Recurrent Training

[B Sousa]

Here I go inserting Foot in Mouth again, but its a topic thats important . I read about folks balling things up daily and a lot of them are on the African Continent. My world is small Fixed Wing and mainly Helicopters so this is not for the Heavy drivers.
Anyway, I have seen a few folks in Africa putzing around the skies and doing a good job. However when it comes to the question when is the last time you have gone to recurrent training, most will say > NEVER.
As I dont spend a whole lot of time there, Im hoping some will fill me in as to "Are there packages " in place for folks to get a refresher course for a day or two. This really came about when I took the Air Law Exam last year. I asked some folks about some of the material and was jokingly told that its a once only exam, all info is promptly covered with Castles after passing the exam and no they were not going to be much help..
I know a lot of Helicopter types who are working for owners of one maybe two airframes. THEY seem to be doing well while the pilots are just "getting paid". I think someone should advise these owners to share a little bit by financing some training for their pilots. In the states this is passed back to the owners by reduced Insurance rates. Is that the case in Africa??
Fire Away...........

[B Sousa]

Obviously not a popular topic or Im missing something............Im still looking for comments good or bad...........

[francois marais]

Hiya Bert...... Recurrency training??? What's that??

Most Ops Manuals make provision for recurrency training every 6 months, which includes general recurrency training, route checks etc. Not many companies in SA, especially helicopter companies, are willing to pay for their pilots to take a helicopter and get an instructor to do the necessary recurrency training. Normally the pilots have to pay for this themselves. There are however exceptions, where companies that have instructors on staff, allow this to happen. In actual fact, recurrency training forms part of the criteria for the issuance of an aerial work license.

Some time back when we were operating Jetrangers, we had an instructor on staff, and recurrency training would be performed faithfully every 6 months. It would not be just a flight going round the patch, but a flight to ensure total competence from the pilot under normal operation and in case of emergencies such as engine failure etc. This would then be recorded on the pilot's training file kept with the company.

I personally believe that recurrency training is very important, as it makes you aware of the things you've forgotten, and it certainly, in some instances, proves that we're not all perfect, and can screw up an autorotation under simulation from time to time.

In a professional aviating evironment, recurrency training should be a MUST.:ok:

[Life'sShort-FlyFast]

Sadly the African scenario is always one of "a quick conversion and then I am off!" In most cases never to be seen again!

As was stated above, there are organizations in SA that have strict recurrency training schedules. They normally have aircraft flown regularly and instructors on the payrole. Also a small group of current pilots. They are sadly very much in the minority.

Training courses at the factory or at a school in the USA with simulators, are out of the average pilot's league. Even to hire an aircraft and instructor and hurtle around the patch would rather be avoided at all costs. Valuable beer drinking money being peed down the drain.

The African aviation environment is such that in general there is a gung-ho attitude. Recurrency training is not part of this environment, sadly!

[Teignmouth]

The number and sophistication of simulators for GA aircraft (esp fixedwing) in SA is increasing. NAC at Lanseria now has full-on simulators for Kingair 200 and Beech 1900s, I believe. So perhaps this will bring recurrency training within reach?

[Mama Mangrove]

Well actually in Nigeria, which so many of the readers of PPRuNe like to slate, all the helicopter operators have recurrent checks and training. Operator proficiency checks are carried out every 6 months and both ACN and Bristow send their crews for annual reccurent simulator training in Sweden, USA or France. Sounds as if, for once, SA is a bit behind the times.

[B Sousa]

Mama, I think it was already states that MOST larger companies do that. They usually have backing from their Insurance Companies due to their large exposure.
In starting this I was thinking more of the one and two pilot operations where the guys NEVER get that chance. Im betting theres a market out there for this type of training and they dont necessarily have to go to an expensive school......... Im sure some are just a bit shy to bring it up to the owners. Trust me, Nigeria is not ahead of SA except in crime.