ITS have just completed two core courses for Designated Check Pilots (DCPs) on behalf of one of their clients in the Maldives.

Maldivian Air Taxi asked ITS to design and deliver a DCP course which would meet the requirements of the Civil Aviation Department (CAD) and their own DCP manual, and which was specific to their float plane operation. The course was to be ground school based, with no simulator input, and was designed to incorporate a range of elements, including for example:

• Pre-course study
• Open book test of CAD rules and regulations and the MAT DCP manual
• Ground-based and flight-orientated instructional & testing skills
• Human Factors
• Behavioural skills assessment
• Facilitation skills
• Briefing skills, including practical exercises
• Debriefing skills, including practical exercises
• Report writing
• Paperwork and Admin

The course was designed to be very interactive, and to include a substantial amount of practice through practical exercises and role plays. ITS utilised two instructors when delivering each course; a CRM instructor and a TRI/TRE.

This contract once again demonstrates the wide range of skills and experience available from ITS and, in particular, the ability to design tailor-made courses to meet an individual client’s requirements and to ensure that such courses are specific to the client’s operation.

For more details on this course Click here.

ITS has recently designed and delivered a 5-day Assessment and Debrief Skills course to line and simulator instructors at Air Seychelles, on their base in Mahé.

Whilst designed as an integrated course, there were two distinct elements; a two-day section on behavioural assessment skills, and a three-day section on debriefing skills. The course covered a range of elements including, for example:

• Practice giving feedback in a structured way, based on observations of others, as well as experiencing receiving feedback.

• Examine the concept of facilitation, as compared to instruction, and in the context of debriefing.

• Observe a team working on a group task; prepare and deliver a debriefing session.

• Discuss the current approach to debriefing within Air Seychelles, its advantages and areas for improvement.

• Consider and discuss the ‘Crew Centred Approach’ to debriefing, its advantages and difficulties along with incorporation of the CAL model.

• Practice debriefing using the ‘Crew Centred Approach’, facilitation skills and the CAL model, using role plays/scenarios.

• Consider and discuss strategies for identifying and managing difficult people and situations.

• Revisit Behavioural Markers and discuss use and application within the concept of behavioural assessment.

• Introduction to the CRM/behavioural assessment process (ORCE)

• Practice the skills of observing, recording, classifying and evaluating behaviour (ORCE)

This course delivers, or refreshes, essential skills required for running training sessions or simulator & line checks.

For more details on this course Click here.

Cementing the ongoing relationship with Air Baltic, ITS have recently delivered two CRM Assessment Skills training courses to the airline’s Line Trainers and Simulator Instructors.

This course is designed to deliver the skills required to effectively assess and grade the non-technical skills (CRM) displayed by flight crew on the line, or in the simulator. The primary objectives for this course therefore are to:

• Introduce the concept of NOTECHS/Behavioural Markers
• Familiarise delegates with NOTECHS
• Introduce the behavioural assessment process
• Practice the skills of observation, recording, classifying and evaluating
behaviour
• Discuss the pitfalls of behavioural assessment
• Test delegates ability to assess behavioural skills

ITS also has experience in designing and implementing assessment schemes for clients and can support them in all aspects of this process.

For more details on this course Click here.

March 22nd 2010, at Bristol

This 1-day course is designed to provide delegates with the knowledge, skills, and understanding to successfully prepare for, and undertake, human factors-based investigation interviews.

Understanding the human elements involved in an incident, of any size or nature, is crucial as the outcomes from these investigations will impact directly upon future training requirements and operating procedures.

By the end of this course delegates will be able to:
• Identify and explain the purpose and objectives of human factors investigation interviews.

• Plan, prepare and structure investigation interviews.

• Carry out investigation interviews, ensuring engagement of the interviewee and use of appropriate questioning techniques.

• Identify key facts and details from investigation interviews using the suggested framework.

• Take appropriate notes and report the outcomes of investigation interviews.

Who should attend this course?
Any individuals who will be actively involved in the investigation, or understanding, of incidents from a Human Factors perspective.

This will include for example:
• CEOs
• Flight Safety Officers
• Safety Managers
• CRM Managers
• Training Managers
• Chief Pilots

The course fee is £480.00 per delegate plus VAT

There are still places available on the course, but please book early to secure your place and to avoid the increase in VAT in January 2010.

For more details on this course Click here.

April 19th-21st 2010, at London Gatwick Airport

This 3-day course is designed to prepare organisations for the implementation of an SMS.

Based on the ICAO SMS Manual Doc 9859 (Second Edition – 2009), the aims of the course are:
• To introduce delegates to the concept of structured safety management
• To outline the steps needed to implement an SMS
• To identify the factors that contribute to a ‘Just Culture’
• To establish an effective organizational learning capability
Who should attend this course?

