OnTop PCATD FAA Approved Instrument Trainer

The FAA Approved On Top PCATD - Includes the On Top software package, Cirrus Yoke, Cirrus Rudders, PFC Power Quadrant with the 6 and 3 lever attachments, AV-1 Avionics Panel, user manual and instruction guide with integrated ground and flight training syllabus.

A PCATD History & Guide for Practical Applications of PCATDs

History and Development

Letters exist dating back to 1969 requesting approval for the use of PCATDs in flight training. PCATDs have had to overcome evaluation based on their physical fidelity rather than whether or not they were effective teaching devices. However, with the advent of realistic flight controls hardware, they have finally been able to overcome this limitation.

PCATD development was guided by three main premises:

• Provide a minimal level of positive transfer of training from the PCATD to the airplane;
• Avoid "negative transfer" and
• Take advantage of the computer, which presents unique opportunities for enhancing the learning environment for aviation training.
  

Every complex skill consists of a number of component skills. These component skills can consist of a motor movement, perception, retrieval of information from memory, or processing information. Mastering any complex skill involves three stages:

• The understanding of task objectives, task parameters, and any procedure involved, through
• The establishment of correct patterns of behavior, and finally
• The point at which the task becomes largely automatic.
  

In most flight training environments, all three stages of learning are being accomplished using the aircraft. The PCATD is designed to support the learning of tasks through the first two stages of skill acquisition, where sufficient positive transfer of training for that task can be expected. This is the most efficient and cost-effective method of learning in an aviation curriculum.

In 1992, 79 students enrolled in an instrument flight training course and were trained using PCATDs in conjunction with the airplane. Instructors used a form, based on criteria specified in the Instrument Practical Test Standards (PTS), to evaluate student performance on 6 maneuvers and 2 categories of general flight skills. Records were also maintained on the number of trials, hours to proficiency, and the number of trials per task.

The study concluded that the students trained with the PCATDs required:

Based on very conservative estimates, at least $400 less was spent to train each student on the PCATDs. With respect to cost effectiveness, the PCATDs and associated hardware amounted to approximately 8% of the cost of currently approved ground training devices. Furthermore, students were trained for approximately $18.50 less per hour on PCATDs than on simulators. The cost of training was lowered, and the students received more effective training—without needing to lower instructors’ wages.

What Does the FAA Expect and Allow for PCATDs?

The FAA looks for PCATDs to become a part of comprehensive instrument training curriculums, to supplement accepted and proven methods already in use. PCATDs are not designed to replace simulators, FTDs, or aircraft, but to become an integral part of an effective and multi-faceted overall training program.

Usage Allowances

14 CFR §141.55 allows PCATDs to be used in a curriculum as courseware (similar to videos, manuals, etc.). The FAA encourages the use of PCATDs to supplement traditional ground training techniques.

AC 61-126 defines PCATDs and allows 10 hours of loggable time towards an initial instrument rating.

To log time on a PCATD:

Students may log 10 of the 20 hours granted for flight simulators and FTDs.

Part 141

To be used in a Part 141 training program, the overall curriculum that includes the PCATD and its usage must be approved under Part 141.

Students may log 10 of the 15 hours granted for flight simulators and FTDs.

Ground Training

Often in aviation, too much emphasis is placed on the issue of “logging hours,” and the availability of these hours has been a driving force in PCATD acceptance. But instructors worldwide used IFR simulation software to explain difficult concepts, develop scan, and teach procedures or tasks in a manner impossible in the cockpit environment, long before AC 61-126, official recognition, or university studies of the PCATD.

The Benefits of Using PCATDs

The value of PC simulation devices is in their ability to support training in aircraft systems knowledge and/or the procedural aspects of flight operations.

The average number of hours spent in completion of training for a private pilot certificate is between 60 and 65 hours (regulations require 35-40 hours). The average number of hours spent in completion of training for an instrument rating is between 60-70 hours (regulations require 35-40 hours). Any type of training aid that can reduce this average time will be beneficial to the flight student. The ability of a PCATD to enable students to obtain their pilot certificates in less than this “average” amount of time is a great marketing tool for schools and instructors.

• PCATDs enhance safety because students gain minimum proficiency before attempting maneuvers or procedures in the aircraft. An understanding of the concepts or tasks at hand can only help to reduce student pressure and workload in actual flight training.
  
• PCATDs improve pilot skills by allowing the student to practice in realistic settings, and repeat a given maneuver until it is performed correctly, significantly reducing costs associated with aircraft training. While these same statements apply to training in an aircraft, the cost associated with their use, and the demands of the ATC environment, make the repetition required for solid learning difficult to achieve.
  
• Without the noise and confusion generated in the real cockpit, students concentrate much better which leads to quicker results.
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Training time could be reduced, which should result in a reduction of costs for both students and flight schools. By reducing costs, the flight school should be able to attract additional students, thereby increasing the student load and potential business. Also, the ability of students to gain self-guided practice at some tasks and maneuvers should improve skill maintenance and pilot proficiency.

PCATDs are a superb teaching tool. Using them takes the teaching process out of a hostile environment (the training airplane) and puts it on the computer. Learn on the computer - practice and refine in the airplane.

