CA Delvin Young
Chief Pilot Flight Test
American Airlines
02/08/2011

152 B737
47 B777
242 MD80
73 B767
124 B757
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American Airlines
Fleet Aircraft
• Boeing (MD) Super 80
• Boeing 737-800*
• Boeing 757
• Boeing 767 – 200ER
• Boeing 767 – 300ER
• Boeing 777
• Total Aircraft = 638
242
152
124
15
58
47
* Currently purchasing additional aircraft
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Current Flight Operations
• North America
•
Caribbean
• South and Central America
• Pacific
•
Japan and Asia
• Europe
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American Airlines Operations
Employees
• Total
– Approx 68,000
• Pilots
– Approx 7,900
• 172 Check Airmen
• 43 Management
• 12 Flight Test Pilots includes Chief Pilot.
• Average age 51.8 (700 over age 60 by y/e 2011)
• Average seniority 19.9
• Non Pilot Flight
– 540 Management, Instructor and Support
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“ When You Don ’ t Know Where You ’ re Going, Any Road Will
Get You There ” (Alice in Wonderland)
American Airlines Flight Test
Organization & Operation

Flight Test Pilots
• Total = 12 pilots:
– 1 Chief Pilot
– 11 Flight Test Pilots.
• 8 Captains
• 3 First Officers
• 2 of the Captains are also ODA pilots.
• Flight Test Pilots are part of the pilot unionized workforce and retain line pilot seniority number with all line pilot benefits.
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TULSA Maintenance Base
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AA Maintenance Checks
• AA maintenance performed by AA employees.
• Heavy C-Check: 115 annually. All conducted by AA Flight Test
Pilots.
• Light C-Check: 265 annually. Flight Test will fly a portion of the light C-Checks.
• Prototype modification: < 3 annually. All conducted by AA Flight
Test Pilots.
• Special Visit (modification): ~ 580 annually. Depending on the modification, Flight Test will fly a small percentage of these aircraft.
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Flight Test Pilots - continued
• All Flight Test Pilots are domiciled in Tulsa, Oklahoma (AA ’ s primary maintenance base).
– Not required to live in Tulsa but must be reasonably available on work days.
• Flight Test Pilots are qualified on 2 aircraft types - - maximum of 3.
– Max 3 due to maintaining Part 121 AQP qualification on each aircraft type. (train every 9 months).
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Flight Test Pilots - continued
• Train FAA FAR Part 121 AQP.
• AA provides own training.
• Flight Test utilizes FAA FAR Part 121 dispatch procedures to the maximum extent possible but conducts operations under FAA FAR
Part 91.
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AA Flight Test History
• AA decided to have a specific Flight Test group several decades ago.
• FAA FAR Part 91 was primary guidance for operations.
•
Updated Flight Test program when FAA FSAT 02-04A was published in
2002.
– FAA FSAT 02-04A defined “Non-Routine Flight Operations”
(NRFO)
• Group 1: Operation of the aircraft in accordance with normal procedures of the flight manual.
• Group 2: Procedures listed in emergency, abnormal, or alternate procedures. Flights which any system is de-powered to confirm back-up system is functional.
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AA Flight Test History
• Further updated when FAA InFO 08032 superseded FSAT 02-04A in
2008.
–
FAA InFO 08032 retained NRFO Group 1 & Group 2 definitions.
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Type of Flying Specific to AA Flight Test
• Post maintenance heavy checks.
•
Line aircraft NRFO Group 2.
•
Some NRFO Group 1 functions as well.
• Ferry from storage to maintenance base.
• New aircraft acceptance.
•
Lease return aircraft.
• R & D, and Experimental.
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Dock 5A Tulsa Maintenance Base
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Qual Course Footprint*
All
Courses
Total
22
Days
12 Days
Ground
Training
Followed
By ...
10 Days
Flight
Training in
All Fleets
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*Typical

AA Flight Test Initial Training
• Initial Qualification
– Basic aircraft qualification through FAA Part 121 AQP.
–
Pilot required to accomplish aircraft consolidation - - 100 hrs in 120 days prior to return to Flight Test.
• NRFO Group 2 Qualification: must be finished with basic aircraft qualification requirements: specific NRFO Group 2 requirements:
–
Ground Training
– 3 x 4 hr simulator periods
– NRFO Group 2 observations
–
FO = 3 x aircraft flights
– CA = 7 x aircraft flights
–
NRFO Group 2 aircraft checkride
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AA Flight Test Continuing Qualification
Training
• Continuing Qualification
– All Flight Test pilots maintain Part 121 AQP qualification.
– Train every 9 months for each aircraft qualified.
• 2-3 days ground school
• 2 x 4 hr simulator periods
• Simulator checkride every 18 months
• Aircraft Part 121 line check annually.
• NRFO Group 2 Continuing Qualification:
– Additional 4 hr simulator each 9 months for each type aircraft to concentrate on NRFO Group 2 events.
– NRFO Group 2 checkride every 18 months.
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AA Flight Test Continuing Qualification
Training - continued
Other Flight Test Items
• Standardization & Safety meetings
– Scheduled quarterly for each Flight Test Pilot.
– Required to attend 2 minimum annually.
– Individual fleet standardization & safety meetings scheduled in between quarterly meetings.
• Also participate when opportunity exists:
– Fleet Check Airman standardization meetings.
– Maintenance Product Team meeting.
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Flight Test Qualification
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Reasons for FCFs
• FCFs are part of the Airline Overall Risk Mitigation Strategy
– Controlled Environment vs Line Operations
– Specialty Trained Crew
– Controlled Procedures
•
AMM Requirements
• Quality Assurance
– Over life of airplane operators discover system failures that;
– cannot be checked on the ground
– Maintenance resolution confidence check
•
Equipment & Systems must work First time Every time
– Discovery of latent failures
• Engine inflight start vs ground start
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Reasons for FCFs - continued
• In-Service Aircraft Negative Trends
– Data Driven by the Airline Reliability Program
• Example: 757 Pack Health Check
• In-Service Aircraft Damage & Failures
• Major Modifications & Upgrades
– Multiple Disturbed Systems
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AA FCF Risk Mitigation
• Formalized FCF Process & Procedures
•
Uniquely Trained Crews
•
Weather
– Day VFR
• MD80 Electrical Failure
• Engineering & Maintenance SMEs
•
FCF Task Management
• Airspace
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Issues for Consideration
• Lack of industry standards.
– Work collectively.
– If we don ’ t manage ourselves, someone else will.
•
Inability for airlines to get quality Flight Test procedures for checklist development specific to post maintenance production flying.
• Litigation & liability relief for manufacturer assistance.
• Lack of knowledge, coordination, & cooperation among regulatory agencies.
–
Need to partner with the airlines vs mandate
•
Need available resources.
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Next Steps??
• Create Industry Standards
– Regulatory Agencies
– FAA CMO
– Airlines
– Best Practices from those of us that have successful programs.
• Provide legal relief for manufacturers providing Production Flight
Test Procedures (PFTP) for checklist baseline and updates.
• Industry working group create a document specific to airline post maintenance production flight test of in service aircraft.
– Similar to FAA AC 25-7a only specific to airline post maintenance flight checks.
– Similar resource example is the Industry Upset Training Aid.
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