The State of Training

The world breathed a sigh of relief as 2011 came to a close; aviation had experienced two remarkably safe years, following 2009, during which two extraordinary airline accidents focused the public’s attention on what appear to be serious lapses in fundamental airmanship. The two accidents–Colgan Air/Continental Connection Flight 3407 on Feb. 12, 2009, and Air France Flight 447 on June 1, 2009–aren’t the only ones that uncovered airmanship problems, but they captured the public’s attention in a way that is still having reverberations. The Colgan accident in particular has led to political action in the U.S. to tighten FAA minimum standards for Part 121 airline pilots as well as a push for increased professionalism in all segments of aviation.