It has been collectively determined by industry that Loss of Control In-Flight (LOC-I) is the leading cause of commercial airline fatalities and hull losses. Recent Boeing data shows the severity of LOC-I accidents compared to other causes [link to our news page with the accident graph]
Upset Prevention and Recovery Training is a program for pilots that teaches the Skills and knowledge to detect, recognise, recall and react to Loss of Control threats as early as possible.
The contributing factors to these “upsets” can be due to several sources of combinations thereof. They include:
• Environmentally-Induced
• Systems Anomalies of Failures
• Pilot-Induced
UPRT teaches pilots the skills, knowledge and attitudes (or Competencies) to understand the causal factors, to comprehend how to connect with the airplane through the information provided, and how to avoid these situations from becoming a loss-of-control event.
UPRT begins by creating a deeper understanding of the aerodynamics of the airplane, and in particular its angle of attack, energy state, awareness of trim, reaction to control inputs, and several other factors. Another key element is the human factor, since it has been found that pilots may unintentionally apply undesired control inputs during a sudden in-flight event. This “startle reflex” must be managed properly, and is part of UPRT training.