockpit News May

Pilot Training Compass: Back to the future

Ever since the first take-off of a manned aircraft 110 years ago aviation has been undergoing constant change. Increasing automation, proliferation of technology, complex regulations and tighter budgets are affecting aviation and the demands on the profession of an airline pilot. To identify how pilot training should look like now and in the future, ECA has published a report called: “Pilot training compass: Back to the future”.
Published on 28 Feb., the “Compass” reflects the vision of pilots and pilot training experts and identifies several key principles of flight training: early investment in good basic flying skills, fluency in critical manoeuvres and more time for training rather than checking.
Today’s tasks of an airline pilot range from pure handling of the aircraft to managing the whole event of a commercial flight which requires a completely different set of skills. Being able to switch between skill sets as rapidly and frequently as the circumstances require is nowadays a prerequisite for any professional pilot. Yet, basic flying skills remain the basis of the pilot profession.
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Download “Pilot Training Compass: Back to the future” (pdf)
Visit the new Pilot Training page

Aviation is about safety, people and economy

 
Aviation is often discussed along the economy vs. safety continuum. Yet, between the ends of this spectrum is an even more important entity: the people. Millions of passengers as well as more than 8 million workers worldwide are directly affected by the dynamics of the civil aviation industry. It is against this background that governments, employers and employees met during the Global Dialogue Forum of the International Labor Organization (ILO) to discuss the impact of the economic crisis on the civil aviation industry.
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New Occurrence Reporting rules enhance aviation safety

 
It’s common sense that safety should never be brought down to only regulatory requirements. Yet, boardroom decisions and regulations are a cornerstone for safety and the latest Occurrence Reporting Regulation proposal adopted by the European Commission in December 2012 is exemplary of why such legislation is vital for aviation safety. 
Before an accident occurs quite often a number of incidents and other occurrences would have already indicated the existence of a safety hazard. It is therefore crucial that the inevitable single errors, mishaps and incidents are timely reported and data is properly collected and analysed. This is precisely why the newly proposed legislation is so important for pilots and safety professionals.
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