This week, FlightLogger announced the release of an advanced Competency Based Training and Assessment (CBTA) enhancement to the already popular FlightLogger flight school management platform. With the latest addition, FlightLogger positions themself as the leading provider of management software for pilot training organizations adhering to the framework launched by European EASA and widely used across emerging markets in Asia, Africa and the Middle East.
Background on Competency Based Training and Assessment
The CBTA method was developed to educate pilots that come better prepared for handling both predictable and unforeseen situations by adding focus on core competencies on top of the ability to complete a set of exercises.
The principles behind CBTA origins back to the 1970s when NASA first began exploring the role human factors play in aircraft accidents. Later on, FAA continued development towards evidence-based training emphasizing the use of statistical tools in assessing the outcome of training, before ICAO applied some of the same principles for individual assessment of pilots from a job-function-related competencies perspective.
This resulted in ICAO defining a set of technical and non-technical competencies encompassing attitudes, behaviors and skills to be able to develop reliability, resilience and critical thinking. Together with ICAO and IATA, EASA developed the CBTA method, ready to be launched in 2018.
Better pilots for the future with FlightLogger CBTA Pro
The brand-new FlightLogger CBTA Pro allows flight schools to incorporate competency based pilot training and assessment in compliance with authorities’ best practice recommendations. First of all, this means flight instructors can perform lesson-specific grading/assessment of students based on the core competencies for flight crew (including the underlying performance indicators) defined by ICAO. Assessment can be done while the student is flying the lesson, using for example an iPad.
With the help of FlightLogger CBTA Pro, schools can then apply the principles of CBTA to evaluate their students not just based on their performance on specific exercises like today, but on the required core competencies (including underlying performance indicators) across EASA’s eight flight phases. This way, schools can dive deeper into the human factors behind a student performing above or below par, thereby providing a strong platform for creating even better pilots.
Besides being an assessment tool for evaluating individual students, next thing on the roadmap is to let FlightLogger CBTA Pro collect data across the entire school to highlight competencies where the school performs good and bad as a whole. This will allow each school to evaluate their training programs and processes, and also to compare and spot convergence between their instructors’ evaluations.
FlightLogger CBTA Pro also for schools not using EASA standards
As mentioned, FlightLogger CBTA Pro as default complies with EASA standards, but if wanted, flight schools can instead define their own specific core competencies, performance indictors and flight phases.
FlightLogger CBTA Pro is available now and FlightLogger offers free online demos for interested pilot training organizations.
Learn more about FlightLogger CBTA Pro and book an online demo.