Implementing PCATDs into a Flight Training Curriculum

Ideally, all aspects of the training curriculum could be taught to some criterion performance level on the ground before demonstrating competence in the airplane. This positive transfer of learning would greatly reduce the flight training the average pilot needs to complete his/her instrument or private rating curriculum.

Implementing PCATDs into a flight curriculum accounts for individual differences between trainees by providing a way for slower-learning students to increase their training time on the ground without greatly increasing costs for them.

PCATDs provide the incentive to follow a more integrated program of ground and flight training. Current programs employ two distinct approaches. The ground training involves teaching flight relevant knowledge (procedures, weather, flight planning, airport lighting, etc.). The flight training allows the practice of flight skills (takeoffs, landings, turns, etc.). An integrated program involving computer-assisted instructional methods provides feedback, repetition learning, and review of those specific areas where the student needs help.

How many instructors have had students suffer from information overload? Because of the dynamic and complex systems associated with a typical flight training program, most students are forced to digest many lessons within a single flight. PCATDs present the unique opportunity to fine-tune individual skills before using them in conjunction with other tasks. The foundation for operating in an IFR environment is attitude instrument flying, yet the airplane prevents teaching these crucial skills without interruptions. Sloppy skills are almost guaranteed when a student progresses to new learning without mastering previous lesson - the building block technique is essential when working with instrument students.

Flight Task Listing for Instrument Rating

The following list presents the flight task database (pulled from the Instrument Rating Practical Test Standards, as well as syllabi from selected Part 141 flight schools) for the instrument rating. While it doesn’t include every task taught during a normal instrument flying course, it features those tasks appropriate to teaching while using a PCATD.

Ground Phase

Radio Navigation Procedures

Abnormal and Emergency Procedures

Instrument Approaches

• VOR/VORTAC instrument approach procedure
• NDB instrument approach procedure
• ILS instrument approach procedure
• ILS back course approach procedure
• RNAV approach procedure
• Missed approach procedure

• Air traffic control clearances
• Departure clearances
• Enroute clearances
• Arrival clearances
• Departure procedures
• Enroute procedures
• Arrival procedures

Additional Considerations: Students may purchase desktop flight simulator software packages (although these are not qualified as a PCATD), and practice individual skills or acquaint themselves with new approaches on their own.

An instructor, upon discovering weaknesses in key areas of flight technique or procedural understanding, can ask the student to practice at home within well-defined guidelines. Though not performed on an approved device, this practice can only enhance the mastery of complex skills discussed earlier. While the procedures of instrument flight demand strict supervision to be learned effectively, the student at home can practice scan, learn to “think ahead of the airplane” and familiarize themselves with practice airspace without any “negative transfer” effects.

Perhaps most importantly, this approach will add a whole new excitement to homework, and prevent the “I’d rather be spoon-fed than do homework” attitude of many students.

Conclusion

There is no final authority on how these devices may be integrated into today’s flight training. However, it is helpful to refer to The Pilot’s Manual Instrument Rating Syllabus for a recommended ground/flight training curriculum that implements PCATDs.

We urge the users of PCATD technology to communicate with us their own experiences and techniques as PCATD usage continues to grow, and to help further define this exciting new field. It is incumbent upon the practitioners in the field to help the FAA keep up with rapidly-changing technological enhancements and their applications. As we work closely with the FAA to help refine PCATD usage, we ask for the input and feedback, positive or negative, from users of this technology.

Questions

Some of the Frequently-Asked Questions (FAQs) we have received during the Qualification Process of the On Top PCATD are reprinted here for your benefit.

Are PCATDs approved for currency requirements or flight training after the instrument rating?

At this time, approval is only granted for use during primary instrument flight training. FAA-sponsored studies are currently underway to evaluate PCATD applicability to currency requirements, instrument proficiency checks, VFR training environments, and other areas of flight training.

Do local FSDOs need to approve every installed PCATD?

No. The FSDO approves the overall program of a Part 141 school or organization that incorporates a PCATD, as part of their overall 141 approval process. But individual approval is not required, and Part 61 programs require no additional approval to use an already-approved PCATD. Part 61 programs must, however, “use the PCATD in a curriculum that is in overall compliance in scope and content with a Part 141 program.”

AFS 800, the General Aviation and Commercial Division, signs and delivers an acceptance letter with each PCATD model approved by their office. A copy of this letter accompanies every On Top PCATD that is shipped to a customer (see Section 1 of this guide), and can be supplied to the local FSDO during the 141 approval process.

Are there any limitations to using a PCATD in ground training?

No. PCATDs easily fall into the same category as videos, books, manuals, chalkboards, whiteboards and audio tapes. Each of these represents a medium for explaining the details of instrument flight in an understandable way.

As a Part 61 instructor, what equipment do I need to train my students on a PCATD?

You need an approved PCATD, with a current navigational database for the area in which actual training takes place; a personal computer and monitor that meets the hardware requirements of the PCATD, copies of all letters of acceptance of the device; an integrated ground and flight training syllabus that incorporates PCATD usage; instructional materials designed to teach the tasks being taught on the PCATD; and you need to teach a curriculum that is “in general compliance with the scope and content” of a Part 141 curriculum.

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