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(b) Integrated Lesson Plans. The sample matrix provided in Appendix 2 shows a breakdown of a sample TCO in terms of individual core topics. While some providers structure their TCO in this manner, this sample matrix is not meant to imply that this method is required.
Rather, the sample matrix is designed to provide understanding of the FAA’s intent for the minimum hour assurance. The FAA recognizes that some FIRC providers integrate various core topics in theme-based lessons that combine the topics over several segments. In that case, the FAA would expect the FIRC application to contain a Minimum Hour Assurance Plan Matrix that corresponds to the structure of the TCO.
(c) Lesson Presentation Period Integrity. All attendees must open and view each lesson. To facilitate this training standard, the provider’s online automation courseware (learning management system (LMS)) must ensure that the attendee views and completes each lesson in its entirety without skipping any portion. Audio/video, aural, and text lesson presentations must contain and present a cumulative period of no less than 720 minutes (12 hours) of the FIRC’s 16-hour minimum course content (see Appendix 2). If the attendee exits the lesson anywhere before the end, he or she must return to the point of exit and complete the lesson. The provider’s LMS (courseware) will determine the point of exit from an incomplete lesson.
(2) Source Materials. The source of all study materials used to support the course element that would appear on the Internet, and a description of all drawings, mockups, demos, or links used by the provider in the course.
(3) Identity Verification. The methodology proposed to determine the identity of course participants at logon and during navigation of the lessons, including intentional or unintentional disruption of the lesson flow. Additionally, the TCO must describe methodologies proposed to prevent multiple concurrent logons by a course participant for the purpose of viewing or printing material during inappropriate stages of the lesson.
(4) Testing Materials Security. A statement that the provider will ensure that flight instructor renewal applicants are not given access to any completion test(s) until the course materials for which the test is applicable have been satisfactorily completed. This statement must include an explanation that the provider’s LMS will ensure that the test will remain inaccessible to the attendee until the attendee completes the prerequisite lesson(s).
(5) FAA Access. The methodology proposed to allow the FAA access to course materials, tests, and test results for the express purpose of reviewing and monitoring the course as deemed appropriate by the FAA.
(6) Online Attendee List Availability. A statement that the provider will, upon request, provide the FAA a listing of all Internet FIRC program participants that contains, at a minimum, the provider’s name and location, the instructor attendee’s name, identification number or code, the date(s) the course was administered, and the completion status of all course participants.
(7) Data Security. Methodologies proposed to ensure data availability, integrity, confidentiality, and accountability for course materials, participant information, and lesson plans.
(8) Certificate Renewal Methodology. If appropriate, the manner in which the provider will process applications for flight instructor certificate renewal.
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(9) Revisions. The manner in which the provider will present future revisions to the approved TCO. The FAA must approve these revisions before they are included in the online program.
(10) Other Information. Any other information the provider may consider necessary or appropriate by the FAA during development of the online program.
11. TESTING PROCEDURES.
a. Minimum Testing Standards. The most effective practical method for assessing the retention of material presented during the FIRC is a knowledge test. This is most frequently in the form of multiple choice questions, although some providers employ essay questions or a mixture of both. All are acceptable methods of providing quantitative data reflecting the CFI’s current state of knowledge in specific areas. The expectation of a test at the conclusion of any course of study will motivate a student to increased levels of attention. It is no different at a FIRC. The mission of a FIRC is to ensure that the attendees take with them what the providers give them in terms of practical knowledge and a safe operational mindset. It is incumbent upon the FIRC providers to take this aspect of the FIRC very seriously and design their tests in light of this mission. Tests should be sufficiently demanding so the exam provides a true measurement of knowledge transfer from the course to the attendee. Tests should be reflective of the material presented. The provider should not ask any question that does not relate to the course material. A minimum passing score is 70 percent. Since the mission is knowledge transfer, providers may retrain deficient attendees to 100 percent if they choose to, provided that they give adequate retraining in the attendee’s deficient areas. The provider needs to retest attendees who receive additional retraining only on the deficient areas; however, the questions used for the makeup test portions must be different from the ones first answered incorrectly.
b. Test Questions. Written tests will consist of a minimum of 60 multiple choice questions relating to the material covered. Providers may, and are encouraged to, use more if they choose.
