![CAE has published industrywide standard operating procedures designed to enhance safety in the day-to-day environment of training and business flying. [Credit: Kristopher Allison/Unsplash]](https://flyingmag1.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/kristopher-allison-cockpit-unsplash-1.jpg?width=1500&height=1000)
Aviation—like so many technical activities—is safer when there are standard operating procedures in use.
CAE, a company known for worldwide training, is making it easy to embrace industrywide SOPs with the publication of the Airplane Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) Manual.
CAE’s Civil Aviation division provides immersive training for aviation professionals. According to the company, it trains more than 155,000 business and commercial pilots annually.
“SOPs were developed by the National Business Aviation Association [NBAA] in collaboration with CAE, aircraft manufacturers, operators, and other training experts to promote consistent, proven standards for both multi- and single-pilot operations,” CAE said in a statement.
While it is not uncommon for larger companies that operate a fleet of aircraft to develop SOPs of their own, not every operator has the resources, including time and personnel, to build training programs and standardize procedures.
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CAE said the manual is designed to support operational consistency across the industry, with particular benefit to smaller operations.
“The industrywide collaboration to establish these SOPs shows that safety transcends everything, as everyone wins with safer skies,” said Alexandre Prévost, president of CAE’s Civil Aviation division. “By embedding these standards across our worldwide training programs, we are encouraging the industry to adopt a unified approach that extends beyond the classroom and into daily operations. This alignment not only enhances safety and operational consistency but also strengthens pilot resilience.
“Within CAE, this change reflects our deep commitment to mentoring our instructors and continuously elevating the training experience for our customers.”
Ahead of the rollout, CAE will begin preparing its instructors in early 2026 to ensure a smooth integration into pilot training programs. The new SOPs are scheduled to be introduced during training sessions beginning in 2026.
Learn more about the new SOPs here.
