The EASA Question Bank - ECB03

The long brief

ATPdigital latest news

Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems

Training material update

Summer 2016 | Edition 1

IntroductionThis is the first of what is intended to be a regular flight training magazine. It was felt it would be a helpful way to keep individuals in the flight training industry updated about the latest developments.

Feedback on the content of this newsletter would be welcomed; Is it a good idea? Is it useful? Would you like to submit an article? How regularly should it be produced? What would be beneficial to include in it? Please email Gill, the Bristol Groundschool Brand Manager at gill@bristol.gs with all feedback or comments.

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ContentsIndustry update 3Industry news 5Partner information 9On the horizon - MEMS 11Training material update 15Wings Alliance 17Contact details 19

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INDUSTRYupdateThe EASA Question Bank - ECB03EASA have recently released ECB03, the latest version of their question bank. It has caused some problems in the UK. Alex Whittingham Director at Bristol Groundschool provides us with an update.

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updateThe ECB03 question bank was released in November 2015 and first used by the UK CAA in the February 2016 exams. EASA claim at least 1,500 new questions have been created and that 2,000 other questions have been reviewed making obsolete irrelevant questions, resting or replacing over exposed questions, and amending erroneous questions. This is consistent with information from the UK CAA that they have provided EASA with more than 3,000 amended updated and improved questions.

There are concerns about the quality of work that has been done. It has emerged in correspondence with the UK CAA that EASA seem to have anticipated the approval of the new syllabus published in NPA29 (which appears to be on indefinite hold) and that ECB03 is now primarily referenced to that syllabus. I have challenged this on the grounds that EASA have no right to implement NPA29 before it is approved. The UK CAA have robustly defended EASA’s position pointing out that, while the new Central Question Bank (CQB) may be primarily referenced to NPA29, every question in ECB03 is also referenced to an NPA25 objective and the CQB is therefore quite usable. We have significant doubts about that process but cannot take the argument any further, only EASA really know what they have done and how well they have done it.

As an EASA examination centre Bristol Groundschool are receiving regular feedback from students directly after their exams. As a result, our question bank and course materials are frequently updated to ensure our students and that of our training partners are in the best possible position to pass their exams first time.

Operational Procedures changesThe major problems with this question bank have been in Operational Procedures. ECB03 conforms to the March 2009 version of the Learning Objectives (LOs) for this subject which refers to EU OPS for aeroplanes and JAR OPS3 for helicopters except that all questions have now been updated to comply with the new AIR OPS document. The new exams in February caught all the UK schools and candidates by surprise as we discovered that EASA had not just changed the answers of existing questions to comply with the new documents (which is what we were told was going to happen) but had, in addition, shifted the emphasis of the exam to other areas of the LOs.

EASA have published ‘Easy Access Rules for Air Operations’ at https://easa.europa.eu/newsroom-and-events/technical-publications/easy-access-rules-air-operations . This ‘Easy Access’ document is 1,699 pages. We have been pointed to Commission Regulation 965/2012 at https://easa.europa.eu/document-library/regulations/commission-regulation-eu-no-9652012 as a source for many of the new questions.

Updated informationOur SMEs have now a month’s worth of feedback from these exams and I understand that there are approximately 100 new Operational Procedures questions in BGS Online, 60 for aeroplanes and 40 for helicopters. Although there has been a certain amount of stress generated by the changes and failure rates were high in the first week of February we now seem to be on top of the situation. The ATP Digital CBT has already been amended to reflect the anticipated changes and a new version of the printed notes is ready for press but it may be that the

Operational Procedures material has to be revised yet again in the near future to cope with the unexpected change of emphasis of the exams. If this happens we will amend the CBT as soon as we can, so your existing students may notice differences in emphasis between the CBT and the printed material, they should rely on the CBT.

Learning Objectives (LOs)The UK CAA have re-emphasised that the correct syllabus for us to teach is NPA25 and that there are no plans to introduce the NPA29 syllabi. As part of the discussion many UK ATOs asked the CAA or EASA to publish the current NPA25 LOs online (the JAA originals are no longer available). Both organisations have refused, citing copyright concerns, so I have published them at https://www.bristol.gs/learning-objectives/ and made the link available for anyone to use. Do feel free to link to that from your websites if you wish, as far as I know it is the only online source for the current LOs.

