The Advanced Federal Aviation
Administration
Qualification Program
FAA L
Lessons Learned
L d
From 20 Years of AQP
Presented to: ICAO NGAP Symposium
By: Dr. Doug Farrow, Program Manager, AQP
Date: March 4, 2010
Overview
• What is the Advanced Qualification Program
g
(AQP)?
• Why was the program implemented?
• What are the program’s main features?
g
• How do the regulatory y and voluntary
y
programs interface?
• What lessons has the FAA learned?
• What is the future of FAA training?
20 Years of AQP Federal Aviation 2 2
March 4, 2010 Administration
What is the Advanced
Qualification Program (AQP)?
• The FAA AQP Rule, 14 CFR, Part 121
Subpart Y, allows an alternative means of
regulatory compliance for air carrier
t i i
training.
• Alternate means of compliance are
authorized,
th i d so llong as ththe AQP alternative
lt ti
is demonstrated to be as safe as, or safer
than the traditional requirement
than, requirement.
20 Years of AQP Federal Aviation 3 3
March 4, 2010 Administration
Why was the Program
Implemented?
• By the late 1980’s, human error had
emerged as the primary cause of US air
carrier accidents.
• The FAA and industry agreed that more
flexible training regulations would allow a
more creative response
p to this new threat.
• The FAA adopted a modified version of the
then-current military training methods
b
basedd on front-end
f t d task
t k analysis
l i and d back-
b k
end data analysis: AQP.
20 Years of AQP Federal Aviation 4 4
March 4, 2010 Administration
What are the Program’s Main
Features?
• Participation
p is voluntary
y and can be
terminated by the carrier or the FAA.
• A systems approach must be applied to the
analysis, design, development,
implementation, operation and evaluation of
all
ll training.
t i i
• De-identified performance data must be
shared with the FAA
FAA.
20 Years of AQP Federal Aviation 5 5
March 4, 2010 Administration
How do the regulatory and
voluntary programs interface?
• AQP is a voluntary means of compliance
with a regulatory requirement to qualify,
train, certify and otherwise assure the
competence of pilots,
pilots flight attendants and
dispatchers.
• If an airline g
goes AQP,, all fleets gog AQP.
• Under future FAA Safety Management
Systems (SMS) regulations, many of the
currentt AQP components t willill be
b integrated
i t t d
into traditional training programs.
20 Years of AQP Federal Aviation 6 6
March 4, 2010 Administration
What Lessons has the FAA
Learned?
• Maintaining g two sets of training
g regulations
g
has allowed and encouraged voluntary
participants to exceed FAA standards.
• AQP did not realize it’s full potential until
training data analysis was meshed with
operational
ti l safety
f t data
d t analysis.
l i
• A dedicated FAA Headquarters Office was
critical to the success of AQP
AQP.
20 Years of AQP Federal Aviation 7 7
March 4, 2010 Administration
What Lessons has the FAA
Learned?
• “AQP is not for everyone”.
y
• Flight Attendant and Dispatcher AQP’s have
challenges beyond Pilot AQP’s.
• Independent analysis of air carrier AQP data
by the FAA is a critical quality control step.
• Instructor and Evaluator calibration training
is mandatory.
• Instructors and Evaluators are the key to a
successful AQP.
20 Years of AQP Federal Aviation 8 8
March 4, 2010 Administration
What Lessons has the FAA
Learned?
• Joint approval
pp by
y both headquarters
q and
field offices is essential.
• Independent training centers have not
elected to offer AQP training programs.
• Few international carriers have adopted US
style AQP programs.
• Advances in AQP have not spread to non-
AQP carriers.
i
20 Years of AQP Federal Aviation 9 9
March 4, 2010 Administration
What Lessons has the FAA
Learned?
• Annual information sharing g meetings
g
including all participants has been vital in
spreading the latest innovations in AQP.
20 Years of AQP Federal Aviation 10 10
March 4, 2010 Administration
What is the Future of FAA
Training?
• The ppercentageg of pilots,
p flight
g attendants
and dispatchers in AQP will continue to
increase.
• The FAA will continue to maintain two sets
of training regulations.
• A single program office will coordinate and
issue guidance on AQP, CRM and LOS (Line
Operational Simulation)
Simulation).
20 Years of AQP Federal Aviation 11 11
March 4, 2010 Administration
What is the Future of FAA
Training?
• AQP is now spreading
p g rapidly
p y through g the
regional air carrier community, bringing
new challenges, to include less experienced
pilots.
il t
• AQP, like all the FAA’s data-driven
voluntary
l t safety
f t programs, willill form
f the
th
major building blocks of future FAA-
approved Safety Management Systems at
the airlines.
20 Years of AQP Federal Aviation 12 12
March 4, 2010 Administration
Questions?
• Dr. Douglas
g R. Farrow
• Program Manager, AQP
g @ g
• [Link]@[Link]
20 Years of AQP Federal Aviation 13 13
March 4, 2010 Administration