JUNE 2025AEROSPACEDEFENSEREVIEW.COM9considered a successful check ride. It was a badge of honor for a pilot to say, " I completed six sims."Safety of flight is a non-negotiable item in training. Training and checking, however, does not have to be adversarial and can be just as much fun as flying the line. Pilots should look forward to training events.Instructors need to look through the eyes of the average line pilot and ask themselves, "What can I do to make pilots want to operate the aircraft by Standard Operating Procedures (SOP)?" Instructors should explain why procedures are in place. Many procedures have been written with blood on bent aluminum. If pilots understand why they do things, they are much more likely to do it. Instructors should create an environment where pilots are confident that they can ask any question without fear of reprisal. If the instructor does not know the answer, the instructor must find the answer and get back to the pilot. When asked the "what if" questions, instructors can explain that those "what if" questions must be valid for the operation. Instructors must be the keepers of SOP. They must never teach their technique as SOP. Techniques are an excellent tool to train pilots how to comply with SOP but can never be a replacement for SOP. Instructors, when able, should fly the aircraft. It puts things in perspective for the instructor and provides instructors with street credibility, which is very important among line pilots. Passing the line also provides the opportunity for instructors to demonstrate correct SOP. By doing these things, instructors will earn high respect from the line pilots.In the regional world of aviation, training departments are tasked with turning a single-piston pilot into a swept-wing jet pilot. This quantum leap for inexperienced pilots also lays the foundation for their careers as airline pilots. The responsibility for this falls upon training leadership. In addition to the items listed above, all members of the training team must not only exhibit the company's core values and the training center's values. Those training center values should include mutual respect, excellence in instruction, Servant Leadership, Loyalty to the training department and trainees, Integrity in everything they do, and Selfless service to all trainees. Managers should show appreciation for training department personnel whenever possible and validating all fellow employees. Flight training departments should be success-oriented and never try to "trip up" any trainee. Flight training programs are challenging, and instructors should give trainees all the support they need to succeed, but ultimately, trainees have to be successful in earning their licenses and ratings. Flight safety cannot be compromised, and training departments must not give away permits to pilots who have not demonstrated the required level of competency.Training leadership must never stand still in the present. Training leaders must continually look at how the current and future generations of pilots learn and how to continue providing high-quality instruction. Leaders can never say, this is how we have always done training, and it is good enough. SAFETY OF FLIGHT IS A NON-NEGOTIABLE ITEM IN TRAINING. TRAINING AND CHECKING, HOWEVER, DOES NOT HAVE TO BE ADVERSARIAL AND CAN BE JUST AS MUCH FUN AS FLYING THE LINE. PILOTS SHOULD LOOK FORWARD TO TRAINING EVENTS
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