New Cat IIIb approval
 

Our Jar-OPS 1 company has recently been granted Cat IIIb approval for our Airbus 320´s as per our operations specifications and air operator certificate.





I have read the standard Cat II/III info in Part A of our ops manual.


1) What is required for initial Cat IIIa training ?

2) I understand I need a ground course and at least 3 approaches ?

3) Is an operator´s ground course required in addition to simulator training ?

4) Are there country differences from Jar-Ops in Cat III training ?

5) Where exactly are the Jar-Ops 1 requirements written for training Cat III ? As the authorities appear to be leaving this up to the operator.

I am currently Cat II approved and current.

I did my initial training at Airbus but I am interesting in hearing from pilots who work for Cat III operators and what training they receive.

The Airbus Volume 4 has the info that we require. I am looking for facts and what is written in your (Cat III ) operations manual, if I am not being too bold.( Category D Annex.Cat III )

Thanks a lot in advance for your time.

Mach trim, that's JAR OPS requirement.
JAR-OPS 1.450 Low visibility operations –
Training and Qualifications
(See Appendix 1 to JAR-OPS
1.450)
(a) An operator shall ensure that, prior to
conducting Low Visibility Take-Off, Category II and
III operations:
(1) Each flight crew member:
(i) Completes the training and
checking requirements prescribed in
Appendix 1 including Flight Simulator
training in operating to the limiting values
of RVR and Decision Height appropriate to
the operator’s Category II/III approval; and
(ii) Is qualified in accordance with
Appendix 1;
(2) The training and checking is
conducted in accordance with a detailed syllabus
approved by the Authority and included in the
Operations Manual. This training is in addition to
that prescribed in Subpart N; and
(3) The flight crew qualification is
specific to the operation and the aeroplane type.

THe reference for the detailed training you will find in Appendix 1 to JAR-OPS 1.450 Low Visibility Operations – Training &
Qualifications. Its basically ground, Sim and flight training with all the possible failure considerations. It just would be too long to copy it all in here.
Cheers.:8

We basically do a sim qualification which includes limiting take offs, RTO's, engine failures etc for the take off case and approaches including missed approaches, landings, and failures including continue and go around cases. We then do 3 approaches in the aeroplane using autoland but in better conditions.

During the sim chekcs we have a stand alone AWOPS section doing the above sort of stuff again and we have to do 2 auto approaches between sims - or do more approaches in the sim.

AWOPS remains a discrete qualification but in practice forms part of the sim check and is not difficult. Its nothing to worry about.

Failure cases are easy to deal with in the main, its usually one descision - go around or land and you follow the usual pattern.

Having said that, I don't fly the Airbus so there may well be differences I am unaware of.