Flight Safety Foundation Functional Check Flight Safety Conference

CA Delvin Young

Chief Pilot Flight Test

American Airlines

02/08/2011

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73 B76773 B767

124 B757124 B75747 B77747 B777

152 B737152 B737

242 242 MD80MD80

American Airlines Fleet Aircraft

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Current Flight Operations

• North America

• Caribbean

• South and Central America

• Pacific

• Japan and Asia

• Europe

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American Airlines Operations

• Total– Approx 68,000

• Pilots– Approx 7,900

• 172 Check Airmen• 43 Management• 12 Flight Test Pilots includes Chief Pilot. • Average age 51.8 (700 over age 60 by y/e 2011)• Average seniority 19.9

• Non Pilot Flight – 540 Management, Instructor and Support

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Employees

“When You Don’t Know Where You’re Going, Any Road Will Get You There” (Alice in Wonderland)

American Airlines Flight Test Organization & Operation

Flight Test Pilots

• Total = 12 pilots:– 1 Chief Pilot– 11 Flight Test Pilots.

• 8 Captains• 3 First Officers• 2 of the Captains are also ODA pilots.

• Flight Test Pilots are part of the pilot unionized workforce and retain line pilot seniority number with all line pilot benefits.

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TULSA Maintenance Base

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AA Maintenance Checks

• AA maintenance performed by AA employees.

• Heavy C-Check: 115 annually. All conducted by AA Flight Test Pilots.

• Light C-Check: 265 annually. Flight Test will fly a portion of the light C-Checks.

• Prototype modification: < 3 annually. All conducted by AA Flight Test Pilots.

• Special Visit (modification): ~ 580 annually. Depending on the modification, Flight Test will fly a small percentage of these aircraft.

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Flight Test Pilots - continued

• All Flight Test Pilots are domiciled in Tulsa, Oklahoma (AA’s primary maintenance base). – Not required to live in Tulsa but must be reasonably available on

work days.

• Flight Test Pilots are qualified on 2 aircraft types - - maximum of 3.– Max 3 due to maintaining Part 121 AQP qualification on each

aircraft type. (train every 9 months).

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Flight Test Pilots - continued

• Train FAA FAR Part 121 AQP.

• AA provides own training.

• Flight Test utilizes FAA FAR Part 121 dispatch procedures to the maximum extent possible but conducts operations under FAA FAR Part 91.

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A look back at how AA Flight Test began

AA Flight Test

The pursuit of safe operations and excellence.

AA Flight Test History

• AA decided to have a specific Flight Test group several decades ago.

• FAA FAR Part 91 was primary guidance for operations.

• Updated Flight Test program when FAA FSAT 02-04A was published in 2002.– FAA FSAT 02-04A defined “Non-Routine Flight Operations”

(NRFO)

• Group 1: Operation of the aircraft in accordance with normal procedures of the flight manual.

• Group 2: Procedures listed in emergency, abnormal, or alternate procedures. Flights which any system is de-powered to confirm back-up system is functional.

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AA Flight Test History

• Further updated when FAA InFO 08032 superseded FSAT 02-04A in 2008.– FAA InFO 08032 retained NRFO Group 1 & Group 2 definitions.

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Type of Flying Specific to AA Flight Test

• Post maintenance heavy checks.

• Line aircraft NRFO Group 2.

• Some NRFO Group 1 functions as well.

• Ferry from storage to maintenance base.

• New aircraft acceptance.

• Lease return aircraft.

• R & D, and Experimental.

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Dock 5A Tulsa Maintenance Base

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American Airlines American Airlines Flight Flight AcademyAcademy

DFW Texas DFW Texas

FlightTest Training

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All Courses

Total22

Days

Qual Course Footprint*

12 Days Ground Training

10 Days Flight

Training in All Fleets

Followed By ...

*Typical

AA Flight Test Initial Training

• Initial Qualification– Basic aircraft qualification through FAA Part 121 AQP.– Pilot required to accomplish aircraft consolidation - - 100 hrs in 120

days prior to return to Flight Test.

• NRFO Group 2 Qualification: must be finished with basic aircraft qualification requirements: specific NRFO Group 2 requirements:– Ground Training– 3 x 4 hr simulator periods– NRFO Group 2 observations– FO = 3 x aircraft flights– CA = 7 x aircraft flights– NRFO Group 2 aircraft checkride

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AA Flight Test Continuing Qualification Training

• Continuing Qualification– All Flight Test pilots maintain Part 121 AQP qualification.– Train every 9 months for each aircraft qualified.

• 2-3 days ground school• 2 x 4 hr simulator periods• Simulator checkride every 18 months• Aircraft Part 121 line check annually.

• NRFO Group 2 Continuing Qualification:– Additional 4 hr simulator each 9 months for each type aircraft to

concentrate on NRFO Group 2 events.– NRFO Group 2 checkride every 18 months.

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AA Flight Test Continuing Qualification Training - continued

• Standardization & Safety meetings– Scheduled quarterly for each Flight Test Pilot.– Required to attend 2 minimum annually.– Individual fleet standardization & safety meetings scheduled in

between quarterly meetings.

• Also participate when opportunity exists:– Fleet Check Airman standardization meetings.– Maintenance Product Team meeting.

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Other Flight Test Items

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BringingBringingit allit all

together totogether tomanage FCF Risk!manage FCF Risk!

Training

Training Policie

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Policie

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Proce

dures

Proce

dures Regulations

Regulations

Flight Test Qualification

Reasons for FCFs

• FCFs are part of the Airline Overall Risk Mitigation Strategy – Controlled Environment vs Line Operations– Specialty Trained Crew– Controlled Procedures

• AMM Requirements

• Quality Assurance– Over life of airplane operators discover system failures that;– cannot be checked on the ground – Maintenance resolution confidence check

• Equipment & Systems must work First time Every time– Discovery of latent failures

• Engine inflight start vs ground start

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Reasons for FCFs - continued

• In-Service Aircraft Negative Trends– Data Driven by the Airline Reliability Program

• Example: 757 Pack Health Check

• In-Service Aircraft Damage & Failures

• Major Modifications & Upgrades– Multiple Disturbed Systems

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AA FCF Risk Mitigation

• Formalized FCF Process & Procedures

• Uniquely Trained Crews

• Weather– Day VFR

• MD80 Electrical Failure

• Engineering & Maintenance SMEs

• FCF Task Management

• Airspace

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Issues for Consideration

• Lack of industry standards.– Work collectively.– If we don’t manage ourselves, someone else will.

• Inability for airlines to get quality Flight Test procedures for checklist development specific to post maintenance production flying.

• Litigation & liability relief for manufacturer assistance.

• Lack of knowledge, coordination, & cooperation among regulatory agencies.– Need to partner with the airlines vs mandate

• Need available resources.

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Next Steps??

• Create Industry Standards– Regulatory Agencies – FAA CMO– Airlines– Best Practices from those of us that have successful programs.

• Provide legal relief for manufacturers providing Production Flight Test Procedures (PFTP) for checklist baseline and updates.

• Industry working group create a document specific to airline post maintenance production flight test of in service aircraft.– Similar to FAA AC 25-7a only specific to airline post maintenance

flight checks.– Similar resource example is the Industry Upset Training Aid.

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The scientific theory I like best is that the rings of Saturn are composed of lost airline luggage.

Comments or Comments or Questions ?Questions ?