Industry news

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The long briefBefore each phase of flight training it is traditional to provide student pilots with a brief, variously called a ‘long brief’, a ‘phase brief’ or a ‘mass brief’.

Why brief?We’ve all been there. First flight of the day, a little late arriving at work, grab the student, walk into the briefing room for the pre-flight brief and find that the student knows…nothing. They don’t have a clue about what you are talking about. The dilemma that follows is ‘do I cancel the flight until they are properly prepared or do I ‘wing it’ and hope that they cope?’

The need for a long brief is obvious, as is the need to separate the long brief from the pre flight brief. It ensures that students have the opportunity to assimilate information prior to a flight, it avoids information overload just before a training detail.

Good briefing ensures that students are properly prepared, confident and have the best chance of getting the most out of their training flight or simulator detail. Poor or no briefing means that students feel under-prepared and anxious as a result, overwhelmed by the stream of information from their instructor and as a result under-perform in the air. This is clearly inefficient at best and, at worse, may lose a school disgruntled students.

In this article, Rod Wren, former Head of Training at Oxford Aviation Training and CTC Aviation Training, shares his views on industry best practice and some ideas on the future for this important element in a student’s training.

This gives students time to assimilate what they have learnt, to practice any techniques they have been taught and to come back for clarification if they need it.

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What are the challenges?If it were easy, everyone would be following best practice…but they don’t. These are some of the obstacles:

• Cost. Generally, schools are unable to charge separately for time spent on the ground briefing and debriefing. So the more time an instructor spends briefing, the more your costs. As a school you’ll want to achieve the ideal balance between time spent and value derived from the briefing process.

• Instructor motivation. Instructors who are paid by the flying hour may have a tendency to shorten briefing and preparation time: they can’t earn while talking on the ground. Others may simply not enjoy giving lectures.

• Instructor standardisation. If one of your instructors gives a long brief on, for example, instrument flying before the first IF flight, would all your other instructors be happy to go straight into the pre-flight briefing with

no further contact with the student? Would they have complete assurance that everything that should be covered has been covered in the same way that they would like to cover it? If the answer to both these questions is yes, then you are unusual; you have achieved a high degree of standardisation. What is more common is that instructors jealously guard their own long-briefs, so they can be sure about what is covered and how. But this presents you as a school with a problem; it is inefficient (the same briefs are being repeated over and again often one-to-one by instructors) and this reduces programming flexibility.

• Logistics. Ideally you would programme students to do their long brief a few days before the first flight or simulator detail of a new phase of training. This gives them time to assimilate what they have learnt, to practice any techniques they have been taught and to come back for clarification if they need it. However, life is frequently not ideal. If you are not running an integrated course with your students on-tap, it may be impossible.

Industry news

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This is where modern technology can make a real difference. Use of Computer Based Training (CBT) to deliver your long briefs offers several advantages over conventional classroom lectures.

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The

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ConclusionCBT-based long briefs offer improved efficiency and reduced costs. There really is no excuse not to be following best practice: anything less costs your company and leaves you open to criticism from disappointed students.

Bristol Groundschool have developed a series of long-briefs for a fixed-wing PPL syllabus using their ATPdigital CBT platform. If you would like a demo, or to learn about briefs for other syllabi such as CPL, ME and IR contact Laura Maskew at Bristol Groundschool for more details.

What does best practice look like?In an ideal world, you will get all the students who are approaching a particular phase of training together a few days before their first flight, and deliver a totally standardised brief. One instructor can deliver the lecture to all the students which is the most efficient use of your staff’s time. The standardised nature of the brief allows other instructors to go straight to pre-flight briefing with the confidence that the students have been prepared properly. It also allows you a degree of control over what and how the brief is taught by your staff. The students would get hand-outs which cover the material presented in the brief and be encouraged to ask if they have any follow-up questions.

How can you achieve the ‘ideal’ in the ‘real world’?If you don’t have the students ‘on tap’ and don’t have standardised briefings, how can you even approach best practice?

