By Paul BJ Ransbury, CEO at Aviation Performance Solutions (APS)
Dear valued customers and prospects,
It is a privilege to communicate with you directly on a very important matter - the selection of an upset training provider that meets your needs in overcoming the loss of control in-flight (LOC-I) threat. First and foremost, we care about your safety. When you select APS, we have a career long plan for you that is comprehensive, economical, industry-leading and unquestionably powerful and highly effective.
I will address several key factors to be considered when selecting an upset prevention and recovery training (UPRT) provider to mitigate LOC-I. Although this is a fairly straight forward conversation, there are a few layers to it with one layer leading to the next. The list below are the topics I will present and my suggestion is for you to read through them in order. I strongly recommend reading the entire post thoroughly. If you must limit your time, check out 'Who is APS' first followed by 'What are the Five Tenants of Effective UPRT':
At the end of the day, the selected UPRT provider must prepare pilots to recognize a divergent flight condition and prevent it from evolving into an airplane upset - all the while assuring a safe training environment with demonstrable margins of safety. Those are the ultimate objectives of industry-compliant UPRT services soon to be mandated globally. Furthermore, if faced with a developed airplane upset event, the pilot must have the skill, knowledge and mental discipline that is transferrable to, and effective in, their specific airplane while overcoming the incapacitating psychophysiological nature of an upset in the real world. This is a critical point – pilots must be able to access their UPRT skills in a crisis to save their lives. Teaching pilots what to do in an airplane upset and how to do it in a manner that is effective in their specific model of airplane is the easy part. UPRT must not end there – the psycho-physiological impairment issue must be permanently overcome. This paragraph embodies the essence of an Effective UPRT program.
Before I get into the Five Tenets of Effective UPRT, I’d like to provide a brief overview of APS so readers better understand the basis from which we are providing our later comments and guidance on this very important decision you are facing.
Aviation Performance Solutions is the world's largest provider of UPRT solutions now entering our 19th year of business with full-time dedication to this domain of training. Headquartered in Mesa, Arizona USA, we have four training locations on three continents and provide more professional jet pilots with comprehensive UPRT solutions than any other training provider. Jet upset training is not a side business for us (as is understandably the case for many other providers) - UPRT is our primary focus every day.
APS uses a proven combination of training tools, platforms, methodologies and resources available to generate the most consistent and lasting skill sets for pilots of all experience levels. We offer an integrated approach to UPRT as is recognized and recommended by ICAO, IATA, FAA, EASA and other national aviation authorities based on over 5 years of research by more than 40 organizations and 80 subject matter experts around the world. Our training solutions include tablet-based apps, piston airplanes, high performance jets and some of the world's most advanced simulators. We are the exclusive UPRT provider for; the Bombardier Safety Standdown Leading Edge Program, the world's largest career-track flight school network (CAE-Oxford Aviation Academy), Swiss Re - the industry’s second largest reinsurance provider, and we are the 'go to' UPRT instructor development experts for a diversity of major airlines around the world including the largest legacy air carrier in the USA, Delta Air Lines. From Cessna 172 to Citation X to Boeing 747 UPRT solutions - we do it all. Our UPRT services are known, trusted and proven effective. A few references to demonstrate these facts can be found at these links:
There are Five Tenets, or criterion, by which the Effectiveness of a UPRT program can be assessed. The list that follows does not embrace everything that matters, it simply addresses a few of the major criteria you must look for.
The best news you've been waiting to hear is that better does not mean more expensive. Avoid getting talked into getting limited training in fancy and/or expensive training devices or airplanes. You must look at the entire picture. We have expensive high performance jets too (optional, by the way) and they do offer value when properly positioned within a quality building-block UPRT program under the guidance of the expert UPRT instructor. If you are getting less than three flights in a real airplane, you are getting 'exposure', not 'training' - you absolutely need 'training'. The Five Core Tenets of Effective UPRT are enduring and are the key to you and/or your flight department overcoming the LOC-I threat. Here's the really good news:
UPRT and mitigating Loss of Control In-flight are big topics. Some would even describe them as infinitely complex and insurmountable. We don’t agree. The APS approach to UPRT is not only proven through thousands of participating pilots and has saved lives, but is also the way of the future on a global scale.
As you make your decision, you are going to hear a lot of differing opinions and even some direct challenges to the core tenets we know to be critical to your safety training. We will always give you our honest opinion based on our direct experience. Our business philosophy and ethical approach to serving the aviation community does not allow us to make harsh or critical statements about other providers just because they are trying to help in a different way.
Finally - if you are still not convinced, come see for yourself. We offer free decision maker evaluations for flight department of two or more pilots all year around at each of our training centers around the world. Reach out to us at APS headquarters in Phoenix to set it up: info@apstraining.com or by telephone at 480-279-1881.
I look forward to meeting you in person if we haven't met already. To the many thousands of APS customers already invested in our program, we appreciate your continued support and loyalty and look forward to seeing you again during the All-New APS Recurrent UPRT Program. You'll love it!
Safe journeys to all,
Paul BJ Ransbury, President
Aviation Performance Solutions LLC