Prescreening of Pilot Applicants Begins in North America
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The Flight School Association of North America (FSANA) has partnered with Symbiotics Ltd a prescreening company to support FSANA’s vision for a new era in Ab Initio flight training. FSANA expects prescreening of pilot applicants to become a benchmark in the pilot Ab Initio flight training industry.
The International Aerospace Accrediting Commission (IAAC) agrees that all flight schools should incorporate some level of prescreening as part of their application process. One of the IAAC accreditation standards includes the requirement to establish a vetting process which will support the enhancement of human performance aspects of career cockpit management, which in turn supports overall human performance in the cockpit.
FSANA and Symbiotics expect that pilot aptitude assessments (PAA) will become a common part in the United States and beyond with respect to a person’s journey to becoming a pilot. PAA is currently being used by airlines to predict a candidate’s likelihood to be successful in the airline cadet flight training process. Fully qualified pilots looking for new jobs are also likely to encounter pilot aptitude tests.
This new partnership will see Symbiotics offering Pilot Aptitude Assessment programs to FSANA members who will receive special benefits as part of their FSANA membership. FSANA President and CEO Robert Rockmaker commented, “The introduction of prescreening pilot applicants is one of the most significant enhancements to the pilot production pipeline since the Wright Brothers made their maiden voyage on December 17, 1903.”
Rockmaker notes that, “Pilot prescreening is a significant milestone which should be embraced by all flight training providers no matter what a person’s goals are in the pilot space.” The Ab Initio drop-out rate in America has been far too high for too many years. Prescreening will create a safer and more efficient flight training industry and save people and flight schools time and money.
Tyler Tenbrink, Director of Talent and Development at Piedmont Airlines, owned by American Airlines commented, “The introduction of prescreening pilot applicants at the Ab Initio level ushers in a new and much needed process for the creation of new pilots at all levels.”
Prescreening will further lower the washout rate for new cadets at the regional and major airlines as prescreening becomes the standard at the start line of the pilot production process. There are people who can be successful in the cockpit in a single engine aircraft at 120 knots and 6,000 feet however those same people can not meet the standards when flying at 450 knots at 35,000 feet in a complex aircraft.
Symbiotics Technical Director Richard Brecknell added, “FSANA and the IAAC are striving for the highest standards in the flight training industry, and we are excited to partner with them to provide our psychological expertise and assessment solutions in support of this program.”
Symbiotics are expert providers of pre-screening and assessments for Pilots, Cabin Crew, Maintenance Engineer, Dispatchers, and Airline Management. Symbiotics provide assessment & selection, training, and consultancy services in over 130 locations spread through 80 countries across five continents. We support the aviation industry including airlines, Flight Schools, OEMs, Business Jet operators, and other aviation businesses.
Symbiotics believes that accurate assessment is the cornerstone of people's success to ensure fair, relevant, and quality testing of candidates. We look to form long-lasting relationships with our clients and other industry stakeholders for the benefit of the sector. We use our skills and experience as a specialist aviation assessment provider to work continuously to improve assessments to ensure fair, relevant, and quality testing of candidates. More information about Symbiotics can be found at symbioticsltd.com
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FSANA Engages Deeper In Washington, D.C.
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FSANA has been on the Hill in DC for a few years. Before COVID arrived, the organization had begun planning for an increased presence with the elected branch of Congress. Then came COVID and plans shifted toward helping flight schools remain viable since they were deemed essential service.
FSANA is now working with the Vogel Group based in Washington, D.C., with additional offices in Florida and Tennessee. The Vogel Group is one of the top government affairs firms in Washington, D.C.
Lead by Alex Vogel who is a pilot and deeply engaged with the Hill in multiple client markets. Leading the FSANA government affairs committee is chairman Joel Davidson, Chief Executive Officer of Aeroguard Flight Training Center. Assistant committee Chairs are David Morse, CAE Phoenix Aviation Academy, Center Leader and Chris Erlanson, President of Tennessee Flight Training. The FSANA government affairs committee will be reaching out to FSANA members going forward on a myriad of topics in the flight training space.
Matt Keelen, Principal and Gabbi Salmon, Associate with the Vogel Group will head up the day to day work in D.C. on behalf of FSANA. Robert Rockmaker, FSANA President & CEO commented, "Adding the Vogel Group to our team is another milestone for FSANA and will pay dividends for our dedicated members who work hard to provide the best flight training in the world."
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FAA Responds to Industry Group on FAA Knowledge Test Concerns - No Problems Here
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On March 9th, 2023 FSANA joined on a letter to the FAA's Manager of the Regulatory Support Division expressing concerns over knowledge test availability for pilot training in the United States. Concerns related to changes in the third-party testing site business model as dictated by the FAA's sole contractor, PSI Services, for FAA knowledge tests.
