Kathy Abbott and Robert Burke
Federal Aviation Administration
4 February 2015
Federal Aviation Administration
Operational Use of Flight Path Management Systems: Status of Recommendations of the Performance-Based Operations Aviation Rulemaking Committee (PARC)/ Commercial Aviation Safety Team (CAST) Flight Deck Automation Working Group
Federal Aviation Administration
Eighteen Recommendations
• Activity on most recommendations • Developing Action Plans for specific
recommendations – in work
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Federal Aviation Administration
Recommendation 1 – Manual Flight Operations.
Develop and implement standards and guidance for maintaining and improving knowledge and skills for manual flight operations that include the following: • Pilots must be provided with opportunities to refine this
knowledge and practice the skills; • Training and checking should directly address this
topic; and • Operators’ policies for flight path management must
support and be consistent with the training and practice in the aircraft type.
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Federal Aviation Administration
Recommendation 1 – Manual Flight Operations: Implementation Status
• SAFO 13002 Manual Flight Operations • Notice to Inspectors 8900.xxx
– POIs review of air carrier policies regarding the use of autoflight systems and verification those the policies encourage pilots to exercise manual flight operations when appropriate. (Spring 2015)
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Federal Aviation Administration
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Federal Aviation Administration
Recommendation 1 – Manual Flight Operations: Implementation Status
• SAFO 13002 Manual Flight Operations • Final Rule on 121 Subpart N&O maneuvers, manually
flown loss of reliable airspeed, manually flown slow flight, manually flown arrivals and departures
• MITRE research • Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) Certification Training
Program (CTP) required by the Pilot Certification and
Qualification Requirements for Air Carrier Operations final rule
• Guidance to be recommended by the Air Carrier Training Aviation Rulemaking Committee
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Federal Aviation Administration
Air Carrier Training (ACT) Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC) Charter The ACT ARC will provide a forum for the United States aviation community to discuss, prioritize, and provide recommendations to the FAA concerning operations conducted under parts 121, 135, and 142. The general objectives and scope are to: • Develop and recommend to the FAA new or updated guidance material,
notices, handbooks, and other related materials for air carrier training and qualification.
• Make recommendations, including necessary rulemaking and additional tasking, to the Administrator through the Associate Administrator for Aviation Safety.
• Discuss global air carrier training issues and develop strategies for international harmonization.
• Provide documentation and technical information to support recommendations.
• Form and provide committee oversight of specialized work groups to research, document, and make recommendations on specific, assigned topics.
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Federal Aviation Administration
Co-Chairs
Robert Burke Designated Federal Official Manager, Air Carrier Training Systems
and Voluntary Safety Programs Branch,
(AFS-280)
Don Dillman ARC Industry Chair (Federal Express)
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Federal Aviation Administration
Membership
Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) Coalition of Airline Pilots Associations (CAPA)
Airline Dispatchers Federation (ADF) Flight Safety International (FSI)
Airline Pilots Association (ALPA) National Air Carrier Association (NACA)
Airlines for America (A4A) National Air Transportation Association (NATA)
Association of Flight Attendants (AFA) National Business Aviation Association (NBAA)
Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA)
Regional Airline Association (RAA)
CAE Regional Air Cargo Carrier Association (RACCA)
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Federal Aviation Administration
ACT ARC Working Groups • Flight Path Management
– Industry chair: Lou Nemeth, CAE – FAA Subject Matter Expert (SME): Kathy Abbott
• Alternative Training Pathways to ATP Certification – Industry chair: Jon Tovani, Delta and Chuck Hogeman, ALPA – FAA SME: Barbara Adams, AFS-280
• Air Carrier Contract Training – Industry chair: John McGraw, NATA – FAA SME: Mark Valette, AFS-280
• Cross-Functional Crew Resource Management – Industry chair: Kelly Skyles, APFA – FAA SMEs: Doug Farrow and Sherry Miller, AFS-280
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Federal Aviation Administration
Recommendation 2 - Autoflight Mode Awareness.
For the near term, emphasize and encourage improved training and flightcrew procedures to improve autoflight mode awareness as part of an emphasis on flight path management. For the longer term, equipment design should emphasize reducing the number and complexity of autoflight modes from the pilot’s perspective and improve the feedback to pilots (e.g., on mode transitions) while ensuring that the design of the mode logic assists with pilots’ intuitive interpretation of failures and reversions.
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Federal Aviation Administration
Recommendation 2 - Autoflight Mode Awareness: Implementation status • AFS:
– Revision to AC 120-71A, Standard Operating Procedures for Flight Deck Crewmembers. Anticipated completion Dec. 2015
– Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) Certification Training Program (CTP). Guidance Complete. Course required as a prerequisite for taking the ATP knowledge test after Aug. 2014.
• AIR: – 25.1302 Installed Systems and Equipment for Use by the
Flightcrew – 25.1329 Flight Guidance Systems sets requirements for the
performance, safety, failure protection, alerting, and basic annunciation of flight guidance systems. The rule responds to a series of incidents and accidents that have highlighted difficulties for flightcrews interacting with the increasing automation of flight decks.
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Federal Aviation Administration
Recommendation 3 – Information Automation.
