Multi Crew Pilots Licence free essay sample

â€Å"What we have to learn to do, we learn by doing. † (Aristotle, 384BC – 322BC) While the new Multi Crew Pilots Licence (MPL) embodies some good ideas, these could be implemented without creating an entirely new qualification with entirely new problems. It began when, at the request of the airlines, ICAO set up the Flight Crew Licensing and Training Panel (FCLTP) to review the system by which pilots become qualified to fly air transport aircraft as co-pilots for an airline. Some airlines believed the traditional system was outdated and irrelevant (Matschnigg, 2011). The emphasis for the solution was to be on better use of technology and better Crew Resource Management – essentially teamwork. This resulted in the creation of the MPL which was added to ICAO Annex 1 in 2006. The MPL is designed to train ab-initio students in airline procedures from the outset with increased use of simulators and overarching Threat and Error Management (TEM) and Crew Resource Management (CRM) principles. There are four phases – the core stage is conducted in a light aircraft, then the basic, intermediate and advanced stages are primarily conducted in simulators. Students are contracted to an airline from the beginning and procedures for that airline are taught throughout. Then after completing between six and twenty landings in an actual airliner the student begins initial operating experience (IOE) with their airline flying actual segments (ICAO, 2006). MPL graduates are averaging just 286 hours experience on completion of their course including 196 hours in simulators and just 15 hours as pilot in command (Matschnigg, 2011). This is an alternative to the traditional Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL) where a student completes a minimum of 200 hours in real aircraft in real environments including at least 100 hours as pilot in command experience (CAA, 2011). Progression then requires an instrument rating, a type rating and in most cases experience is gained by working in general aviation before a candidate can become a new-hire first officer. Advantages of the MPL over the CPL include safer training due to less actual flying, less pollution from simulators than real aircraft, less weather disruption to training, less noise near airports and less airspace congestion. The most controversial feature is the reduction of minimum hour requirements which Matschnigg (2011) regarded as â€Å"regulatory hurdles† and â€Å"box ticking. † A finished MPL also includes a type rating but a graduate can’t fly for any airline other than the airline they are contracted to until the IOE is complete. This caused problems for the first group of MPL students who began work for Sterling Airlines which subsequently folded before they had completed their IOE (Chandler, 2009). In this situation a student has to retrain for a CPL. One hallmark of the MPL is the high dependency on simulators. The idea that real experience is the best way to learn is not new and explains why the MPL has drawn criticism and has been dubbed the â€Å"Microsoft Pilots License†. According to Chandler (2009), the cost of running a simulator is four times less than that of running a real aircraft but supporters say that economic motivation is not the reason for the increased simulator usage. Schroeder amp; Harms (2007) claim the real motivation is to fully utilise increasingly high-fidelity simulators, although much of the training uses cheaper low-fidelity simulators (ICAO, 2006). Schroeder amp; Harms (2007) also concede that the â€Å"operations-oriented training approach could also reduce the duration and cost of pilot training. † A stronger motivation for the MPL concept is to avoid pilots reverting to the first practices they learned as student pilots flying small aircraft because some of these practices can be hazardous if reverted to in airliners (Matschnigg, 2011). Regression is a psychological defence mechanism against a difficult or frustrating experience – such as emergency situations and also training. When Comet pilots were converting to the Boeing 707 they had to learn to wait for the new aircraft to slow down on landing before reaching for the nose wheel steering. It took a lot of effort for these pilots to change this habit, and indeed it is doubtful that first-learned habits can ever be completely unlearned (Beaty, 1995; Orlady amp; Orlady, 1999). Therefore it is a commendable feature of the MPL that standard operating procedures, TEM and CRM are inherent because improved mental simulation and teamwork should decrease the occurrence of regression. However, according to Salas amp; Maurino (2010), task work should be learned before team work so the student should properly learn â€Å"stick and rudder† skills before integrating these with management theories, as the CPL already does. Another advantage of the MPL is that most instructors have airline experience which is a good way of teaching cadets good habits for their airline careers and to minimise regression. Typical CPL courses are taught by instructors with no airline experience and the MPL looks to change this, however there may not be enough instructors both willing and qualified to undertake large scale training (IFALPA, 2007). While some advantages of the MPL are clearer than others, the reduction of experience in actual aircraft has drawn justified criticism. Beaty (1995) defines learning as a change in behaviour as a result of experience. Most members of the MPL-founding FCLTP agreed that a proper MPL syllabus should include more flight hours rather than less (IFALPA, 2007). While as stated by Matschnigg (2011), it is agreed that flight hours alone are not a reliable indicator of pilot competency, experience is still proven to aid decision making in stressful situations. Low levels of experience lead to a high mental workload and therefore decreased performance (Robson, 2008). Novice pilots operate more at the Rule Based or Knowledge Based levels of performance as defined by Rasmussen (1986). These levels require more cognitive resources and take longer to facilitate a decision than the Skill Based level of performance which experienced operators are more able to utilise because any given situation is less likely to be novel to them. According to Reason (as cited by Salas amp; Maurino, 2010), the Knowledge Based level of performance has a worse than 50% error rate. Furthermore, the extra time a novice takes to come to a decision is not ideal if the situation is an emergency. Ramifications for the industry as a result of the MPL may include a loss of confidence from the public when an accident eventually occurs with an inexperienced pilot at the controls. The International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations (IFALPA) believes cutting real flight hours in training will degrade safety because in an emergency both pilots can become task saturated meaning a pilot must be able to operate independently (IFALPA, 2007). One unusual occurrence illustrates how experience can also aid decision making between two pilots. On the 23rd of July, 1983 a 767 ran out of fuel flying over Canada and became the famous Gimli Glider. No published aerodromes were within gliding distance but fortunately the co-pilot once flew from an air force base near-by which was not published in airline documentation and was now decommissioned. The captain was an experienced glider pilot and was able to glide the airliner down and even side slip it on finals resulting in a successful emergency landing (Williams, 2003). Thus the pre-airline experience of both pilots resulted in good decision making and a positive outcome. Other ramifications may involve financial loss as a result of inflexible pilot rosters if some states refuse entry to MPL pilots. The MPL has advantages in the way it uses cutting edge technology and the most relevant procedures, however the proponents of the new licence have failed to convince most of ICAO’s 191 contracting states that it is a safe alternative to the traditional methods of becoming a first officer. Five years after the introduction of the MPL only 7% of ICAO states had implemented it. Notable participants are China, Australia, the UK and other European states while the notable absentee is the United States (Matschnigg, 2011). New Zealand has also abstained with Air New Zealand stating the current pilot induction process is satisfactory (Lamain, 2008). Matschnigg (2011) and Orlady amp; Orlady (1999) both predict the problem with reducing levels of experience in the right-hand seat yet the MPL appears to deliberately realise this prediction, even while the United States is moving in the opposite direction with Congress recently proposing a minimum of 1,500 hours for new-hire first officers (Karp, 2012). Therefore even while initial feedback shows MPL pilots are performing as well as pilots with traditional CPL’s (Buyck amp; Thomas, 2008; Matschnigg, 2011) the real test will be when an MPL graduate needs to assume full responsibility in a real emergency situation while they are still, ultimately, a novice operator. Then it will be seen if Aristotle was correct.