Story ID: 
A Master’s in Flight
By: Martha Jercinovich
Caption: Finding the right evidence-backed, scenario-based flight training.
Word Count: 861
Training beyond the minimums is becoming increasingly encouraged and standardized across business aviation. This equates to good news for all facets of the industry, as safety remains the critical axis on which our success revolves. But, achieving the necessary and effective balance surrounding safe flight ultimately narrows down to one thing: pilot training. 
Quality Plus Quantity
To better prepare pilots for critical real-world situations and contribute toward overall air safety, FlightSafety International (FSI) offers Advanced Training courses. FSI designed these courses to enhance pilot skills beyond the basics using targeted, aircraft-specific training in a controlled environment. 
Compelling scenarios coupled with cutting-edge simulator technology provides aircrews situational awareness tools, realistic decision making, performance targets and hand flying skills well above regulatory requirements. The courses are evidence-based to develop and assess key pilot competencies and practice potentially dangerous situations during flight operations.
Advanced Training courses act as a “Master's” level of pilot training. Just as earning an MBA might not necessarily be required for a business profession, seeking and obtaining higher education nonetheless gives one a competitive advantage and enriched knowledge to take their professional pursuits to the next level. Similarly, Advanced Training courses supply immersive/intensive training scenarios that refine and enhance a pilot’s master skill set and preparedness.
Utilizing FlightSafety full flight simulators, pilots can practice real-world (and worst-case) situations they might face unique to their aircraft type, mission and geographical environment. Advanced Training courses offer invaluable aviation education beyond the fundamentals covered by initial and recurrent training.
Advanced Training Programs
FlightSafety offers four fixed-wing advanced pilot courses. Each is uniquely designed to enable flight crews to respond to challenging situations and achieve the highest level of safety through flying skills, accurate decision-making and precise communication.  
Advanced Rejected Takeoff Go/No-Go. Provides pilots with fact-based training that prepares crews to respond quickly and correctly when the unexpected strikes at takeoff. Drawn from FAA/NTSB documents and backed up with hard data and science provided by Boeing, Airbus and McDonnell Douglas. 
During this four-hour course, each crew member will face up to 18 different scenarios, requiring a decision by the flight crew to either continue the takeoff or abort. In addition to promoting go/no-go decision-making proficiency, this invaluable course also gives pilots an opportunity to fly their aircraft under the high stress and demands of an emergency after takeoff. (Recurrent versions available in some aircraft.)  
Advanced Energy Management. Focuses on the physics of operating aircraft during the descent phase of flight. With the completion of up to 10 different scenarios in each 2-hour simulator period, pilots will learn the tools available to understand their “energy state” at any given point on the descent. 
By utilizing these tools, pilots will be able to predict in advance whether or not they will meet stabilized approach criteria while still very far out from touchdown. This will allow flight crews to act much earlier than before in resolving any high energy problems while they are still easily handled, leading to far more stabilized approaches.
Advanced Upset Prevention and Recovery. Presents compelling real-world scenarios based on recent aircraft accidents, with emphasis on prevention, recognition and when needed, recovery techniques. The academic portion provides a thorough review of aerodynamics, early stall recognition techniques and enhancing new skills learned that are critical to safe operations. 
In the safe environment of the simulator, pilots experience loss of control in-flight and extreme high-speed events in a way that are far too dangerous to experience in an actual aircraft. The academic review, demonstration and practice of the full flight envelope of the airplane allows pilots to safely experience and recover from historically accurate, fatal, in-flight upset events. (Recurrent versions available in some aircraft.)
Advanced Human Factors/CRM LOFT. A highly integrated and challenging training event created to assess CRM aspects of a flight crew’s performance. During the flight, aircraft issues arise that significantly affect passengers, requiring complex decision-making by the crew. 
Optimal outcome hinges on crew competency in coordination, communication, monitoring skills, intervention protocols, resilience to unforeseen events and response to a startling event. Course highlights crew proficiency in crew resource management and selected aspects identified for subsequent discussion.
Select courses are available for various Bombardier, Gulfstream, Cessna Citation, Dassault Falcon, Embraer and Pilatus aircraft. While Advanced Training courses are the core subset of the FlightSafety Master Aviator (MA) Program, any of these courses can be taken outside of the MA program. Advanced Training courses have also been developed and are available for various Airbus, Bell, Leonardo and Sikorsky helicopters.
Reach the Master Level
Adding advanced learning can translate positively across a pilot’s skills, peers, career, workplace and more. The courses improve individual and overall air safety through replication and repetition of real-life aviation accidents and the education on proper preventative measures and responses. This extra level of training positively impacts not only the pilot but the mindset and outlook of an entire flight department.