So, in other news not being paid quite as much attention as random tweetstorms from the Id, Senator Thune is...
So, in other news not being paid quite as much attention as random tweetstorms from the Id, Senator Thune is apparently all gung-ho on making commercial pilots less qualified. [I wonder what he gets out of it.]
Rambling about why this is bad:
One of the first big reasons for there being fewer highly qualified airline pilots is that the military cut back on pilots some decades ago and the pool of ex-military to hire straight into commercial passenger has been hugely diminished ever since. The commercial air industry never really had to pay to train anybody, nor make long range plans to get people trained and qualified because we the taxpayers paid for it.
In addition to which the training and experience any military pilot has had is far and away beyond anything even an exceptional aviation college could provide. So, you know, more extensive training requirements, including more hours in both simulators and aircraft might be a logical step.
Further, this isn't just about number of hours. The pilots on flight 3407 didn't know how to respond to a stall warning in the aircraft they were flying. In fact, they both did things that made it worse. This is basic and critical. You have to know your aircraft so well that in an emergency you respond immediately with the correct actions. Knowing how to handle a stall is not esoteric information.
Additionally, sitting in a classroom, or even a simulator, is nothing like sitting in an actual, flying, 3D aircraft. There are sounds, and smells, and distractions, and odd sensations. Maybe there are some amazing simulators out there, now, but it is never the same as being in a real, dynamic situation. Plus, psychologically you know you are in a simulator and no one will really die. It matters a great deal for that reason, as well, that you have actual seat time.
One of the ways they want to get around the 1,500 hours is by counting classroom time. Would you be ok with handing driver's licenses to people who had only ever sat in a classroom to learn about driving?
Not only that, but the airline for which they flew allowed these pilots to fly in spite of the fact that it is documented that the lead pilot had failed multiple prior check rides to get certified. Further, the co-pilot was completely unqualified to fly in any situation that involved potential icing or winter weather.
Lastly, their recorded behavior while flying violated basic rules of paying attention during a landing. As in, you talk about, think about, focus on nothing else. It's called the Sterile Cockpit Rule. This is all stuff that relates to training in real aircraft, with real colleagues and instructors, who can say yeah, no, not until you get this right.
So this may be couched as we're just gonna decrease the number of hours required to ok someone to fly, but it's not just that, and if commercial airlines don't have enough pilots there are things they can do:
1) Fly fewer flights. If you can't staff them, don't fly them.
2) Fund programs at the existing accredited aviation colleges in this country. Whose graduates, fyi, are allowed to fly with fewer hours because of the training they've already received. So, yeah, not just about the hours.
3) Pay the people you hire. The co-pilot on 3407 was paid $16,200/year. To fly planes with people in them. It may be that more people would enroll in those 4-year aviation degrees if they were going to get a job that paid more than McDonald's when they finished.
http://buffalonews.com/2017/06/28/powerful-gop-senator-seek-changes-flight-3407-safety-law/
http://buffalonews.com/2017/06/28/powerful-gop-senator-seek-changes-flight-3407-safety-law/
Rambling about why this is bad:
One of the first big reasons for there being fewer highly qualified airline pilots is that the military cut back on pilots some decades ago and the pool of ex-military to hire straight into commercial passenger has been hugely diminished ever since. The commercial air industry never really had to pay to train anybody, nor make long range plans to get people trained and qualified because we the taxpayers paid for it.
In addition to which the training and experience any military pilot has had is far and away beyond anything even an exceptional aviation college could provide. So, you know, more extensive training requirements, including more hours in both simulators and aircraft might be a logical step.
Further, this isn't just about number of hours. The pilots on flight 3407 didn't know how to respond to a stall warning in the aircraft they were flying. In fact, they both did things that made it worse. This is basic and critical. You have to know your aircraft so well that in an emergency you respond immediately with the correct actions. Knowing how to handle a stall is not esoteric information.
Additionally, sitting in a classroom, or even a simulator, is nothing like sitting in an actual, flying, 3D aircraft. There are sounds, and smells, and distractions, and odd sensations. Maybe there are some amazing simulators out there, now, but it is never the same as being in a real, dynamic situation. Plus, psychologically you know you are in a simulator and no one will really die. It matters a great deal for that reason, as well, that you have actual seat time.
One of the ways they want to get around the 1,500 hours is by counting classroom time. Would you be ok with handing driver's licenses to people who had only ever sat in a classroom to learn about driving?
Not only that, but the airline for which they flew allowed these pilots to fly in spite of the fact that it is documented that the lead pilot had failed multiple prior check rides to get certified. Further, the co-pilot was completely unqualified to fly in any situation that involved potential icing or winter weather.
Lastly, their recorded behavior while flying violated basic rules of paying attention during a landing. As in, you talk about, think about, focus on nothing else. It's called the Sterile Cockpit Rule. This is all stuff that relates to training in real aircraft, with real colleagues and instructors, who can say yeah, no, not until you get this right.
So this may be couched as we're just gonna decrease the number of hours required to ok someone to fly, but it's not just that, and if commercial airlines don't have enough pilots there are things they can do:
1) Fly fewer flights. If you can't staff them, don't fly them.
2) Fund programs at the existing accredited aviation colleges in this country. Whose graduates, fyi, are allowed to fly with fewer hours because of the training they've already received. So, yeah, not just about the hours.
3) Pay the people you hire. The co-pilot on 3407 was paid $16,200/year. To fly planes with people in them. It may be that more people would enroll in those 4-year aviation degrees if they were going to get a job that paid more than McDonald's when they finished.
http://buffalonews.com/2017/06/28/powerful-gop-senator-seek-changes-flight-3407-safety-law/
http://buffalonews.com/2017/06/28/powerful-gop-senator-seek-changes-flight-3407-safety-law/
Thus hastening the day when commercial autopilots are the norm.
ReplyDeleteThe technology may someday exist, but right now autopilots have been pretty consistently shown to not be what you want in control of an aircraft during landing or under certain types of dynamic situations. It sounds counter intuitive, but they are not yet up to replacing properly trained, highly skilled humans. If they were, I suspect they already would have.
ReplyDeleteYou realize we can land autonomous fighter craft on carrier decks, right?
ReplyDeleteThey day comes faster than you expect.
And it'll happen on commercial cargo flights before commercial passenger flights, to build up a body of statistics, first.
ReplyDeleteYes, but that means I would still expect it to take at least 10 years from now.
ReplyDelete