Preparing pilots for the right seat

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University will convene the 2010 National Training Aircraft Symposium (NTAS 2010) March 14-17 at its Daytona Beach campus, with the theme “Preparing Future Pilots for the Right Seat.”

“This year, the National Training Aircraft Symposium will focus on the issue of first officer pilot qualifications in light of the legislative actions under way in Congress. The results of a collaborative study by several universities regarding first officer performance as new hires will also be presented,” says Tim Brady, dean of the College of Aviation, which sponsors the annual symposium.

At the gathering, panelists from three regional airlines will define what they expect to see in graduates from pilot education programs who aspire to be first officers. Educators will join with other symposium participants to craft an educator/employer response to the recent Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on the preparation of first officers for airline Part 121 operations. This response will help guide the FAA administrator and Aviation Rulemaking Committee on appropriate changes to the qualification standards and competencies needed for aspiring first officers.

Agenda:

• Monday, March 15 — Theme 1: Excellence in Training Equipment Translates into First Officer Preparation
• Symposium Overview by Tim Brady, Dean, College of Aviation, and Peter Morton, Director of Special Projects, College of Aviation
• Panel 1: Traditional Training Aircraft: Part 23 certified training aircraft
• Panel 2: LSAs at the University: LSA training aircraft
• Panel 3: Support Products: Simulation, training management systems, services
• Theme 2: Setting the Cockpit Stage for Tomorrow
• Update on Legislative and Education Initiatives: Peter Morton
• Pilot Source Study: Guy Smith, Principal Investigator, Associate Professor of Aeronautical Science, Embry-Riddle
• Tuesday, March 16 — Theme: Advising the Administrator: First-Line Employers and Academia Speak Out
• Panel 1: Employers: Flight operations representatives from regional airlines ASA, Cape Air, and Horizon Air: “What makes an ideal first officer and where do we find her/him?”
• Panel 2: Education Institutions: Deans, department heads, and professors from aviation programs: “Education and training to produce the ideal first officer candidate”
• Panel 3: Guidance for the Administrator: “Distilling First Officer Qualification Standards”

For more information: EmbryRiddle.edu.