• Develop or enhance guidance for documentation, training, and procedures for information automation systems (e.g., Electronic Flight Bags (EFBs), moving map displays, performance management calculations, multi-function displays) or functions:
• Describe what is meant by Information Automation and what systems, equipment are included,
• Define terms associated with Information Automation, • Develop guidelines concerning the content and structure
of policy statements in Flight Operations Policy Manuals for Information Automation, and
• Develop operational procedures to avoid information-automation-related errors.
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Federal Aviation Administration
Recommendation 3 – Information Automation: Implementation Status • Advisory Circular (AC) 120-76B Guidelines for
Certification, Airworthiness, and Operational Use of Electronic Flight Bags is currently published and provides up to date guidance on EFB implementation. Change 1 provides updated guidance on Moving Map Display functions.
• Multiple R&D studies are in progress by Honeywell, MITRE, and Volpe concerning information automation systems.
• Revision to AC 120-71A Standard Operating Procedures for Flight Deck Crewmembers is underdevelopment.
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Federal Aviation Administration
Recommendation 4 – FMS Documentation, Design, Training, and Procedures for Operational Use.
In the near term, develop or enhance guidance for flightcrew documentation, training and procedures for FMS use. For the longer term, research should be conducted on new interface designs and technologies that support pilot tasks, strategies and processes, as opposed to machine or technology-driven strategies.
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Federal Aviation Administration
Recommendation 4 – FMS Documentation, Design, Training, and Procedures for Operational Use: Implementation Status • Augment existing guidance in AC 90-105 Approval
Guidance for RNP Operations and Barometric Vertical Guidance in the U.S. National Airspace System and Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM)
• PARC Vertical Navigation (VNAV) Action Team • RTCA Special Committee 227 • Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) Certification Training
Program (CTP) • Revision to AC 120-71A Standard Operating
Procedures
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Federal Aviation Administration
Recommendation 7 – Guidance for Flightcrew Procedures for Malfunctions.
Develop guidance for flightcrew strategies and procedures to address malfunctions for which there is no specific procedure.
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Federal Aviation Administration
Recommendation 7 – Guidance for Flightcrew Procedures for Malfunctions: Implementation Status • MITRE research • Guidance to be developed under the ACT ARC –
timeline TBD
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Federal Aviation Administration
Recommendation 8 – Design of Flightcrew Procedures. For the near term, update guidance (e.g., Advisory Circular (AC) 120-71A) and develop recommended practices for design of SOPs based on manufacturer procedures, continuous feedback from operational experience, and lessons learned. This guidance should be updated to reflect operational experience and research findings on a recurring basis.
For the longer term, conduct research to understand and address when and why SOPs are not followed. The activities should place particular emphasis on monitoring, cross verification, and appropriate allocation of tasks between pilot flying and pilot monitoring.
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Federal Aviation Administration
Recommendation 8 – Design of Flightcrew Procedures: Implementation Status
Revision to AC 120-71A Standard Operating Procedures for Flight Deck Crewmembers, revision under development, publication late 2015.
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Federal Aviation Administration
Recommendation 9 - Operational Policy for Flight Path Management. Operators should have a clearly stated flight path management policy as follows: • The policy should highlight and stress that the responsibility for flight path
management remains with the pilots at all times. Focus the policy on flight path management, rather than automated systems.
• Identify appropriate opportunities for manual flight operations. • Recognize the importance of automated systems as a tool (among other
tools) to support the flight path management task, and provide operational policy for the use of automated systems.
• Distinguish between guidance and control. • Encourage flightcrews to tell Air Traffic “unable” when appropriate. • Adapt to the operator’s needs and operations. • Develop consistent terminology for automated systems, guidance, control,
and other terms that form the foundation of the policy. • Develop guidance for development of policies for managing information
automation.
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Federal Aviation Administration
Recommendation 9 - Operational Policy for Flight Path Management: Implementation Status • ACT ARC – Flight Path Mgt WG • Research to determine possible implementation of this
recommendation through other sources of FAA guidance. • SAFO 13002 on Manual Flight operations. Published Jan. 2013 • Notice to Inspectors on Manual Flight Operations, Spring 2015
publication • Updates to AIM will be drafted as necessary. Plan to engage
with Industry operations and training groups concerning good practices.
• Updated 121.579 Minimum Altitudes for Use of Autopilot
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Federal Aviation Administration
Recommendation 13 - Pilot Training and Qualification.
Revise initial and recurrent pilot training, qualification requirements (as necessary) and revise guidance for the development and maintenance of improved knowledge and skills for successful flight path management. As part of the implementation of this recommendation, improve the oversight of air carriers and Part 142 Training Centers.
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Federal Aviation Administration
Recommendation 13 - Pilot Training and Qualification: Implementation Status
• Guidance to be developed under the ACT ARC - TBD
• Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) Certification Training Program (CTP). Guidance Complete. Course required as a prerequisite for taking the ATP knowledge test after Aug. 2014.
• MITRE research underway
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Federal Aviation Administration
Notes about Recommendations
• Recommendations are interdependent in some cases
• Many of the recommendations support work that is already underway
• No new rulemaking recommended • Recommendations should be
communicated and implemented /harmonized internationally
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