Knowledge Is Only Usable When Shared

Flight data has been used for decades to track flight operations, analyze trends, and find exceedances. Pilots rarely had access to such data, which was solely under the control of the flight safety department. Since the airline primarily used flight data to highlight unfavorable events, pilots tend to associate it with a negative connotation.

The utilization of such data has expanded thanks to new technologies. CEFA AMS can access such data as specialized self-debriefing animations and performance graphs soon after landing.

This delay is essential, as analysis of minor events with learning potential must be conducted rapidly after the flight. Many of these events—such as minor deviations—will lose their training value if addressed too late.

The tablet-based access is private and anonymous within the airline, providing a great starting point for examining crew behavior and individual performance more effectively and without pressure.

Since any part of the flight can be used to create specialized analysis windows, I would like to provide two examples to illustrate how such a self-debriefing tool might be utilized.

In the first example, a crew encountered a near-overspeed situation during descent due to severe high-altitude wind shear. This crew performed a manual pull-up maneuver with the speed brake partially extended to maintain the aircraft within its normal operating range. Standard FDM software would not have detected such an “incident” because the crew never exceeded any limits or set off any cockpit warnings. Not triggering any alarms does not mean that a situation is not worth examining in depth to understand what happened and identify the root cause. During such periods of high workload, it is likely that the “big picture” was not fully understood.

In the second scenario, the focus shifts to knowledge sharing during training and how it can strengthen a pilot’s mental readiness for unfamiliar situations.

As an instructor, I realized that cadets make many “common or standard” mistakes, and I am convinced that everyone doesn’t have to make the same mistakes.

Effective and potent briefing materials can now include real-time animations, precise out-of-window cockpit views, and an animated hand display that shows the pilot’s actions. Together, these elements create a powerful learning tool.

For example, when executing the Flaps 3 approach in an Airbus (the situation is similar for other types), the runway location during the visual segment is significantly lower. For beginners or pilots not prepared for this new vision, it often results in an underfly of the glideslope, as the aircraft’s nose is lowered (in an attempt to recreate the traditional runway image known from full-flap approaches).

More effective use of flight data is now possible for pilots. The implementation of such a pilot empowerment program by airlines has already yielded numerous benefits. This has led to improved spontaneous reporting, more efficient flight training, smoother flight operations, and fewer flight-safety incidents.

Knowledge becomes usable only when shared — so let’s do it efficiently. A realistic animation says more than a thousand words.

Have a look at previous publications dedicated to the training under our blog at https://www.cefa-aviation.com/blog/

You want to know more about our CEFA AMS product? Please visit our website or contact us.

Pierre WANNAZ

Capt. A330/340 – TRE/TRI

Senior Advisor – CEFA Aviation