Experts Urge “Sweeping” Changes In Pilot Training

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Training for airline pilots should utilize more-realistic simulators and focus more on manual flying skills, according to a new report by a panel of experts, The Wall Street Journal reported this week. The 54-page report, which was requested by Congress, has been presented to the FAA but has not yet been publicly released. It includes 24 recommendations that would create “sweeping changes in initial and recurring training for airline pilots,” according to the Journal. Among the report’s conclusions: New hires should spend time in the jumpseat to learn cockpit procedures before they take the controls, special leadership courses for captains should be developed, training for instructors should be standardized, and training for coping with stalls should be improved.

The report is expected to influence new rules and legislation, according to the Journal. The experts who wrote the report will help to implement their findings over the next year or so. Airlines may balk at the cost of enacting some of the recommendations, but some of the suggestions already are standard practice, such as voluntary reporting of safety incidents and data-sharing among airlines.

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