Providers may give a single final test of 60 questions, or they may break out 30 of those 60 questions into smaller units given at different times during the 16-hour program. The remaining minimum of 30 questions must be in the form of a comprehensive final test given at the conclusion of the training. This final test, or at least 20 of the questions if the provider uses all 60 questions in the final test, must be comprehensive and reflect all of the material presented throughout the entire 16-hour course.
c. Alternative Testing. Providers may use methods other than multiple choice questions for testing. An acceptable alternative would be essay questions. In such a case, the provider must conduct at least 50 percent of the total testing at the conclusion of the FIRC program. These tests must be comprehensive in nature, covering all of the material presented throughout the entire course. True/false questions do not meet FIRC testing standards and the FAA will not authorize them. Note that a provider may use true/false questions for lesson pretesting, as some providers use pretesting as a teaching technique. Providers may explore other methods of testing; however, they must coordinate with AFS-800 and must provide sufficient justification for deviation from the standard methods.
Par 11 Page 27 NOTE: Because of the inherent flexibility in taking an Internet-based FIRC, Internet FIRC providers may employ testing at the end of each module as an alternative. No fewer than 5 questions per module will be acceptable, and the total of all questions must meet or exceed the minimum of 60 questions.
(See subparagraph 11g.)
d. Oral Testing. Providers may use oral testing to supplement retention assessment as an adjunct to written tests. However, oral testing may not supplant or replace written tests. Oral testing is optional on the part of the individual provider. Written testing, as described in this section, is mandatory for all providers.
e. Test Records Retention. Providers will retain all versions of each attendee’s tests, to include any failing tests if applicable, in a secure location for a period of 2 years and will make them available to the FAA on demand. Test storage may be digital.
f. Conventional In-Person FIRC Testing. Providers should design exams to test the retention of a range of information provided during the FIRC program. Therefore, the provider should not give instructor attendees the written tests nor allow instructor attendees to complete them during class subject sessions presentations. Attendees should not be permitted to compare responses while the tests are being administered or to grade their own tests. Providers will retrieve and retain all copies of the tests in a secure location at the conclusion of the testing period. Attendees will not be allowed to take them with them when they leave. The chief instructor or assistant chief instructor is responsible for ensuring compliance with these requirements and that test integrity is not compromised. Providers may retest attendees to 100 percent if they choose to, provided that they give adequate retraining for the attendee’s deficient areas. Attendees who receive retraining on deficient areas need only be retested on those specific areas; however, the questions used for the makeup test portions must be different from the ones first answered incorrectly.
g. Distance Learning or Internet FIRC Testing. When a provider presents a distance or Internet FIRC in a lesson-by-lesson manner (as opposed to stages found in a conventional in-person FIRC program), a written test consisting of at least five multiple choice questions relating to the material covered in each lesson should be administered following each lesson. The total number of questions for the course must meet or exceed 60. A minimum score of 70 percent is required for satisfactory completion of each test administered. A score of less than 70 percent will require the attendee to restudy the material and retake the test for that lesson. The programming may not allow the attendee to proceed until the attendee achieves that minimum score. Providers may retest online attendees to 100 percent if they choose to, provided that they give adequate retraining specific to the attendee’s deficient areas. Attendees who receive retraining on deficient areas need only be retested on those specific areas; however, the questions used for the makeup test portions must be different from the ones first answered incorrectly.
A second score of less than 70 percent on any specific lesson will require contact with the course provider for instructions on how to proceed. No two Internet-based tests can be identical. The provider must randomize tests between attendees and with individual attendees taking FIRCs at a later date.
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12. TCO REVISION, AMENDMENT, OR DELETION.
a. Required and Optional Revisions. Providers or organizations approved to present FIRC programs are required to revise their subject matter as necessary to reflect changes in policy or recommendations. Revisions in response to changing emphasis in subject matters currently listed in Appendix 1 and other subject matters selected for periodic emphasis by the FAA will usually be deferred until the provider renews their authorization. Additionally, providers must change exams at least once every 2-year renewal period. Providers may make any changes they wish to their TCOs throughout the approval period, provided that they include, at a minimum, the current core courses listed in Appendix 1 or any other changes that the Administrator has determined necessary. However, AFS-800 must approve all proposed substantive changes to the TCO before the provider presents them in a FIRC.
