Story ID: 
Prepared is the Ultimate Training Objective
By: Martha Jercinovich
Caption: To master the aircraft, one needs to go beyond the checklists. FlightSafety International’s goal is higher: to create preparedness and confidence.
Word Count: 672
Aviation has a culture of lists and guidelines. Before a pilot takes an aircraft off the ground, there are always conditions to meet and checklists to complete. They represent minimum standards – just what is necessary to fly an aircraft.
To master the aircraft, one needs to go beyond the checklists. The objective of aviation training should be to put a pilot in the best possible position to succeed, no matter the circumstances. That only happens when the goal of training goes beyond proficiencies and regulatory standards. FlightSafety International’s goal is higher: to create preparedness and confidence.
Why does FlightSafety believe that minimums are not enough? Because pilots need to be ready for anything they may encounter in the cockpit. Learning the lessons needed to stay sharp and command complete control of their aircraft takes diligence and dedication on the pilot’s and the instructor’s part. The result is a calm confidence to handle the worst-case scenario, while mastering the regular operations. Proficient is capable. Prepared is unshakable.
A Culture of Preparedness
Whether pilots come to FlightSafety as part of a corporate flight department, a charter or regional airline operation, or an owner-operator, they receive tailored training from the best instructors in the business, who are dedicated to their success and strive to take their piloting skills beyond regulatory minimums.
FlightSafety training challenges pilots, knowing that there is always something valuable in tackling the next scenario. The fundamentals are never skipped, but training goes deeper, examining events that may happen, based on pilot experience or real-operational flying data. When systems fail or conditions deteriorate, FlightSafety makes sure the pilot has something to rely on – effective training to increase the likelihood of success.
Of course, this base of knowledge is developed through cutting-edge full flight simulators and advanced-technology reality replication. There are many scenarios where simulation is the only way to expose pilots to things too risky to encounter in-flight. Whether that’s overcoming an engine failure or preventing controlled flight into terrain (CFIT), FlightSafety has proven methods to prepare pilots.
Simulator training can be paused during scenarios for detailed instruction and corrections. It can be reset so the pilot can fly the maneuver or approach again, putting the focus on efficient training without burning fuel or putting people or the aircraft in jeopardy.
After a flight, FlightSafety instructors will debrief pilots, and more and more that’s through more high-tech insights. Through a partnership with GE Digital, FlightSafety is utilizing aggregated corporate-flight operations quality assurance (C-FOQA) data to apply insights learned from actual flight data to training scenarios. Actual flight data allows FlightSafety to tailor training to address safety threats before crews even experience them.
Creating Positive Outcomes
Safety is incumbent on a pilot being aware of their surroundings, understanding abnormalities in flight and having the appropriate reaction when faced with them. That requires more than just the minimum requirements of proficiency.
To illustrate that, consider the difficulty of approach and landing, where generally 65 percent of accidents occur. If a pilot is dealing with a short runway, the skills needed to safely land require a greater amount of precision than what might be needed through regular instruction or testing. The FAA standards only require to be close (within 125 percent of the published value) during a check to satisfy the testing requirement. In the case of a short runway, proficient would not equal safe as it could result in an aircraft running off the end.
Detailed preparation for skills and human factors create a safer environment in flight operations. Pilots – and the flight departments who depend on them – should seek out the training options that challenge them to excel, to command and to master. In other words, to prepare them.
It is a question every pilot should ask themselves before the time comes when the answer is critical. Am I prepared for anything? FlightSafety-trained pilots can say yes.