IS ACTUAL A320 TRAINING PROPERLY FOCUSED? (Por Ricardo Burgos, piloto de A320 IBERIA)

Airbus 320 aircraft mix computing with glass cockpit. It looks that Type Rating course are more focused on how to manage the technology than to teach aircraft flying. Pilot against the machine is considered as primary tendency in the operation of this aircraft, when from my point of view the pilot and the aircraft should be more considered as a couple. In any other aircraft the pilot knows at any time the aircraft movements and tendency, but in Airbus aircraft crews are just trained to manage aircraft malfunctions without even knowing how the airplane flies and how it reacts to our inputs. The main reason for that is the minimum simulator time scheduled for any Type Rating course, minimum line flying under supervision and the also minimum time scheduled for recurrent couses. The Airbus FBW is a new concept of flying technique and is completely different than any technique tought at flying schools. Low time pilots have access to a new type rating that requires a solid background and experience, and they don't receive any additional training to compensate that issue. It's true that Airbus software FBW protections have helped to reduce accident ratio, but they have also caused some. Not just cause some because of itself, but because of the improper training and low flight experience of the crews. Low time pilots operate the Airbus family as if it was a computer because they have been trained to do so, but we don't have to forget we are flying an airplane and we almost always have the chance to gain manual control of it bypassing the computers. It is common to use 99% of a new pilot training time in automation training because of the complexity of this aircraft. It could work in the case of high experience pilots, but most of the crews jumping into this cockpits in new airlines are low flight time pilots. It's becoming more common to find crewmembers considered high experienced whose only experience flying jets has been in the Airbus. How often have they flown an airplane without fly by wire assistance? Since when have they flown trimming by themselves the airplane? Do they rely 100% on the airplane and it's software? Every pilot creates its own barriers against mistakes and airplane failures, but what if for your entire carieer a computer has done it for you? Training is more focused in normal and abnormal operation, but it doesn't take into account basic airplane handling and decision making other than deviations to alternate. Everything is supposed to be written. There is no airmanship in many crews flying computerized airplanes and that is dangerous. We cannot rely on those systems and believe the airplane is safe because of the low accident ratio of the airplane. Aviation Safety looks for an accident ratio of ZERO and not for less than a percentage. I find funny that one of the airplanes with less fatal victims in its history (Embraer 135/145) is a modern design but keeping handling under the pilots control. There is no way on changing the industry evolution, but there is a lot to do to gain the highest standards in safety by improving training on the crews that are flying modern airplanes. Economical benefits from Fly by wire don't have to be taken also into training, as this is the only way we could guarantee a pilot will perform its best when facing an emergency or abnormality RICARDO BURGOS -------------- (FOTO: Quique López).

Váyase Sánchez Lozano, ¡váyase! CARTA ABIERTA AL CONSEJERO DELEGADO DE IBERIA.

No se como dirigirme a Usted. Tratarle de Sr. Me parece excesivo y no voy a utilizar otras formas porque me considero, a pesar de todo, una persona respetuosa con todo el mundo. Aunque no se lo merezca. Es usted un OSADO ¡!!!!, no se si yo seré la primera en contestar a su panfleto, pero se que no seré la última. 263 millones de pérdidas en 6 meses ¡!!! Y usted, no dimite? Esto es lo que saben gestionar? Todos sabemos como salió usted de sus anteriores "gestiones", arrastran una maleta......de perdidas y cierres de empresas que nadie puede entender como han llegado a Iberia. Y esto representa, según usted, el salario del 40% de la plantilla. Doy por hecho de que usted no se incluye en esta plantilla, ni su amigo Vázquez ni el resto del "consejo". He de recordarle que, nada mas "aterrizar" en Iberia, se subieron el sueldo un 56%. Nosotros los tripulantes, luchábamos año a año por una triste subida de IPC, un 2%. No ha habido en Iberia, 85 años, un equipo peor del que ustedes representan. Y en pocas palabras le voy a explicar: En la fusión, que el Presidente Conte no quiso firmar,( por algo sería) B.Airways tenía un "socavón" de cerca de 6000 millones de euros. Iberia, daba beneficios. Y ahora la tortilla ha dado la vuelta. ¡¡¡ Pues vaya cocineros ¡!!!, ya lo dijo Juan Palomo, "yo me lo guiso, yo me lo como". Y ahora hay que "recortar",.......empleados. Han "regalado" líneas rentables a B. Airways: JNB, MEX, Recife, Córdoba, Chile.............. a cambio de qué? De vaciar la compañía de pilotos, tripulantes, personal de tierra. Cuanta menos gente antigua haya, de la que ustedes llaman "conflictiva", mejor, ya que son los únicos que les plantan cara a ustedes y a sus gestiones. El ERE que van a abrir en septiembre, debería ir capitaneado por usted y ese equipo de inútiles que cogieron una compañía que daba beneficios y la han dejado en perdidas. Zapatero a tus zapatos!!!!! Váyase Lozano, váyase, a cobrar sus bonos millonarios y ese blindaje de contrato que tiene en Inglaterra. Tal como tenemos la situación en España, deberían ser ustedes más patriotas y no permitir que los beneficios de una empresa española, se vaya al extranjero. Eso es TRAICIÓN, y quizás un día les juzguen por eso. Atentamente ML-S Fuente: AVIACIÓN DIGITAL, (5-Agosto-2012) Fotografía: QUIQUE LÓPEZ. (AIRBUS A-340-IB "María Guerrero").