ARTICLE:
"BRIDGING THE TRAINING GAP"
Featured
in the magazine:
Airline
Management Decisions 2000
- Aeronautics
training provided by training schools and by airlines does
not always correspond. Examination of the differences to reduce
the gaps and improve training would be beneficial to trainers
and their pupils
Eric
Morris - Sheffield School of Aeronautics
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- The gap
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Aircraft Dispatcher
or Flight Control Officer training has traditionally consisted
of ab initio (certification), initial, transition and recurrent
training courses. A school such as ours usually conducts ab
initio training, while other training courses are conducted
by the airlines. Unfortunately, a gap exists between ab initio
training and airline initial training. This is due to the
wider curriculum requirements for Dispatcher schools as compared
to specific airline instructional goals. Although a gap will
always exist, the mutual objectives of training schools and
airlines should be to reduce or bridge the gap by utilizing
the latest technology to facilitate the learning process and
to communicate with each other to determine necessary improvements.
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- Constructing the bridge
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In the last
two years, our training facility has provided simulated flight
control workstations for students. In addition, students are
exposed to an array of technological and visual tools to facilitate
their learning, including real-time weather and flight planning
software. We offer a first-look beta testing of our Dispatch
Simulator where students can problem-solve a flight scenario
and monitor the flight progress through live Aircraft Situation
Display. They also have access to our customized Dispatch
Toolkit - an electronic view of world maps, airport configurations,
weather minima, climatology, conversion tables, and MEL restrictions.
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Although Dispatch
schools are not required to expose AB initio students to this
array of visual aids, schools should avoid the minimalist
approach to training and pursue progress. Challenging and
testing your students are ways to show respect to an industry
and profession that demands it. Schools should not undermine
the airlines by licensing people who are unqualified.
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- Use caution
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Unfortunately,
technological advances may yield complacency. Occasionally,
manual flight planning is considered too long or obsolete. Our
students are not 'button-pushers-to-be'. They are training to
become an important link in the airline operational control
chain. Emphasis during AB initio or airline training must first
be placed on the manual basics. It is difficult to effectively
brief a crew member or oncoming dispatcher if your educational
foundation is weak. A computer flight plan printout may require
some clarification to the pilot-in-command:
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Is it a route/altitude
deviation required due to jet stream migration? Are you filing
a distant alternate for the destination for a particular reason?
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Is an additional
alternate being filed due to a low TAF, or decreasing trends
in the sequence reports?
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What are the
specific reasons for today's excessive holding fuel?
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Was driftdown
the reason behind filing an alternate to the east of the route
today?
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What good is
planning to climb above reported significant weather it the
dispatcher neglects the effects of takeoff gross weight, warmer
temperature conditions, and tailwinds? The lists of scenarios,
restrictions, quirks, and 'gotchas' are endless.
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A pilot may refuse
a release based on a variety of factors, which could potentially
turn the flight into a 'careless and reckless' operation. Possible
operational alternatives may always be objectively discussed,
but only if the dispatcher and the pilot in command respect
each other's opinion. This mutual respect must be earned and
is virtually impossible without a strong, well-balanced educational
foundation. Since programming human judgment into a computer
is not currently possible, the dispatch system, with its checks
and balances, must continue to flourish. To enable it to do
so productively and positively, basic and manual concepts, as
well as practical applications must be emphasized and effectively
balanced with the technological tools of today and tomorrow.
Author
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Eric W. Morris
is the President of the Sheffield School of Aeronautics at Fort
Lauderdale in Florida.
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