The FAA believes pilots need more practice hand-flying aircraft if the industry is to be successful in reducing the number of loss-of-control accidents, still listed as the leading cause of industry fatalities.
FAA: Manual Flying Skills Still Lacking
Key Takeaways:
- The FAA emphasizes the critical need for pilots to practice manual flying skills, citing that the over-reliance on automation contributes to loss-of-control accidents, which remain the leading cause of industry fatalities.
- To address this, the FAA issued Safety Alert for Operators (SAFO) 17007, recommending various manual flight maneuvers and training concepts applicable to commercial (Part 121), general aviation (Part 91), and charter (Part 135) operations.
- The recommended training covers scenarios such as slow flight, upset recovery, hand-flying SIDs/STARs, and go-arounds, emphasizing foundational aerodynamic knowledge, type-specific aircraft handling, and practice with gradual automation reduction, while leaving the decision to practice to the pilot-in-command's discretion.
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