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Aviation History
1995
1995 - 1418.PDF
PILOT TRAINING Low-cost measures Agreeing to new training regulations is one thing — being able to afford them is another. GRAHAM WARWICK/ATLANTA Regional airlines have long hoped for advances in technology which would make flight simulation more affordable. Now US regulatory changes are planned which will make simulator training for all airlines com pulsory, regardless of size. The drive for low- cost simulation has taken on a new urgency. Two crashes in late 1994 galvanised a rewriting of the rule books governing region al-airline safety. As a result, all commuter car riers will be required to train their pilots in simulators, rather than in the aircraft. This is expected to reduce accidents, not only by eliminating unnecessary flying, but also by allowing more demanding training to be con ducted in the safety of the simulator. Many regional airlines already conduct much of their training in simulators, but the goal of industry-wide use has been held back by cost. Although prices have dropped in recent years, a flight simulator can still rep resent an investment greater than the air craft it represents. Even before the crashes, an industry-led initiative was under way to determine how much training normally performed in an expensive full-flight simulator could be accomplished in a less costly flight-training device (FTD). The initiative, taken by Canadian FTD manufacturer Atlantis Aerospace and IVEX, a US manufacturer of low-cost visual systems, called for the scientific study of the training possible in a visual-equipped FTD. The study involves Florida-based Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and Delta Air Lines. Atlanta, Georgia-based Delta is providing both FTDs and pilots for the study. Embry- Riddle is supplying pilots and the scientific analysis. The US Federal Aviation Administration's National Simulator FTDs can cut training costs Programme, based in Atlanta, is monitoring the study closely. Ironically, the FTD was conceived as a device to bring the benefits of simulation to the regional-airline industry. In fact, while major airlines have embraced the use of FTDs, regionals have virtually ignored them. The problem lies with the reduced training possible in a lower-fidelity machine. LEVELS OF SIMULATION The FAA specifies four levels of flight simula tor, the highest of which, Levels C and D, allow most or all training to be conducted in the simulator. In addition, there are seven lev els of flight-training device, distinguished by increasing fidelity and capability. A Level 6 FTD, for example, provides an accurate rep resentation of a specific aircraft's cockpit lay out and flying characteristics. Where FTDs have found application is in training programmes where their use is inte grated with that of full-flight simulators. Among US airlines, Delta has been in the forefront of FTD use. The result of integrat- FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 17 - 23 May 1995 31
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