August 22, 2016
Safety and Training: Partners in Advancing Aviation
The Air Safety Organization’s Joint Safety and Training Council meeting convened under the leadership of Captain Brian Moynihan (Alaska) on Monday. Joined with elements of the Aircraft Design and Operation (ADO) and Air Traffic Services (ATS) groups, the council covered a diverse docket of topics, including:
- ab-initio training efforts,
- airline flight operating software,
- environmental hazards in aircraft,
- Visual Approach Working Group updates,
- reduced and augmented crew operations, and
- electronic flight bags (EFBs).
First Officer Todd Lisak (JetBlue) discussed airline ab-initio training efforts, and the lessons learned in his MEC’s tracking of the JetBlue Gateway Select program.
Retired Delta Captain Dan Handlin led a discussion on the concept of the “airline flight operating system,” an airline’s collection of procedures and support tools for pilots developed over time. He also covered the application of new operational methodologies that promote efficient air carrier operations, namely practices that address human cognitive needs and capabilities.
Captains Bob Avery (FedEx) and Eric Tellmann (Spirit) discussed environmental hazards in aircraft, like problems associated with recirculated cabin air and “fume events.”
Captains Marc Henegar (Alaska) and John Drexler (United) of the Air Traffic Services Group discussed how line pilot could better handle visual approaches to airports and unusual situations they face, like controller-initiated go-arounds.
Randall Bailey of NASA Langley Research Center presented research on reduced crew operations, discussing new concepts and technologies to reduce workload on flight crews for long-haul flights. He also reviewed problem-solving automation to tackle issues that may arise in flight, as well as glimpses into future studies on pilot incapacitation.
Captain Ken Plunkett (Delta) covered developments, procedures, and policies regarding EFBs, the current discussions about implementing own-ship position in flight on the EFB’s moving map, and pilot training—especially as it applies to charting products and their translation to digital format (such as difficult-to-find warnings and notes that are easy to see on paper charts).
Plunkett also provided several examples of instrument approach and departure plates as seen through various EFBs and situations where digital products can cause additional pilot workload, including possible hardware problems like power management, overheating, and the need to mitigate smoke or fire.
The joint sessions also covered viewing limitations of using a single screen, including the rare instance of flying an engine-out terrain-avoidance procedure, charts reflecting new procedure changes, or software issues associated with the source document’s design.
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