Specifically noted in the letter was that the industry has concerns about reductions in available locations for tests and the burden this puts on pilot training efforts. This is an especially acute concern considering the demand for pilot output from training providers to fill professional pilot hiring needs.
Additional concerns were expressed regarding the actual quality of testing service applicants have been experiencing as provided by this sole contractor.
You can see the FAA response letter here.
A summary of the FAA's response seems to be a flat response that there are no problems in the system, that there are adequate testing resources available, and that their "information does not indicate that [any] changes imposed by PSI have created any obstructions to FAA airman certification.
This does not match what FSANA is hearing reported from flight training providers in some areas of the country. We continue to receive more reports of longer wait times to schedule tests at PSI centers and intentions of more third-party test sites to close.
The FAA states that their "information does not indicate shortcomings" in this system.
Going on in the letter, and in response to recommendations from the industry in the initially supplied letter, the FAA indicates transparency in this process but also states that "The FAA does not publish reviews of contractor performance or organizational capabilities..."
They seem to indicate that no changes are currently being discussed immediately and that they "are looking to start the formal Request for Information (RFI) process in three to four years..."
FSANA is concerned that proper attention to this concern is not being given, and that while the letter submitted may have been ahead of some of the effects being fully felt, not addressing these concerns at this time more thoroughly is short-sighted and going to lead to further challenges in upcoming months and years.
We will continue to work on this issue, and attempt to work with the FAA to make timely adjustments. To do this, we will need as much information from the flight training community as possible. Please submit to us any concerns you have, real-world examples, and stories of challenges experienced, or hardships to the training process that are caused by the current knowledge testing process. As we continue to gather input, we will work to build bigger case for the further address of these concerns.
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TSA Flight Training Request Numbers Growing
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Flight training to non-U.S. citizens remains a large part of the flight training community in the United States. This is something that FSANA, with data provided by the TSA, does keep an eye on over time and is encouraged to see continuing increases in requests to have training conducted in the United States.
While there was an expected dip in this request process during COVID travel restrictions, the monthly, and yearly request numbers are returning to prior and in some categories, increasing, numbers of requests.
The TSA tracks these numbers as "threat assessments" being requested, which is basically an approval to have training completed. Most commonly these training requests are for initial private pilot certification, instrument ratings, multi-engine ratings, and pilot type ratings. You can see this in the following table and see how these numbers have been tracked over the recent years.
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You can also see in the graph below a more granular, monthly tracking of overall training requests. While we have not yet fully returned to full pre-COVID training request numbers monthly, we are seeing a continual increase. Of some interest should also be the fact that even in depths of lockdown periods, the requests never really fell to zero either. The flight training industry remained as productive as possible as a vital part of making sure the flight decks of future travel and cargo needs would remain filled.
FSANA greatly appreciates the TSA staff sharing this data with us and considers it a vital tracking part of understanding our flight training industry.
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FSANA Meets With Australia
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FSANA President & CEO Robert Rockmaker had the opportunity to meet with Maddy Johnson and her husband Gene to discuss the world of flight training from both the United States and Australian perspectives.
There is much commonality between the two countries in so many aspects of the Ab Initio training world. Maddy shared the ups and downs with respect to flight training post COVID.
Student funding for Ab Initio flight training is a major issue and the Australian government does not provide any form of funding for flight students who are enrolled at private, independent flight schools. Students enrolled in a college based program are eligible for government funding.
Johnson and Rockmaker agreed to begin to work collaboratively going forward for the betterment of the flight training industry.
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NTSB Webinar: Implementing an SMS in Small to Midsized Aviation Operation on May 11
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On Thursday, May 11, 2023, from 1:00 p.m.-3:30 p.m. (Eastern), the NTSB will host a webinar, "Implementing an SMS in Small to Midsized Aviation Operations."
How can small and midsized aviation operators implement a safety management system (SMS) to reduce risk and prevent accidents? It’s not as daunting—or as costly and resource-intensive—as it may seem. It is possible to establish an SMS for every operation because these systems can be scaled to an operator’s size and complexity and customized to address unique risks. In this webinar, we will show you how.
The seminar will kick off the webinar with a review of accident case studies involving Part 135 and Part 91 aircraft that highlight why the NTSB has long advocated for SMS in all passenger-carrying operations.
Then, NTSB Board Member Michael Graham will moderate a roundtable discussion with several small to midsized operators--in various stages of SMS implementation--to explore why they chose to implement an SMS, how they are incorporating the four SMS components (safety policy, safety risk management, safety assurance, safety promotion), the challenges they overcame, and the safety and economic benefits they are seeing.
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Collins Leads Bipartisan Coalition to Introduce Aviation Workforce Development Act
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Representatives Mike Collins (R-Ga.), Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.), Mike Kelly (R-Pa.), and Aviation Subcommittee Ranking Member Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) introduced the Aviation Workforce Development Act, a bill to make training at FAA-certified commercial pilot and aircraft maintenance technician schools a qualified expense for existing 529 Plans. Representatives Drew Ferguson (R-Ga.), Lucy McBath, (D-Ga.), Julia Brownley (D-Calif.) and Russell Fry (R-S.C.) also joined the effort as original co-sponsors.