b. Submission of Revisions. The provider should email TCOs and revisions to 9-AWA-AVS-AFS-FIRC@faa.gov or send them by any of the methods identified in paragraph 7. The provider should submit a single digital (i.e., Microsoft Word document) copy of the change(s), accompanied by a separate electronic letter requesting approval of the change(s). The provider may not include the revised material in the FAA-approved presentation until actual receipt of the letter of approval from AFS-800. Changes to the selection of any preapproved electives (provided that lesson plans for each are on file with the FAA) do not need approval; only email notification to the same FAA email site identifying what the elective changes are and where and when the provider will present them. It is highly recommended that any submitted documents to the FAA email site require an electronic return receipt. A change of chief instructor or assistant chief instructor will require notification to AFS-800 in accordance with the instructions contained in paragraph 14.
c. Method. The method for revising, amending, or deleting materials in the TCO should:
(1) Ensure approval chronology.
(2) Include the effective date of change or revision.
(3) Ensure ease in identifying changed or revised material.
(4) Include entry of change on a revision summary page.
(5) Include written guidance describing the revision procedure to be used by the provider.
13. SCHEDULING OF COURSES. In the past, providers were required to keep AFS-800 directly apprised of the dates and locations of each course presentation. This was typically in the form of an email or physical mail. This is no longer necessary with the implementation of the FAA Safety Team’s (FAASTeam) FIRC registration page located at http://www.faasafety.gov.
a. FAASTeam FIRC Scheduling Web Site. The FAA intends to provide FIRC information at http://www.faasafety.gov to display upcoming FIRC events. The intent is for the public to be able to find general FIRC information, as well as specific information on participating FIRC providers. As such, FIRC providers will have a place to input basic information about their programs. Information will include provider name, Web site
Par 13 Page 29 (if applicable), contact email, contact telephone, and the current schedule of presentations.
Listings of FIRC presentations may include state, city, dates, and times. If, for any reason, a FIRC provider does not wish to have their information listed, they may select the option to disallow their information from being visible to the public. Any provider who chooses not to allow their information to be visible to the public must nevertheless maintain their schedule data for FAA personnel. The FAA will treat such data as proprietary and not permit access to it outside the FAA.
b. Inability to Upload. If the provider is unable to upload schedule information for any reason, they must notify AFS-800 of their scheduling plans directly, preferably via the FAA’s FIRC email address at 9-AWA-AVS-AFS-FIRC@faa.gov or through any of the methods identified in paragraph 7. Notification must be made at least 2 weeks prior to the expected presentation to allow the FAA sufficient time to arrange for an ASI to observe if it wishes.
c. Scheduling Web Site versus Information Web Site. The FAASTeam FIRC scheduling Web site should not be confused with the FAA’s FIRC general information Web site located at http://www.faa.gov/pilots/training/firc.
14. CHANGE OF CHIEF INSTRUCTOR OR ASSISTANT CHIEF INSTRUCTOR.
The approved FIRC provider must notify AFS-800 when making a change in the provider’s chief instructor (or assistant chief instructor where designated). This notification should be made at least 45 days before the change, but in no case later than 10 days after the change. Notification should be in electronic form (i.e., Microsoft Word document or PDF).
15. CHANGE OF PROVIDER. Should a change in provider occur due to sale or other reason and no change in personnel or course content occurs, the providers (both old and new) must notify AFS-800 at least 15 days before the presentation of any FIRC programs conducted under the new FIRC provider. If it is an Internet-based program, the provider must notify the FAA within 48 hours of transfer of the private rights to the program to the new owner by email sent to the FAA FIRC email at 9-AWA-AVS-AFS-FIRC@faa.gov. If the change in provider involves any change in personnel of the approved FIRC TCO, authorization to conduct any further FIRCs is canceled until the new provider has obtained FAA approval.
16. FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH AN APPROVED TCO. The failure of a FIRC provider or its representatives to comply with an approved course of training, or to effect any required corrective action on a timely basis as deemed appropriate, is a basis for denial or withdrawal of the FAA’s approval and associated delegation of authority. When the FAA determines that a revision to a previously approved TCO or related corrective action is necessary, the provider will be given no more than 60 days to make the necessary revision or corrective action, as appropriate. Should the provider not make the necessary revision or corrective action within 60 days, FAA approval and authorization to conduct FIRC programs will be withdrawn automatically.
