FAA's Advanced Qualification Program (AQP) - Essay Example

As the economies of developing countries grow, their own citizens are already becoming the new international tourists of the future. The commercial aviation industry in the United States has grown dramatically since the end of World War II. In 1945 the major airlines flew 3.3 billion revenue passenger miles (RPMs). In 1903, the Wright brothers' first successful flight in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina marked the beginning of the aviation industry. In the early years, the public did not embrace airplane travel as an option, thinking that it was too dangerous.

The first major stimulus that helped to develop the industry was the United States' participation in World War I. After the war, though, the government stopped funding research and development, practically stagnating growth in the aviation industry. The events of September 11 have had some of their worst economic effects on the airline industry, leading to a dramatic fall-off in passenger demand and substantially higher costs. But even before that day, the industry was facing bad times, with few airlines anticipating profitable performances in 2001.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that would make the Advanced Qualification Program (AQP) a permanent, alternative me. recommendation stemmed from an NTSB accident investigation of a Northwest Airline crash on August 16, 1987, in which 148 passengers, 6 crewmembers, and 2 people on the ground were killed. The NTSB had recommended that all part 121 carriers review initial and recurrent flight crew-training programs. Because it is an industry where mistakes can lead to an unacceptable loss of life and property, commercial aviation has been at the forefront of risk reduction through teamwork training.

Among the best-known team training strategies to emerge from the aviation setting is Crew Resource Management (CRM) training. CRM training has endeavored to improve the margin of aviation safety for more than 30 years. The FAA is now proposing to incorporate the requirements of Special Federal Aviation Regulation (SFAR) No. 58 into 14 CFR part 121. Section 121.901 outlines the purpose and eligibilty of the alternate method of training and qualification known as "Advanced Qualification Program".

Section 121.903 states that certificate holders who get approval of an AQP must comply with its provisions. Section 121.905 specifies the procedure for a certificate holder to make claim that AQP information or data submitted to the FAA is entitled to confidential treatment under 5 USC 552 (b) (4). [Federal Register] Section 121.907 contains definitions used throughout proposed subpart XXX. Section 121.909 outlines the approval process, where certificate holder applies for approval of an AQP curriculum.

Section 121.911 is based on existing language from SFAR No. 58 section 4. Section 121.913 contains requirements for qualification curriculum. Section 121.915 contains program requirements for continuing qualification curriculums. Section 121.917 contains additional requirements that must be included