Members will be aware that the Australian Piper Society?s Pilot Proficiency Program (PPP) is not the first of its type in the Australian aviation community. Aviation interest groups such as the Mooney society, the Comanche society, the Cessna society and the Australian Ultralight Federation all have programs of one sort or another designed to improve pilot skills and knowledge of their aircraft systems.

QBE Aviation has been generous in providing financial support to many of these programs in the interests of improving flying safety and reducing claims costs. It is now working on a proposal to offer discounted aircraft insurance premiums to pilots who have satisfactorily completed a PPP. However, given the range of topics addressed in the various PPPs together with differences in levels of attainment required, QBE recognises that the time has probably come for some sort of standardisation of course structure, content and minimum standards and has sought ASFA?s assistance in achieving this. Accordingly ASFA has been doing some work on the issue and on 26 and 27 June convened a two day workshop at the offices of CASA to discuss the way forward. This workshop included representatives of the various aircraft type societies (referred to as ?breed? societies) as well as QBE, the Department of Defence and safety education and aviation industry representatives.

Early discussion at that meeting indicated that achieving standardisation among the various PPPs is probably desirable. However, in setting minimum standards, care should be taken not to make these too complicated, too expensive or too demanding or PPPs would fail to achieve broad support among the people most in need of PPPs (ie private pilots flying 20 hours per year or less). Statistics cited by QBE?s representative showed inter alia that pilots experience fewest accidents in the period immediately following award of their PPL and that incidents increase over time after this.

General discussion of a PPP syllabus indicated that it should be generic so that it could be used not just by the various ?breed? societies but by commercial flying schools as well.

The workshop finished with progress being made toward setting down a framework against which PPPs would be measured in order to determine whether they would be accredited by ASFA.

This framework allocates an accreditation rating. The lowest ratings (one and two stars) refer to organisational matters including:

Three star to five star level accreditation mandates items of curriculum to be included in a PPP including Situational Awareness and Recovery from Unusual Attitudes (3 star) and includes topics such as Accident Phenomenology, Failure Onset Recognition, Pilot Load (for instrument flying) and Night Flying (5 star).

It seems that much more work has to be done as the accreditation process thus far fails to specify curriculum items most relevant to the needs of a low time private pilot and his/her insurer. These might include such things as basic flying competency in circuit work including emergencies; landing at country strips; short take-offs and landings; cross wind and wind shear take-offs and landings; incipient spins; etc. At the 4 and 5 star level particular topics are mandated but deal with somewhat esoteric matters like Pilot Load Reduction in Instrument Flying or Threat and Error Management.

At present it is not easy to see how the accreditation process provides a neat fit for the needs of either insurers or pilots.

You would expect that an insurer might be prepared to offer premium discounts to PPP attendees if PPP curricula are selected rigorously on the basis of accident data pointing to particular skill deficiencies. However, much of the currently proposed curriculum seems directed at problems which would rarely if ever be encountered by a low time private pilot.

Similarly, pilots might find that if course complexity, content and duration are targeted at a level which is irrelevant to, or vastly exceeds their needs, PPPs will be unattractive notwithstanding the offer of premium discounts.

Finally, and not the least important, ?breed? associations like the Australian Piper Society will have to consider whether they have the resources to develop and deliver a fully ASFA-accredited PPP and whether at the end of the day the investment of scarce time and money would be worthwhile.

We will keep you informed as this issue unfolds.