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17. FIRC APPROVAL PROCESS.
a. TCO Document Submission. Candidates requesting authorization to become a FIRC provider must submit a written request and a TCO to AFS-800 for consideration. (See subparagraph 7a for methods of contacting and transferring documents to AFS-800.) When the FAA receives an authorization request, AFS-800 will conduct a thorough review of the TCO.
Candidates should understand that they hold full responsibility for developing and maintaining a TCO that complies with the requirements for TCO approval and subsequent FIRC program presentations. If the TCO meets all the guidelines of this AC, the FAA will issue an approval.
The FAA will not issue an approval when a TCO does not meet the guidance provided in this AC, so please verify that the TCO is in full compliance to the guidelines provided in this AC before AFS-800 receives it for review.
NOTE: The FAA will not approve an initial or renewal request without receiving a TCO from the organization requesting authorization. As such, all candidates and FIRC providers must develop, submit, and maintain an up-to-date TCO. Upon FAA consideration and authorization, the TCO serves as a record for the provider and the FAA.
b. FAA LOA. When the FAA finds that a FIRC TCO complies with this AC, a signed letter indicating approval of the submitted TCO will be forwarded to the provider electronically.
AFS-800 will retain the original signed letter at its offices in Washington, DC. The approval letter constitutes authority to conduct FIRCs at locations either within or outside the United States. The FAA may withdraw approval at any time for sufficient cause, but, in any case, will become invalid on the last day of the 24th month after original approval, unless the FAA grants a renewal or other form of continuation approval. FAA personnel will monitor one of the first FIRCs presented by a new provider. The approval of an Internet FIRC will be made on a case-by-case basis, and the FAA will provide approval by the same method as for any other FIRC.
c. Field Inspections. FSDOs having geographic jurisdiction over the locations where FIRCs are presented are expected to monitor these programs to the extent possible. The FSDO having jurisdiction over the locations, a representative of AFS-800, or any other representative of the FAA Administrator may monitor FIRC presentations at any time on a random basis.
18. FIRC RENEWAL, WITHDRAWAL, OR CANCELLATION.
a. Renewal Requests. FIRC providers holding approval who desire to renew their authorization to conduct FIRC programs beyond the date of original expiration must send their request for renewal to AFS-800. (See subparagraph 7a for methods of contacting and transferring documents to AFS-800.) It is the provider’s responsibility to ensure that its FIRC approval has not expired. Should the FAA’s approval of a FIRC expire, a graduation certificate issued by the provider after the expiration date is invalid. The FAA will not honor a graduation certificate issued by a provider that held an expired approval. Additionally, an ACR designation, if held, is no longer valid after the expiration of a FIRC LOA and, therefore, may not be used.
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b. Required Renewal Documents. Approved providers who wish to renew an already existing FIRC TCO will submit a complete, new digital TCO with a new submission date and an updated revision page. The provider must clearly identify any changes from the previously approved TCO. If there are no changes to the body of the TCO, then the cover letter will state that there have been no changes. In any event, each provider must update the tests or test question pool each renewal period as discussed in subparagraph 9k. If the provider has only changed the test(s) in the resubmitted documentation, the revision page will show a revision date with the notation “Updated test(s) only.”
c. Reissuance of LOAs. Upon a finding by AFS-800 that the submitted TCO is in compliance with current AC requirements and is otherwise acceptable, AFS-800 will issue a new letter of approval establishing a new expiration date. Failure to comply with the FAA-approved TCO or this AC, or the failure to incorporate necessary changes to the existing TCO when so directed by AFS-800 in writing, may be sufficient cause for withdrawal of the approval.
d. Retention of Expired Documents by the FAA. If AFS-800 has not received a letter from the FIRC provider requesting renewal as described above, or if the provider requests to surrender its authorization, the FAA will not return the materials originally approved and presented by the applicant; in this case, the FAA may choose to destroy those materials. The provider may not present any courses from that point on. To reestablish approval, the applicant must then comply with the original application procedures as outlined in this AC.
NOTE: The FAA will not notify FIRC providers of an approaching expiration date. Monitoring a provider’s approval period is the responsibility of the provider.
