Page 23 - Forum-2021-JanToMarch

advanced training processes that will to unanticipated hazards and threats be developed along with appropriate
enhance the acquisition of knowledge, that could (will?) arise during flight rubrics. Testing and research processes
skills, and abilities; (c) meet or exceed operations. A competency-based flight will have to be conducted to ensure
personnel safety standards; and (d) em- program represents a paradigm shift in reliability and validity. Additionally,
phasize quality of education and flight flight crew training. Such an approach is a robust data management plan will
training over flight hours. focused on developing and/or strength- have to be developed for continuous
ening competencies that are fundamen- improvement efforts.
Discussion and Conclusions tal to operate effectively, efficiently, and The development of competencies
The aviation industry plays a major safely in an extremely complex social based on empirical data will provide
role in global economic activity and system while addressing hazards and the faculty another means of assess-
development. “One of the key elements associated risks identified during the ment within the classroom and flight
to maintaining the performance of investigation of aircraft accidents, inci- courses. This data will allow for more
civil aviation is to ensure safe, secure, dents, and flight operations. As bonus precision in understanding student
efficient, and sustainable operations at benefits it will progress as well as the program overall.
the global, regional, and national levels.” • provide empirical data that could Furthermore, in the future, there may
According to Airbus, safety efforts have assist in expediting the develop- be opportunities for the development
steadily reduced the rate of aircraft ment of performance and expertise of a true competency-based education
accidents since 1960. During the last among new pilots; program in aviation. The processes ex-
two decades, there has been a 70% and • develop empirical data that could plained in this study to determine and
95% reduction in the hull losses and assist aviation stakeholders, espe- assess the professional flight program
fatal accident rates, respectively. Such cially policy makers, in assessing competencies, as well as the corre-
achievements can be largely attributed the effectiveness of the “1,500 hour sponding student learning outcomes
to new technologies (e.g., traffic colli- rule”; using the proficiency-levels descrip-
sion avoidance system), effective safety • provide opportunities for research; tors, will lead to a more comprehensive
regulations and policies (e.g., SMS), and and consistent learning process across
continuous improvements in safety • optimize the safety training (e.g., the courses that comprise the profes-
training (e.g., CRM). CRM) of pilots; and sional flight program curriculum.
The global air traffic is expected to • significantly enhance aviation
double every 15 years. The fleet growth safety. Practical Implications
rate is overwhelming, with the industry The organization of the proficien- The core competencies will be fully
delivering approximately 2,000 aircraft cy-level descriptors represents profes- integrated within different forms of
per year. More flights will most likely sional flight skills development across pilot training (e.g., core courses, flight
increase the number of accidents unless a continuous spectrum of increasing simulator) so that students can develop
the aviation industry challenges itself proficiency, starting with basic compe- their technical and nontechnical
with more ambitious approaches to tencies professional flight students pos- competencies. In addition, training will
reduce the accident rate. The current sess when they enter the program and include challenges and the context of
and expected growth of the aviation concluding with the lifelong learning in flight activities flight crews face during
industry associated with the mandatory which all aviation professionals engage. regular flight operations. Strategies
retirement age for the baby-boom gen- The three levels represent three stages of used to develop, strengthen, and assess
eration has created a demand for pilots development, describing expectations the identified competencies will be
all over the world that exceeds supply. for knowledge and skills at each level based on course needs identified at
Thus, it is expected that new pilots will as the breadth of capabilities expands an industry level. Those needs will be
often become air carrier captains at a and concepts transition from ideas to determined by analyzing large data-
younger age and with less flight experi- practice. sets that will include data from flight
ence than in the last decades. As the development of the hybrid operations quality assurance and line
Moreover, with increasing substantial competency-based education model to operations safety audits programs and
changes in operational and/or organi- be employed in the program progresses, from the investigations of aircraft acci-
zational complexity, rapid advances in program faculty will develop the related dents and incidents.
aircraft technology, single-pilot com- student learning outcomes based on Nevertheless, it is also important to
mercial operations, and fewer predicta- the competencies presented, using the consider situations in which flight
ble hazardous conditions, training must suggested proficiency-level descriptors crews’ competencies contributed to
reflect the relevant needs of profession- to delineate the outcomes into meas- effective crew performance and to the
al pilots. A flight competence-based urable categories. Associated compe- successful management of challenging
degree approach could provide the tencies will then be measured for the situations. Most importantly, we truly
aviation industry effective opportuni- three levels (developing, emerging, and understand that feedback from ISASI is
ties to address several issues afflicting proficient) of student achievement. Each paramount for this flight compe-
the industry. Most importantly, it could competency will need to be mapped to tence-based approach to achieve one of
provide pilots with the knowledge, the proper course for evaluation. Form- the most expected and desired out-
skills, and abilities to respond effectively ative and summative assessments must comes—safety enhancement.
January-March 2021 ISASI Forum • 23