The Society of Aviation and Flight Educators (SAFE) has published its preliminary report stemming from the Pilot Training Reform Symposium. Thirty recommendations generated during the symposium have been consolidated into six project proposals.The recommendations are:
- Conduct a thorough general aviation fatal accident root cause analysis to pinpoint underlying accident causality as a means to create effective remedial actions.
- Create a new flight review option that can be enabled as an FAA-sponsored pilot proficiency award program.
- Revise FAA doctrine and standards to implement scenario-based testing, risk management, and other higher order pilot skills.
- Modify flight instructor doctrine, initial testing, and renewal procedures to include the teaching of higher order pilot skills.
- Implement voluntary flight instructor professional accreditation programs and continuing education that emphasize higher order pilot skills, scenario training, and interpersonal relationship skills.
- Create and implement model curricula that incorporate higher order pilot skills, scenario-based training, and integration of simulation and other teaching methods to include interpersonal relationship skills.
According to the Executive Summary, “the changes that may result from the proposed work require no lengthy regulatory change. Rather, they may be implemented via changes in policy, publications, and procedures. It is important to acknowledge that these six projects do not constitute the whole of pilot training reform. Instead, these projects represent the beginning of a multi-year process that likely will branch off into other projects necessary to effect reform.”
Symposium protocols called for issuing a preliminary report within 60 days of the event; SAFE volunteers, however, produced the document in half the scheduled time, officials noted. Copies of the report will be sent to those identified as potential project leads/co-leads by June 15. Those people will have until the end of September to respond regarding their involvement in the proposed projects, SAFE officials said.
The 35-page report is available at here.