19. APPLICATION AND APPROVAL OF AN ACR EMPLOYED SOLELY BY A FIRC PROVIDER.
a. Reissuance. An ACR affords the FIRC provider the ability to process flight instructor certificate applications and forward them directly to Airmen Certification Branch (AFS-760) for flight instructor certificate reissuance without directly involving the FSDO.
b. Requirements for Employing an ACR. FAA-approved FIRC providers who have held their approval for a period of at least 12 calendar-months and presented at least one full FIRC program within that year may qualify to request designation of an ACR for their FIRC.
c. ACR Appointment. Appointment of an ACR is the responsibility of the jurisdictional FSDO. Qualified providers should contact their FSDO directly to make application to employ an ACR for their program. Approval or denial of a provider’s application for an ACR is made at the discretion of the jurisdictional FSDO.
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d. ACR Designation or Renewal. Procedures and requirements for the designation or renewal of an ACR are outlined in FAA Order 8900.1, Volume 13, Chapter 6, Section 2, Appoint/Renew/Terminate an Airman Certification Representative for a Flight Instructor Refresher Course.
ORIGINAL SIGNED by /s/ John Barbagallo Deputy Director, Flight Standards Service
Appendix 1 APPENDIX 1. REQUIRED INSTRUCTIONAL CORE TOPICS FOR
FAA-APPROVED TCO CURRICULA
1. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) may periodically revise subject matter listed herein to reflect the changing emphasis determined by the FAA for the renewal of flight instructor certificates under Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) part 61, § 61.197(a)(2)(iii). Flight instructor refresher course (FIRC) providers must check the FIRC informational Web site at least once every 90 days for any updates or changes in FIRC policy, guidelines, or resources. The Web site is located at http://www.faa.gov/pilots/training/firc.
2. The subject areas described below are those that approved FIRC providers are required to present during any FAA-approved FIRC program presentation. The FAA does not require the FIRC provider to use verbatim titles for the required core topics; however, the FIRC provider must identify core topics in the TCO for FAA review (see subparagraph 9c). The provider may teach these subject areas individually or in combination when the subjects are such that teaching them together is appropriate. However, the provider should teach these subjects in logical succession and in cohesive units consistent with the instructor attendees’ need to know, their ability to understand the subjects, and their application to the instructional process. Further discussion of these topics is located at the FAA’s FIRC Web site identified above.
3. The instruction presented should be clearly identifiable as relating to the required subjects listed here. No fewer than 16 hours of instruction may be given in each FIRC program (including course material and additional time allowed for breaks, testing, etc.). The provider must incorporate all of the core topics listed below within those 16 hours. There are minimum time requirements for individual core and elective topics. This is because it is not likely that the presenter could cover any individual core topics comprehensively in less than 45 minutes or elective topics in less than 30 minutes. The provider should identify, in the training course outline (TCO), the expected time that a presenter will spend on a given topic. The provider should also identify each topic’s expected start and stop times. The provider, at their discretion, may present additional subject matters germane to flight instruction as elective topics in meeting the total 16-hour requirement. The General Aviation and Commercial Division (AFS-800) will review and approve these subjects on a case-by-case basis. Once the FAA grants initial TCO approval, the provider can submit additional subject matter topics via email through the FAA’s FIRC email address at 9-AWA-AVS-AFS-FIRC@faa.gov. Approval will typically take place within a few days via return email.
REQUIRED CORE TOPICS
1. Navigating in the 21st Century: Pilotage to Global Positioning System (GPS):
Technically Advanced Aircraft (TAA) and Automation.
GPS is quickly becoming the principal means of navigation for many pilots. Additionally, pilots and aircraft owners are taking advantage of modern avionics and flight automation equipment.
Glass cockpits are available for virtually every new aircraft, as well as for many legacy and experimental aircraft. GPS, positioning on a moving map, weather depiction, terrain/traffic awareness, and modern autopilots have made a significant presence to the General Aviation (GA) fleet. While this represents a significant improvement in GA and navigation,
Appendix 1 overdependency on automated systems also introduces a number of new potential hazards.
