Safer, Smarter Travel

When passengers prepare for a flight, they may consider things like what to pack, which emails to respond to before take off, and how to best spend their time in the air. The idea of safety may not even be on their radar.

For pilots, safety is the top priority. Especially if that pilot has trained with FlightSafety International (FSI).

The FSI Difference

When pilots train with FSI, they are committing to FSI’s laser focus on aviation safety. This means they are willing to train beyond what’s required to pass a regulatory test.

FSI consistently tracks what is occurring in the aviation industry, finetuning its courseware to ensure its training addresses key industry safety risks. They also leverage key partnerships to uncover connections between pilot actions and unfavorable outcomes. As an example, FSI has significant relationships with GE Aerospace and the Presage Group that have been instrumental in developing a new runway excursion prevention training module.

Mark Kleinhans, FSI’s Director of Safety, explains: “We try to bring awareness of what’s happening in the industry to the classroom, so pilots gain an appreciation for what’s going on outside of their own operations. If you understand what’s going on in the industry, there may be a nugget or two that you can bring back to your own operation to make it even safer than it is now.” 

Data-Informed Training

By leveraging GE Aerospace’s flight data analytics program, FSI is able to compare data from actual flights to training data from their simulators. This provides an opportunity to help pilots discover any behavior that may need to be tweaked to increase safety and prevent a runway excursion.

In a separate partnership, FSI and the Presage Group conducted a study to determine why, when, and how G500/G600 and G650 pilots make the decision to land or conduct a “go-around.” Pilots know that when they’re faced with an unstable approach, performing a go-around can help prevent a runway excursion. However, flight data shows that about 97% of the time, they choose to proceed with the landing. The FSI and Presage Group study dug into the psychology of this decision-making and used the results to develop a set of enhanced techniques for Gulfstream pilots to recognize approach instabilities, enact corrections when possible, and consistently make safe and proper go-around or continue decisions. These proprietary techniques are incorporated into a training course specifically for Gulfstream pilots training with FSI. 

Master Aviators: The Best of the Best

For corporate pilots who want to further enhance their skills, FSI has created the Master Aviator training program. This progressive curriculum sharpens flying skills, decision-making, and crew communication.

“Any pilot who completes one of our core courses is a safe, competent pilot, but the Master Aviator program takes them to the next level, Kleinhans said. “Think of it like this: Most everyone who drives a car knows how to drive defensively and how to avoid accidents, but none of us are qualified to be a security detail for the president of the United States. The president’s limo driver is trained to a higher level. And that’s what the Master Aviator is designed to do.”

Pilots enrolled in FSI’s Master Aviator certification learn through advanced simulator courses in rejected takeoffs, crew resource management, energy management, upset prevention and recovery training, and international procedures. In addition, they choose a variety of online courses, like fatigue management, warm/cold weather operations, corporate aviation security, safety management systems, and weather radar.

“The Master Aviator program takes most pilots a couple of years to complete all of the requirements for a particular aircraft, and pilots can earn Master Aviator in multiple aircraft to really hone their skills on each,” Kleinhans said.

Highly Effective Ground School

In addition to its advanced technology and elite curriculum, FSI ensures those who train with them get the most out of every training opportunity.

This philosophy begins in the classroom. FSI realizes that any ground school technology must be intuitive in order to be effective. “Technology is great, but it can’t be added simply for the wow factor,” said Kleinhans. “In some ways, it may feel like we move more slowly than the marketplace allows, but we are being intentional with the integration of technology in our classrooms. We’re trying to make sure that any technology we deploy improves the training environment and does not detract from it.”  

Kleinhans expanded on this idea: “In the past, pilots received a book, a booklet to take notes in, and a highlighter. If you did that to many of the clients walking in today, they would not be impressed because they expect the content to be digital. On the other hand, if you gave some of the more seasoned pilots an iPad with the course loaded on it and told them to take notes on the iPad, it could be quite frustrating. So technology cannot be a one-size-fits-all solution.”

This deliberate implementation of technology means some advancements, like eye tracking technology, are limited to specific applications. However, other innovations, like tactile procedure trainers, are incorporated in ground school to ensure that once a pilot steps inside the full-flight simulator, they know exactly what to do. 

The Industry’s Top Instructors

One other way FSI sets its training apart is by ensuring their instructors are truly the best in the industry. As Kleinhans puts it: “It’s a long process to become a FlightSafety instructor, including how to train clients that have deficiencies or need additional practice, and how to challenge those who have clear mastery of the aircraft. We invest a lot in how our instructors actually deliver the training because our philosophy is to train not just what’s required, but what will actually keep people safe.” 

FSI’s instructors become trusted advisors to the pilots they train. Pilots are comfortable knowing they can reach out to their FSI instructor with questions on procedures or their aircraft, even after a specific training program ends. This leads to a close-knit community of elite professionals who are committed to being the absolute best in the industry. 

Nothing Short of Excellence

The high-caliber training FSI provides prepares pilots for whatever the next flight brings—and creates pilots hyper-focused on your safe arrival. To learn more about FSI’s industry-leading programs, please visit FlightSafety.com/smarter-training/.