Any individuals who will be actively involved in the organisation’s Safety Management System, and this will include:
• CEOs
• Line Personnel
• Safety Managers
• Organisation’s Risk Management Team

Both individuals with existing experience, and those with no prior knowledge in safety management, will benefit from attending this course as it will be an effective aid in the formation, or extension of safety programmes within your organisation.

The course fee is £998.00 per delegate plus VAT

There is currently availability on this course, but please book early to secure your place.

For more details on this course Click here.

The UK CAA recently published Standards Document 29 v.3; ‘The CRMI and CRMIE Accreditation Framework’. The document lays down the revised requirements for the approval of individuals involved in CRM instructing and examining from June 2009. This includes ground school instructors and simulator/line instructors. In all cases, instructors will need to demonstrate they have the necessary instructional skills, and the ability to assess crews’ CRM performance and facilitate a constructive debrief.

ITS offers a 5-day CRM Instructor Course for ground instructors, designed around Standards Document 29 and CAP737.

The ITS Simulator Instructor/Training Captain course deals with the specifics of facilitation and debriefing, in the simulator or on line training, in the context of CRM.

In addition there is a 2-day course which delivers the Assessment Skills required when assessing soft skills (CRM) in the simulator or on-line, either as a training tool, or in conjunction with the implementation of Behavioural Markers/NOTECHS.

ITS also offers guidance in the development and use of Behavioural Markers/NOTECHS in CRM assessment.

Relevant Links

Standards Document 29 v.3 can be found here.

For more information on any of these items Call or email for details.

ITS has been awarded a contract by Air Seychelles to develop a new CRM team for the airline.

It is now some 8 years since Air Seychelles sent instructors to the UK to join one of the ITS open CRMI courses and, in that time, those instructors have either been re-tasked or have left the company.

ITS will therefore run a CRM Instructor course on Air Seychelles’ base in Mahe, for both pilot and cabin crew instructors. In addition, ITS will support Air Seychelles in the design of recurrent CRM training modules for joint pilot and cabin crew CRM classes.

In addition, Air Seychelles have asked ITS to assist them in respect of NOTECHS, Assessment Skills training and CRMI-Line training.

This follows on from a previous visit to Mahe in 2002, when ITS undertook a Training Needs Analysis for Maintenance Resource Management training within Air Seychelles.

Based at Male International Airport in the Maldives, and operating the world’s largest fleet of Twin Otter float planes, Maldivian Air Taxi (MAT) have awarded ITS a comprehensive contract to set up an in-house CRM team.

ITS have completed the first phase of the contract, which was a 9-day visit to MAT’s base, where they conducted an in-depth Training Needs Analysis (TNA) and a general appraisal of the entire operation.

Based on the findings from the TNA, ITS will now design a bespoke, initial CRM course to suit the very specific characteristics of the MAT operation. The course will be attended by pilots, cabin crew and deckhands.

In the meantime ITS will return to the Maldives in August to deliver a Train the Trainer course, and again in September to deliver a CRM Instructor course.

In the final phase of the contract ITS will mentor the new MAT instructors whilst they deliver their first four CRM courses.

In subsequent years, for recurrent training, ITS will design CRM courseware designed for delivery to a wider range of MAT personnel to include, engineering, despatch and flight operations.

This contract once again demonstrates the breadth of ITS’ experience and capability in a wide range of research and training related activities.

ITS have completed a contract to deliver recurrent CRM training for Iceland Express.

Having delivered recurrent CRM training for Iceland Express in 2008, ITS was pleased to be awarded the contract again for 2009.

Training was held at the Iceland Express training facility in Reykjavik and was delivered to pilots and cabin crew over a four-month period.

ITS have completed a ten-month contract to deliver joint, recurrent CRM training to Astraeus pilots and cabin crew at their London Gatwick Airport base. The contract included the design and preparation of bespoke courseware, tailored to the Astraeus operation.

This is the third year that ITS have delivered CRM training for Astraeus and, throughout this period, the CRM courses delivered have included:

• Initial pilot and initial cabin crew
• Joint recurrent
• Change of operator, pilot and cabin crew
• Change of type, pilot
• Command upgrade
• Purser upgrade
• NOTECHS and CRM Assessment Skills

In July one of the ITS CRMI Examiners assessed two existing Astraeus instructors who were successfully awarded UK CAA Accreditation as CRM Instructors.

In August this year ITS will deliver CRM Instructor training to four more Astraeus instructors and will, in due course, assess them in the classroom for accreditation.