Instructors should be aware of what the systems can and cannot do, and be well versed in the potential hazards that pilots may encounter due to the use of automation, such as excessive heads-down time, automation fixation, automation dependency, database currency and limits, etc. Pilots must learn their airplane’s limitation, systems limitations, and all manufacturer’s recommended procedures for its use before a pilot can fly the aircraft safely. This is especially important for TAA equipped with automated avionics and flight automation systems
(e.g., flight management system (FMS) or coupled autopilots). Instructors must be able to quickly recognize systems automation-based risky behavior in their students and how to correct it. Instructors must also ensure that their students do not become overdependent on these systems to the exclusion of the more traditional methods of navigation, such as pilotage, dead reckoning, and Very high frequency Omnidirectional Range (VOR). Pilots using advanced automation must remain proficient in manual aircraft control to fly safely and not allow the use of the aircraft’s automation to degrade their primary skills. Advanced avionics and flight automation offer many levels of automation. Pilots need to understand that no one level of automation is appropriate for all flight situations. If an automation system failure occurs, in whole or in part, the pilot should possess the knowledge and skill to address the situation. The FAA strongly recommends that pilots and certificated flight instructors (CFI) strive for proficiency in every aspect of the aircraft flown, which includes maintaining the pilot’s proficiency in manual aircraft control to mitigate the risk of loss of aircraft control. Pilots transitioning to TAA, or any unfamiliar aircraft, should receive specialized transition training from a qualified CFI with experience in the specific aircraft’s make, model, and equipment.
2. Security-Related Special Use Airspace (SUA): What’s Going on Where, and How to Stay Clear.
Several significant airspace changes have resulted from the events of 9/11. Pilots in training depend on their instructors to guide them through the intricacies of the new and changing airspace regulations and to make them aware of the consequences of violating those airspaces.
“Floating” temporary flight restrictions (TFR), particularly common during election years, are a significant challenge for pilots. Regulations regarding powerplants and stadiums are now in place. Instructors must have thorough knowledge about concepts entirely new to many General Aviation (GA) pilots, such as the Washington, DC Flight Restricted Zone (FRZ) and Special Flight Rules Area (SFRA), formally the Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ). In addition, all pilots must be made fully aware of intercept procedures. The consequences of violating airspaces have become much more severe and often allow little flexibility with respect to enforcement.
3. Transportation Security Administration (TSA): What Flight Instructors Have to Know to Stay Out of Trouble.
The TSA now has a role in flight training. Consequently, flight instructors should know which airman certificates the TSA is interested in. Instructors must also be aware of the requirements for citizenship documentation, recordkeeping, foreign student processing, flight instructor and flight school security awareness training, and more. FIRC providers should deliver up-to-date training designed to assist and ensure that the flight instructor attendee is fully aware of the latest TSA requirements. The FIRC represents an ideal venue to update the instructor on the TSA’s
Appendix 1 role and requirements in flight training. Not following the TSA guidelines properly can have serious consequences both for the student and for the flight instructor.
4. How to Teach Effectively and Build a Culture of Safety in Your Students and Your Workplace.
Flight instructors are highly trained individuals. They hold vast amounts of knowledge gleaned during their own training and through their own experiences. Having a well-founded basis of knowledge is critical to being an effective instructor. However, if that highly trained and knowledgeable instructor is unable to convey their knowledge to a student, then he or she is ineffective as a flight instructor, regardless of knowledge and expertise. Teaching is an art. It requires not just an understanding of the topic, but an understanding of how people think and learn. It requires a certain amount of psychological understanding. Virtually all instructors took coursework in the fundamentals of instruction, which offers a basic theoretical framework for the teaching and learning processes. As presented in the FIRC setting, this topic is expected to build upon and extend farther those skills necessary to effectively transfer knowledge to pilots.
Incumbent upon this is building the instructor’s ability to instill a culture of safety in the minds of their students, and to spread and support the safety mindset throughout their aviation workplace on an everyday and ongoing basis.
5. Safety Trends in GA: How CFIs Can Directly Contribute to Aviation Safety.
Over the last 20 years, GA accident rates have been continuing on a very slight downward trend, but there is still room for improvement. Even one fatality is too much. What are some of the causes of accidents? What types of accidents have declined? What kinds have increased and why? What are the things that flight instructors in particular can do to influence those trends?