This is where modern technology can make a real difference. Use of Computer Based Training (CBT) to deliver your long briefs offers several advantages over conventional classroom lectures:

• The students may study individually, without the inefficiency of one-on-one briefings;

• Students who are not available to attend a briefing at your flight school may study remotely;

• A check of understanding and a record of completion are built-in;

• You have total control over standardisation;

• CBT allows the inclusion of multi-media training material such as video and computer animations as well as conventional text and ‘static’ diagrams; and

• Your instructors input is limited to answering follow-up queries, if any, which reduces your staff costs.

Industry news

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MRS user accountsIf you have any new members of staff who use the

MRS or ATPdigital Admin System, please direct them

to https://www.bristol.gs/resources/ where there

is a short video which is a helpful starting point.

Remember, it is best practice for each member of

staff to have their own login credentials rather than to

share them. When someone leaves your organisation

or to get an account for a new member of staff, please

email support@bristol.gs.

Printing examsYou can now print the question paper, marking sheet

and answers as one .pdf rather than three separate

documents.

We introduced an additional ATPL(A) Mass and Balance lesson (lesson 9 – Long Range Jet

Transport) some time ago. Please check that your students have access to this and, if not,

email support@bristol.gs and we’ll amend your syllabus.

We have recently launched a major software update version 6.1. Students will not notice any

changes, however the behind the scene functionality and reliability has been improved. We

are planning a further launch later this year (version 6.2) which will enhance the look and feel

of the software.

Our ATPdigital software is now provided on USBs rather than DVDs. The software is also

available as a download, removing the additional shipping costs. Please note, if you are

opting for your students to download ATPdigital, please ensure they have a good internet

connection for the download to be successful.

latest newsATPdigital

Have you got the latest version of software?

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Viewing all students’ resultsYou may have a student showing up in the admin system as having completed all lessons and progress tests - the

modules are showing green and complete. However, when looking at the ‘quick view’ pane, it appears that the

student has not successfully passed some of the progress tests. This is because the overview of results or PDF

print-out shows only a summary; the first and most recent attempts at a quiz or test are shown, but if there have

been more attempts, the intermediate results are not displayed in this view.

You are able to trust the system, but if you want to see the intermediate results you can do this by looking at ‘All

activity’. This produces a long pdf but if you click ‘Ctrl’ and ‘F’ you will be able to specify a narrower search.

Partner information

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This is the first in a series of articles by Chris Keane, one of Bristol Groundschool’s

Subject Matter Experts, looking at developments in aviation that may already

be familiar to some, but which will hopefully be of interest to many of us in the industry.

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MEMS – Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems – are not yet examined by EASA for professional flight crew licences, appearing in the latest set of learning objectives as ‘to be introduced at a later date’. However, MEMS are already flying in a number of aircraft, claiming incredible accuracy in detection of acceleration, angular rotation and magnetic field.

Several manufacturers are offering sensor systems incorporating MEMS with solid state pressure transducers to create ADAHRS – Air Data, Attitude and Heading Reference Systems – with all of the data previously supplied by an Air Data Computer, an Inertial Reference System and a flux detector heading system, but all in one tiny, lightweight package. Honeywell, with their KSG 7200 ADAHRS offer all of that in a unit measuring around 15 x 15 x 28 cm (5 x 5 x 11 inches), and weighing in at just over 2.5 kg (under 6 lbs). Rockwell Collins claim accuracy of 0.2° in pitch and roll, 0.6° in heading, and angular rates of +/- 200° per second with their equivalent.

So how? How did we get from wonky air driven direction indicators that need re-aligning with a compass two or three times an hour to that sort of stated accuracy? Or from stable platform inertial navigation systems that had ‘Handle like eggs’ stamped on the case, and needed twenty minutes to align with the world, to instant start-up digital technology?

Ring laser gyros were perhaps the first big leap in attitude sensing technology as we entered the age of the practical digital computer in aviation. They offered incredible accuracy, but were expensive to produce, relying as they did on highly specialised glass with very low temperature expansion coefficients, and on argon or neon lasers. Fibre optic gyros offered even better angular detection – as you might expect from a kilometre of light path compared to 15 or 20 cm in a RLG. But MEMS? What are they all about?

