Professional Pilot Weather Training and Education

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Professional Pilot Weather Training and Education

• First Officer Timothy H. Miner,
• Allied Pilots Association
• (Senior Meteorologist, USAFR)
• July 25, 2000
• OFCM Aviation Weather

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OVERVIEW

• A WEATHER TRAINING MODEL
• WEATHER TRAINING REQUIREMENTS
• THE FUTURE

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A WEATHER TRAINING MODEL

• A PILOT NEEDS TO KNOW THREE LEVELS OF WEATHER
  (SKILLS)
• 1. WEATHER THEORY
• 2. STATE OF THE ATMOSPHERE (DISSEMINATION)
• 3. HOW WILL THE CURRENT WEATHER IMPACT THE
  FLIGHT? (JUDGEMENT)

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A WEATHER TRAINING MODEL

• 1. WEATHER THEORY
• BASIC TEXTBOOK INFORMATION ABOUT HOW THE
  ATMOSPHERE BEHAVES AND WHAT ARE THE AVIATION
  IMPACT VARIABLES/HAZARDS.
• EXAMPLE WHAT IS WIND SHEAR?

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A WEATHER TRAINING MODEL

• 2. CURRENT STATE OF WEATHER
• ACCURATE FORECASTS AND CURRENT OBSERVATIONS
  (ASOS, AUTOMETS, PIREPS) FOR THE ATMOSPHERE WHERE
  FLIGHT WILL OCCUR.
• EXAMPLE IS THERE WIND SHEAR?

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A WEATHER TRAINING MODEL

• 3. WEATHER JUDGEMENT
• HOW WILL THE CURRENT OR FORECASTED WEATHER IMPACT
  THE FLIGHT?
• EXAMPLE WHAT WILL WIND SHEAR LIKE THIS DO TO MY
  AIRCRAFT ON FINAL?
• CREATES GO/NO-GO CONFIDENCE

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A WEATHER TRAINING MODEL

• A FULLY TRAINED PILOT IS ONE WHO RECEIVES
  INSTRUCTION AND PRACTICE IN ALL THREE AREAS
• KNOWS BASIC WEATHER THEORY
• CAN INTERPRET ALL OBSERVATION/ FORECAST
  INFORMATION SOURCES
• HAS PRACTICE IN JUDGEMENT SENARIOS

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WEATHER TRAINING REQUIREMENTS

• IN THE PAST 10 YEARS WE HAVE GONE THROUGH MANY
  CHANGES IMPACTING AVIATION WEATHER FROM THE
  PILOTS PERSPECTIVE
• A. METHOD OF OBSERVATION AND PARADIGM CHANGE
• B. METHOD OF ENCODING
• C. NEW TECHNOLOGIES FOR SENSING THE ATMOSPHERE

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WEATHER TRAINING REQUIREMENTS

• BEST SUCCESS IS IN THE AREA OF WINDSHEAR/MICROBURS
  T TRAINING
• A. ALL PILOTS GIVEN A WORKBOOK OF THEORY AND
  DISSEMINATION INFO.
• B. ALL PILOTS REQUIRED TO MAINTAIN SIMULATOR
  PROFICIENCY.
• C. FAR REGULATIONS REQUIRE THIS TRAINING.

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WEATHER TRAINING REQUIREMENTS

• FAR REQUIREMENTS
• ALL LEVELS OF PILOTS REQUIRED TO ANSWER QUESTIONS
  ON WEATHER--BUT TESTS NOT SEGMENTED.
• ALL INITIAL AND UPGRADE TRAINEES IN PART 121
  FLYING MUST RECEIVE WEATHER TRAINING--BUT NOT
  EVERYONE DOES IT THE SAME WAY.

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WEATHER TRAINING REQUIREMENTS

• IN MY OPINION, MANY PILOT TRAINING FACILITIES
  TRAIN TO THE MINIMUM IN WEATHER.
• TRAINING IS BECAUSE TRAINING (ESPECIALLY
  CLASSROOM) IS TIME.
• RESULT IS VERY INCONSISTENT PROFICIENCY.

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WEATHER TRAINING REQUIREMENTS

• BOTTOM LINE
• WITH THE EXCEPTION OF MICROBURST/WINDSHEAR
  TRAINING PROGRAM, WE HAVE LACKED THE CONSISTENT
  STANDARD PROGRAM NEEDED.

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FUTURE

• NEED FOR INTERACTIVE COMPUTER BASED TRAINING FOR
  WEATHER THEORY, DISSEMINATION SKILLS, AND
  ESPECIALLY JUDGEMENT SKILLS.
• AA DEVELOPING A WEB-BASED GRAPHICAL RADAR
  TRAINING PROGRAM.

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FUTURE

• MUST HAVE A CONSISTENTLY APPLIED NATIONAL
  TRAINING STANDARD FOR ALL PILOT LEVELS IN
  ALLTHREE PILOT WEATHER SKILLS.
• EXAMPLE REVIEW USAF ACADEMY WORK BETWEEN
  1988-1989.

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SUMMARY

• WITH EACH NEW WEATHER TECHNOLOGY / PROGRAM THERE
  MUST BE CONSISTENT TRAINING PROVIDED TO ALL
  PILOTS USING THE NAS.
• WE HAVE NOT BEEN SUCCESSFUL YET.

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SUMMARY

• ALL TRAINING MUST ADDRESS ALL THREE SKILL LEVELS
  
• THEORY,
• DISSEMINATION,
• JUDGEMENT.