Seven of the 10 top causal factors in GA accidents involve low-altitude maneuvering and loss of control of the aircraft. These include takeoffs and landings, stall/spin accidents, initial climb, and low-altitude maneuvering, among others. Instructors must be aware of the causal factors behind these accidents, such as excessive angle of attack, aircraft Weight and Balance (W&B), bank-induced G loading, and many others, and how to avoid them. Risk management (RM) and risk intervention strategies are decisionmaking processes designed to systematically identify hazards, assess the degree of risk, and determine the best course of action. These processes begin with the identification of hazards, followed by assessments of the risks, analysis of the controls, making control decisions, using the controls, and monitoring the results. It is the responsibility of the flight instructor to instill these skills in their students and other pilots with whom they fly.
However, to do so effectively, they must have the ability to clarify and present this knowledge in such a way that their students absorb the knowledge at a fundamental level so that when faced with a RM or risk intervention opportunity, they can respond quickly and accurately to mitigate or eliminate the risk. At the same time, instructors must also be skilled in instilling those RM mechanisms in such a way as to make them integral parts of their students’ safety mindsets, yet not instill unreasonable fear in those students who may still be developing their skill sets. While providers must present the safety trends as a core topic, they should also weave the theme of the flight instructor’s role in enhancing safety throughout the entire FIRC program.
Appendix 1
6. Pilot Deviations (PD): Their Causes and How to Teach Your Students to Plan Ahead to Avoid Them.
A PD is defined as an action of a pilot that results in the violation of a Federal aviation regulation. PDs are broadly classified as either airborne deviations or surface deviations. Within each of these two broad classifications are a number of sub-classifications. The principal areas of concern in the airborne classification include altitude deviations, course deviations, and airspace incursions. The principal area of concern within the surface deviation classification involves runway incursions, but surface deviations also include vehicle/pedestrian violations. While the outcomes of most PDs are benign, any deviation has the potential to be catastrophic. Because of this potential for catastrophic outcome, PDs are a major concern in both the aviation industry and within the FAA. For several years, PDs have been on the rise. Of particular concern is that a significant majority of all PDs (69 percent) are occurring during GA operations. Since all PDs involve pilots, and virtually all GA pilots receive training from flight instructors at some point, the flight instructor plays a critical role toward reducing the PD incident rate. This necessitates an intimate understanding on the part of the instructors of the causes of these incidents, and the development of tactics to recognize and avoid those situations that may have a potential to result in a PD. For example, CFIs should understand that English language proficiency (ELP) directly affects a pilot’s ability to avoid runway incursions and other potential PDs. ELP ensures efficient communications for receiving and understanding a clearance issued by air traffic control (ATC).
Thus, a CFI should consider the pilot’s ELP during any flight evaluation or training event that he or she conducts. (Core topic subject area 9 below provides an expanded discussion on ELP.) The FIRC represents an ideal venue to update the instructor on PDs, and to provide the instructor with the tools he or she needs to better convey mitigation tactics to their students. While providers must present PDs as a core topic, they should also weave the theme of the flight instructor’s role in reducing PDs throughout the entire FIRC program.
7. How to Make the Best Use of the FAA Safety Team (FAASTeam) and the Pilot Proficiency Program (WINGS) in Your Program of Instruction.
Flight instructors have at their disposal a vast and totally free array of tools to help them better do their jobs both on the ground when conducting ground instruction, as well as in the air during actual flight training. That resource is the FAASTeam. Each of the FAA’s eight regions has a regional FAASTeam office dedicated to furthering GA safety. The FAASTeam has joined forces with individuals and the aviation industry to create a unified effort against accidents and to “tip” the safety culture in the right direction. These include FAASTeam members, those individuals who make a conscious effort to promote aviation safety and become part of the shift in safety culture; FAASTeam representatives, aviation safety volunteers who wish to work closely with FAASTeam Program Managers (FPM) to actively promote safety; and FAASTeam Industry Members (FIM), who include companies or associations of people that have a vested interest in aviation safety. One of the many tools available to the instructor through the FAASTeam is the WINGS. The WINGS program has been reengineered into a new model that offers three levels of achievement: Basic, Advanced, and Master. WINGS topics are designed to target specific emphasis areas derived from accident data and are available at http://www.faasafety.gov, as well as through frequent live seminars given throughout the United States. Pilots attain and maintain WINGS levels on a rolling basis based on very simple and easy to understand requirements (refer to http://www.faasafety.gov/WINGS/pub/learn_more.aspx). Recordkeeping and