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In recent years the commercial aviation industry has responded to flight crew training issues by developing several training aids. Examples of these aids, which were created by industry teams of representatives from airplane manufacturers, airlines, pilot groups, government and regulatory agencies, and others, include the following:

Controlled flight into terrain.

Takeoff safety.

Turbulence.

Turbulence avoidance.

Windshear.

The industry has now identified the potential benefits of such a training aid to help pilots recover an airplane that has been upset. The goal of this airplane upset recovery training aid is to increase the pilot's ability to recognize and avoid situations that can lead to airplane upsets, and to improve the pilot's ability to recover control of an airplane to normal flight parameters if it has been upset. To support this goal the industry:

Established an industrywide consensus on a variety of effective methods to train pilots to recover from airplane upsets.
Developed appropriate educational material.
Developed an example training program as a basis for tailored programs that individual operators may wish to develop.

The new training aid package consists of a document and a two-part video. Both the document and video will also be available in CD-ROM format. The document contains four sections:

1. A management overview that identifies the safety concern and encourages operators to establish an upset recovery training program.

2. A pilot guide that briefly reviews the causes of airplane upsets, fundamental aerodynamics of flight for large, swept-wing airplanes, and the application of techniques for recovering an airplane that has been upset. The guide is a highly readable, concise treatment for pilot issues written by pilots for pilots. It is intended for self-study or classroom use.

3. The example airplane upset training program, a stand-alone resource designed to serve the needs of a training department. An example academic and simulator training program are both included. The academic program provides the pilots with the requisite knowledge, and the simulator training scenarios are designed to help pilots improve their skills in recovering from an upset.

4. References for additional reading on subjects associated with airplane upsets and recovery.

Airbus and Boeing encourage all operators to endorse the training recommendations and include airplane upset recovery training in their overall pilot training programs.