Term Paper on "Simulation in Cabin Crew Training"

Term Paper 12 pages (3726 words) Sources: 5

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Cabin Crew Training Programs

Aviation has changed in massive ways in the last few decades. When commercial flying first debuted to the public, the pilot was considered "king" of the aircraft and his decisions were never questioned and it was always assumed that he knew exactly what he was doing; there was seldom any input given from others (Baron). "Part of this thinking had its genesis from the military. At one time the military was the biggest producer of pilots, and along with military training came a good dose of machismo, ego, and autocratic decision-making processes (many military fighters were single pilot aircraft and therefore lacked the redundancy of, and decision inputs from, another crewmember)" (Baron).

One of the major issues with this arena of thinking was that it manifested into a ton of errors that turned out to be tragedies. For example, in 1978, United 171 ran out of gas and no one noticed until it was too late to do anything about it. In 1982 Air Florida 90 was not properly deiced and the cabin crew was not trained properly; thus it crashed shortly after takeoff (Baron). These tragedies demonstrated several aspects to the world of aviation; first, it was important to have a strong, consistent and well-trained team within the aircraft, rather than a single person. For example, when the commercial airline industry first debuted, stewardesses were simply glamorous looking young women who helped to contribute to the charm of flying (Baron). it's important to recall that in the early days of commercial aviation, flying was generally reserved for the well to do, and there were even dress codes to be enforced during flights (Barons). However, the role of flight attendants has changed dramatically: "Today's flight attendants are highly trained, highly skilled, and center on safety as the core of their job function. and, just like the pilots, many have been trained in crew resource management principles. However, some recent findings have uncovered some disturbing facts about the division of responsibilities and safety issues between the cockpit (pilots) and the cabin crew (flight attendants). The underlying goal for both the pilots and flight attendants is the safe and efficient completion of a flight" (Baron).

However, before any of those goals can be achieved for the airplane or for the team aboard the airplane, there has to be a strong commitment to ensuring these individuals get the best, most thorough and most proper training available. One of the major issues with proper training of the cabin crew is that the majority of training programs boast a profound and marked lack in high fidelity simulation. Other programs have high tech equipment specifically for training purposes that are not being utilized to their fullest potential.

Purpose and Rationale

It's important to bear in mind that back in the "good old days" (the 1940s) pilots didn't learn to fly on aircraft simulators; instead, they used actual airplanes (Weiner & Nagel, 1988). This practice was in place because there simply were no simulators. Pilots learning on actual planes became safer, better trained more experienced pilots. While it's true that this form of training was more dangerous to the pilots, the instructors and the machinery, it still created better pilots. But at what price? Pilots were given some lectures on the ground and then sent up on airplanes for solo missions; however this trial and error technique caused frequent damage to machinery as well as killed many of the trainees (Weiner & Nagel, 1988). Training on an actual plane vs. training on a simulator is like the difference between learning to drive on an actual car or using a realistic video game; the more prepared drivers are obviously the ones who use vehicles.

However, this era is not the 1940s; we are firmly in the 21st century with some of the most advanced technology that mankind has ever imagined at our disposal. it's practically criminal that the airlines are not more fastidiously harnessing this technology for the benefit of their pilots with more aggression. In fact, the FAA has long established the importance of realism of simulators. "There has been much debate over the years regarding the need for flight simulator motion for airline-pilot training and evaluation. From the intuitive perspective there is the dictum, 'The airplane moves, so the simulator must move' -- but intuition alone is not enough to make a valid case for requiring elaborate -- and costly -- motion systems for training and evaluation of airline pilots. The ultimate goal of training and checking -- to produce and maintain highly-skilled pilots capable of ensuring a superior level of safety in both normal and abnormal flight operations -- cannot be met without adequate resources available to all airlines world-wide" (Burki-Cohen et al., 2011). Thus, the current inadequacy of training and failure to engage with current resources is tremendous problematic as airline cabin crews need to be trained not only in the safe and proper handling of the aircraft, but they have to be prepared for a variety of emergency situations, such as emergency evacuations, which are both stressful and life-threatening.

Interest and Importance

"Synthetic training is highly effective in other sectors of aviation, particularly in the maintenance engineering training and cabin crew training. Flight simulation reduces significantly the cost of flight crew training. Training in a flight simulator can be more effective than airborne training" (Royal Aero Society, 2009). This last statement by the Royal Aero society reflects the sheer power of high tech simulation for cabin crew members, and all team members who work aboard the aircraft. Advanced simulation can simply create a range of scenarios in flight that a team member might not encounter right away once they begin work. There's a greater variety of cues and situations to explore to use for the sake of challenging crew members and for the sake of research discovery. Realistic episodes of simulation stimulate research and advancement of aircraft.

However, realistic, high-tech simulation episodes also hold another form of importance: they allow crew members to enact and become prepared for emergency scenarios. This is absolutely vital and a truly priceless aspect of training. "Many studies (e.g. NTSB/SIR/92/02) have shown that in emergency evacuations the sudden stress on cabin attendants has resulted in significant performance losses, e.g. An inability to open doors which were in fact fully serviceable" (Estegassy). This is a classic example of poor emergency training for cabin crew members as it demonstrates a lack of mental preparation and of confidence: "…stress results from the instinctive and unconscious comparison between the perceived requirements of the situation and the internal image of one's competencies. Poor training can exacerbate a dangerous situation: If training is inadequate, one's confidence to handle the situation is weak, therefore the perceived stress is higher, and performance declines.

If training is of a good standard however, confidence in one's competencies can ameliorate the stress and performance can prove equal to the task" (Estegassy). However, the bulk of cabin crew training programs don't use simulated processes that are strongly enough like the real thing or properly make use of their high tech equipment for the benefit of intensively and comprehensively training their staff members.

The training needs to realistic, complete and well-planned so that crew members are not only prepared for a range of situations, but so that they feel well-prepared to handle a range of situations. "Cabin attendant training for emergency evacuations should meet a set standard: cabin attendants should be able to quickly assess the situation and ensure passengers' evacuation with the best possible result so as to enhance the chances of passengers' survival" (Estegassy). This means that training programs through high fidelity simulation need to be able to provide those skills to crew members.

The best form of aircraft cabin simulators are those which create situations of virtual simulation: real people employing simulated equipment (Sokolowski & Banks, 2012). "The best known examples of virtual simulation are the flight simulators used by airlines and the military for pilot training. Here real pilots train on cockpits mocked up to represent a specific type of aircraft cabin. Computers provide inputs to the flight instruments to replicate aircraft response as the pilot manipulates the controls" (Sokolowski & Banks, 2012).

Relevant Literature

Weiner and Nagel in the book Human Factors in Aviation (1988) are able to succinctly and lucidly pinpoint the requirements of good cabin simulators for the training of cabin crews. While the book was written several decades ago, it aptly pinpoints the needs of the cabin crew members during their training and what good simulation technology needs to provide. One of the first things that good simulation training for cabin crews requires is the realistic usage of cues. "Pilots depend on cues to assess the status and condition of their aircraft, to initiate actions, to guide their performance, and to signal when an action should be altered or ended. The concept of cues and the distinction between a cue and stimulus are an important aspect of simulation and… READ MORE

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