How Boeing"s Competency-Based Pilot Training Enhances Aviation Safety

Observation, facilitation, and dialogue between learners and trainers are the hallmarks of competency-based pilot training at Boeing.


Photo: Boeing

Flight crews must acquire adequate training on all aircraft systems, human behaviors, and the interaction between man (flight occupants) and machine (aircraft). Crew training includes knowledge and understanding of all procedures during normal and abnormal operations. A lack of understanding of complex systems and behaviors could lead to catastrophic events. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) states that adequate pilot training is one of the two significant factors influencing flight safety. The other is the airworthiness of the aircraft (up-to-date maintenance).

Student pilots who train at US FAA-certified flight schools must attend 40–50 hours of theoretical training for each certificate they earn (private pilot, instrument, commercial, CFI, and potentially CFII). Each of these ratings has an associated theoretical test in addition to the well-known practical by an FAA examiner.

Lack of pilot training may lead to major and minor accidents in commercial aviation. Aircraft manufacturers, aviation regulatory authorities, and aircraft operators ensure adequate flight training is provided to the crew. Boeing, being the largest aircraft manufacturer in North America, is no different when it comes to offering a variety of training programs for the flight crew. Boeing focuses on competency-centered learning methods enabling competency development among the learners.

Competency-Based Training and Assessment (CBTA)

Based on the training guidelines set forth by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), Boeing developed a CBTA program that standardizes pilot training to enhance the safety of air travel. Working closely with airline operators, regulatory authorities, and pilot unions, Boeing developed an immersive training curriculum that is based on competencies rather than conventional lecture-based training. Boeing aims to certify instructors and provide access to high-tech training tools at campuses around the world.

The training sessions include relevant ground and flight data, and real-life scenarios are practiced to enhance the learning experience for pilot trainees. Trainees aspire to earn their aircraft type ratings and qualifications to fly Boeing airplanes.

The competency-centered training offered by Boeing allows students to spend more time with their instructors in a variety of learning environments. From briefings to desktop simulators and immersive learning aids, students get a thorough understanding of competency-based developmental techniques before entering the flight simulator.

Inside the high-fidelity full-flight simulators, student pilot trainees interact with their instructors, examiners, and sometimes representations from regulatory authorities. Student pilots undergo all aspects of flight, from understanding the aircraft type to the steps involved in deviating from normal flight procedures; trainee pilots must know it all.

The training program enables trainees to work through real-world scenarios, which are similar to task-based training approaches, as they hone their competencies and behaviors as pilots. According to Boeing’s Innovation Quarterly article about the CBTA program,

"Instructors observe and record the trainee's behaviors, decisions, and interactions from their jump seat in the simulator. As they watch the trainee perform the various maneuvers, they are not lecturing or directing the trainee's actions. They are taking notes, offering guidance and assessing the pilot's behaviors, preparing for the conversations and feedback sessions that will follow."

Hallmarks of CBTA

Boeing takes pride in its offering of the CBTA program. The observation, facilitation, and dialogue between learners and trainers are the hallmarks of CBTA, as described by Boeing. Trainers rate students’ behaviors and proficiencies in four main areas of training. Those areas are teamwork, communication, decision-making, and crew management.

The purpose is to provide a smooth transition from traditional lecturing to moderating training briefings and guiding students’ learning. According to a CTBA trainer at Boeing,

"Instead of telling the student pilots what to do step by step, I ask them to show me what they know already. That allows me to see their experience level, then shape the training accordingly."

Technological advancements in aircraft

With continuous advancements in aircraft technologies, pilots must have technical instruction on how to fly the airplane and training that enhances their skills. Trainees must acquire situational awareness and effective communication skills to become crew members. Moreover, problem-solving and decision-making scenarios are instilled within the curriculum to maximize learning outcomes for trainees.

The training and development team at Boeing, along with its industry partners, is keen to offer a comprehensive and standardized training package. The training package will benefit not only Boeing pilots but also its customers across the globe. Boeing aims to impart the core competencies that complement and maximize the technical knowledge airline pilots have of their airplanes. According to Boeing,

"Airplane operators are working to establish individual CBTA programs, but there is no global standard for instruction, including for how to analyze streams of airplane data and flight statistics or to meet the distinct requirements of various regulatory authorities. Ultimately, airlines and regulators are responsible for determining pilot training requirements. But, as an airplane manufacturer, Boeing recognized its obligation to help develop a comprehensive and standardized training package that would strengthen safety through advancing Boeing's training offerings and serving operators worldwide."

Preventing threats and errors

Flight safety remains a priority for aircraft manufacturers, including Boeing. In order to safely operate today’s aircraft, pilots must be able to mitigate and manage the most prevalent threats and errors. According to the Vice President of Boeing’s Global Aerospace Safety Initiative, Lacey Pittman,

"We're working with operators to identify, develop and assess the competencies pilots need in order to operate today's airplanes safely. By partnering with our operators and with global regulatory authorities to strengthen our baseline training, together we are raising the bar on aerospace safety."

Threats and errors are identified based on pilot feedback after flights. Moreover, data from non-conventional situations pilots face is collected to determine possible threats to flight safety. Hard evidence from current and past flights, along with known operational hazards, is obtained to be included in the training curriculum.

The learning design team at Boeing analyzes numerous safety risks obtained from airline operators. The designers combined industry data on airplane specifications with reporting by pilot unions, airlines, third-party observers, and regulatory authorities. Based on the information, specific findings are tested during flight tests and incorporated into pilot training at Boeing.