"The Aviation Workforce Development Act is a commonsense proposal to give Americans who want to pursue a career in aviation, on the ground or in the air, the same tools as those seeking four-year degrees with zero increased cost to taxpayers." said Representative Mike Collins (R-Ga.), T&I Aviation Subcommittee.
529 Plans are tax-advantaged investment accounts that are a tool for parents or guardians to save for their child's education. Initially, 529 Plan funds could only be used for degrees at four-year universities, but in recent years, Congress has added to the list of qualified expenses by including apprenticeship programs in certain trades, but not most aviation programs.
You can learn more about this bill here.
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Private Pilot and Commercial Pilot FAA Knowledge Allowed Test Times Reducing Began April 24
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The FAA has recently notified the industry that there will be reductions in the allowed time for applicants taking the Private Pilot Airplane (PAR) and Commercial Pilot Airplane (CAX) FAA knowledge tests. Administrated at PSI-operated authorized testing sites, these two tests will give applicants a half hour less time to complete the required tests.
In the notification, the FAA noted that:
- Beginning Monday, April 24, 2023, the PAR test time will be reduced from 150 minutes to 120 minutes, and the CAS test time will be reduced from 180 minutes to 150 minutes
- Five (5) unscored validation questions will be added to each test, increasing the PAR test from 60 to 65 questions and the CAX test from 100 to 105 questions. Unscored questions will not count towards the test taker's score. These questions are included to allow the FAA to evaluate statistical performance of the new questions before they are included in the sets of scored questions.
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This means applicants will have less time during these tests to complete the number of test questions on each test, and, with the second part of the notice, more questions to complete without the knowledge of which test questions are sample validation questions and which ones count toward their final score.
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FAA Funding Used to Modernize 29 Control Towers
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The FAA will award $20M from a bipartisan infrastructure law to 29 airport-owned traffic control towers in small towns and regional airports across the U.S. The funding will be used to sustain, construct, repair, improve, modernize, replace, or relocate airport-owned towers and install communications equipment. Among the grants announced include: $1.5M to Columbus Municipal Airport in Indiana to build a new airport traffic control tower; $860,000 to Joplin Regional Airport in Missouri to replace the airport's aging airfield lighting control and monitoring system; and $1.1M to Tyler Pounds Regional Airport in Texas to plan and design for relocating the existing tower, which has line of sight issues.
Some of these tower upgrades will be taking place at airports that have significant training operations density. FSANA knows how much of a role towers play in keeping safe operations flowing in the flight training community.
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FAA Offering $25K Hiring Bonus for ASI Positions
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Ever thought of working for the FAA? Currently, the FAA is recruiting pilots for mission-critical Operations Aviation Safety Inspectors (ASIs) and is offering hiring incentives to entry-level (defined as GS-9/11/12) candidates.
They are also offering a $25K Recruitment Incentive to Operations Aviation Safety Inspector applicants or OTS candidates selected on or after April 3, 2023, to fill a position in a designated hard-to-fill location in the ACO, GAO (Fixed-wing), and GAO (Rotorcraft) specialties.
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ARTICLES OF INTEREST FROM THE INDUSTRY
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FSANA has been collecting DPE names who have expressed a willingness to travel to help flight training providers secure practical tests.
The latest List of Travel-Willing DPEs with contact information is available on the FSANA website. If you are a flight training provider who is finding a challenge of scheduling DPEs in your local area, feel free to reach out to these individuals. They may be able to serve some of your local testing needs.
If you are a DPE who is not on this list but would like to be, please let us know. Write us at info@fsana.com with your name, city, state, email and phone number and we will add you.
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Email Feedback Concerns about FAA Practical Tests to:
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Tell us what is important to you as a school owner, manager or chief flight instructor. We will share comments in an upcoming edition of Flight Training News. Send your thoughts to info@fsana.com.
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FSANA SUPPORTING PARTNERS
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V I S I O N A R Y •• P A R T N E R S
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D E V E L O P E R •• P A R T N E R S
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B U I L D E R •• P A R T N E R S
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L E A D E R •• P A R T N E R S
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Established in 2009, the Flight School Association of North America (FSANA) is the first and only association of its kind dedicated solely to the flight training industry. FSANA represents flight schools, firms that provide products and services to the flight training or aviation industry, and other supporting partners.
The Mission of the Flight School Association is to support, promote and advocate for the business of flight training; to provide knowledge, programs and services that help its members thrive and better serve their customers and communities; to foster best business practices; to educate and inspire youth; to increase the global pilot population; to improve general aviation safety; and to work in alliance with the aviation and aerospace industry.
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