About the quality of pilot training

With regard to media appeals related to publications on the concern of Aeroflot - Russian Airlines about the quality of pilot training the Interstate Aviation Committee emphasizes that deficiencies in the training of flight personnel have been repeatedly noted by the IAC Commissions investigating severe accidents (Тu-154М on 22.08.2006 in the Donetsk region; Boeing 737 in the area of Perm Airport on 14.09.2008; Yak-42 in Yaroslavl Airport on; Тu-204 in Vnukovo Airport on 29.12.2012; Boeing 737 17.11.2013 in Kazan Airport, etc.). These deficiencies included both the initial training of pilots and transition training and schedueled trainings and checks including simulators. Investigation Commissions identified serious problems both in legislation of civil aviation activity and work of aviation authorities of all levels and command and flight and training personnel of specific airlines. 

Unfortunately, many recommendations aimed at improving the level of pilots training, for example, in acqusitions of practical skills for recovering from stalls and upsets including low-G and negative-G positions or establishing standards for English language proficiency for personnel performing flights on foreign aircraft have not been implemented to date.

During the investigation of disasters that occurred during training flights in civil flight schools, the commissions noted that the legal framework for the activity of state educational organizations of civil aviation has not been completed, many provisions for the organization of the training process have become obsolete, training of instructors is insufficient, the requirements for the use of live monitoring and the implementation of flight data analysis programs are not determined.

The recommendations of accident investigation commissions and proposals to improve the quality of flight personnel training were constantly sent to the aviation authorities of Russia.

Within the scope of its competence, IAC constantly pays great attention to the training of aviation specialists and gives them an opportunity to get acquainted with the best practices of ICAO, IATA and other leading regional and international organizations, manufacturers of aviation equipment of UAC, Airbus, Boeing, etc., as well as airlines and aviation educational institutions.

In 2018, seventeen years have passed since the implementation of the ICAO-IAC (COSCAP-CIS) project "Development of Operational Safety and Continuing Airworthiness in CIS countries", extended on an unlimited basis and estimated by ICAO and IATA as one of the most successful and effective regional projects of ICAO, highly appreciated by aviation authorities of Member States to the Agreement.

During this time, in the framework of the project with participation of ICAO and IATA specialists more than one hundred and twenty different events (seminars, conferences, symposiums, courses, etc. were held in which about 10,000 aviation experts from 12 countries of our region took part, including more than 6000 aviation specialists of the Russian Federation.

The themes of all events are selected taking into account the needs of civil aviation authorities of the Member States of the Agreement.

Only in 2017-2018 in the IAC, the following events on flight personnel training were held: training courses for safety oversight inspectors (SAFA), "Technical pilot workshop", familiarization courses on the design and operation of the most mass family of A318 / 319/320 / 321 aircraft, "New standards in pilots training", the workshop "Competence Based Training / Evidence Based Training", based on new technologies for flight personnel training, etc.

In accordance with the decision of the 36th Session of the Council on Aviation, the IAC has started the implementation of the interstate Aviation Training Program on the basis of the leading aviation educational and training centers, in which the leading role is assigned to cooperation of states on the basis of the most effective use of resources and the implementation of best practices.