Developing the Practical Test Standards and the Curriculum to use to train AGATE (Advanced General Aviation Transportation Experiment) pilots: some of the challenges

The NASA (National Aerospace and Space Agency) SATS (Small Aircraft Transportation System) program is working toward "taking the superhuman stigma out of being a pilot" and developing an air transportation system that will allow anyone to "climb in, select a destination, turn the key, and go." Part of the overall goal of the program is to make flight training more affordable by using teaching and learning technology to reduce ground training time and actual training time spent in the airplane in flight. This part of the SATS program is called AGATE (Advanced General Aviation Training Experiment). In order to accomplish both of these goals some innovative changes must be made in the way pilots are trained at present. A training experiment is being conducted at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University for the purpose of investigating some of the ways to accomplish the AGATE goals. The experiment is being conducted using conventional airplane and flight instrument technology. The prime focus is to find out how effective a training course is that combines the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) Private Pilot and Instrument Pilot Curricula into one, integrated course. This is the first step in the process. The results so far have shown that this combination of curricula is effective and that potential exists to reduce training costs and flight time during training. The next phase of the experiment is to use the SATS airplane and the SATS ground support system in place of conventional airplanes and ground support during the training process. This paper will examine two of the changes required in the current pilot training program as the transition to the SATS airplane and ground support system is developed and implemented. Two documents provide most of the objectives and standards for the current course of training for a person to successfully pass the written and practical test to become an FAA certificated Private Pilot with an Instrument Rating. They are the FAA Practical Test Standards and the Curriculum requirements stated in the CFR (Code of Federal Regulations) title 14 FAR (Federal Aviation Regulation) part 61. These two documents will provide the basis for the discussion that follows.