The Implementation of the FAA Industry Training Program in Technically Advanced Aircraft (TAA): Lessons Learned

The proliferation of aircraft with extensive automation, collectively known as Technically Advanced Aircraft (TAA) within the last 10 years in the General Aviation industry has led to a novel approach in flight training. The FAA implemented the FAA-Industry Training Standards (FITS) program that emphasizes the importance of “real world” training exercises in the form of scenario training. The FITS curriculum, which was first empirically tested by Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU), was developed by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and the University of North Dakota through the FAA Air Transportation Center of Excellence for General Aviation. Over the last four years, MTSU has evaluated the FITS training approach with students in a FAR 141 accepted, combined Private Certificate/Instrument Rating syllabus in TAA. Our findings indicate the need for inclusion of several maneuver-based lessons that facilitate the physical skills training required for some tasks (e.g. landing), early in the FITS syllabus. The importance of consequences in the flight scenarios, the intensive flight instructor training required prior to FITS implementation, and the incorporation of new elements into the ground school portion of the curriculum are all “lessons learned” over the last several years of FITS implementation at MTSU