Well, if you have a smartphone you are probably carrying a bunch of MEMS chips with you already, so that the phone knows whether you want to look at a picture in landscape or portrait format, as well as many other functions. Or if your car has an airbag, you will probably be relying upon MEMS to sense the unexpected deceleration of an impact and inflate the bag to save you from injury or worse.

If you have a smartphone you are probably carrying a bunch of MEMS chips with you already.

On the horizon

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The illustration above of a basic MEMS accelerometer shows that the same principle is used as in a ‘conventional’ bob weight and suspension blade accelerometer. Fixed outer plates measure movement against the

acceleration of a moving mass on springs, with the value of the gaps between the fixed plates and the moving mass providing the value of that acceleration. The sensor then converts that mechanical value into an

electrical output signal. But that is all done in a device that – quite literally – fits on the head of a matchstick. Place three of them at right angles to each other, and hey presto, a three axis accelerometer.

MEMS are basically very small devices with both mechanical and electrical elements. The mechanical elements provide for the basic functionality, whether that be as a gyroscope, an accelerometer or a magnetometer.

MassSpring

CS1 < CS2Fixed outer plates

Applied accelerationMassSpring

CS1 < CS2Fixed outer plates

Applied acceleration

MEMS gyroscopes are only a little bit trickier. Vibrating concentric rings, often segmented to allow greater freedom of movement, allow for the mechanical movement in the sensing plane. Once again, that mechanical movement is translated into an electrical signal for digital use wherever it is required. Take three of those, one for each axis, and you have a means of detecting attitude in pitch, roll and yaw. One such chip on sale today offers a three-axis

gyroscope, three-axis accelerometer, all with 16-bit analogue-to-digital converters, and an embedded digital motion processor to compute the algorithms from the sensed data. And all of that is packaged in a chip just 4 x 4 x 0.9 mm, and aimed at the burgeoning market for smartphones, tablet computers, and the automotive industry.

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Hall Effect sensors are employed in MEMS magnetometers, where Ferro-nickel coatings within the chip allow sensing of the earth’s magnetic field. Four such sensors placed as shown above allow the direction vector for the magnetic field direction to be sensed and calculated to a high degree of confidence and accuracy.

Finally, solid state pressure transducers complete the picture by supplying digital data to the ADAHRS for the calculation of IAS, CAS, Mach number, pressure altitude, barometric altitude, TAT and SAT. Modern systems, such as the KSG 7200 already encountered above, meet or exceed the accuracy requirements for RVSM airspace. Shove all of that data down an ARINC 429 datalink, and you have a super-accurate, lightweight, reliable sensor platform. All of that, often with multi-channel GPS data included, in a package the size of a soft drink can. Food for thought?

Watch out for – ‘Synthetic Vision Systems’ in our next edition.

The sensor converts the mechanical value into an electrical output signal. But that is all done in a device that – quite literally – fits on the head of a matchstick.

On the horizon

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Jepp and CAPsIn addition to the EASA course material students will also need to have access to a Jeppesen Student Pilot Route Manual and the relevant examination manuals (CAPs):• Helicopter - CAP758 • Fixed Wing - CAP 696, 697 and 698.

These can be purchased from us in pounds at cost and can be converted to a currency of your choice. The current costs are £5.00 each or £10.00 for a set of the three aeroplane CAPs. Alternatively, we can let you have the .pdf files for free but note that your students will need access to hard copies of these documents. The cost of the Jeppesen manual is £45.00.

Maths and PhysicsDid you know that you can give your students access to a free maths and physics course?

There has always been a requirement for heads of training to check that candidates for an approved course have a ‘sufficient level of knowledge of maths and physics to cope with the demands of the course’. This requirement has largely been ignored, but some authorities have started asking schools how they comply. Therefore, we have developed a maths and physics course which aims to check understanding, provide refresher training if there is insufficient knowledge and to provide schools with an audit trail.

This is how it works. The ten maths and physics lessons and two progress tests are in a separate module which precedes the ATPL or CPL modules. We can set things up so students may not get access to the ATPL or CPL course materials until they have completed and passed the maths and physics module or, alternatively, just encourage them to do it first.

If the students feel able to do the tests, bypassing the lessons, they may do so. If they pass first time, then the lessons are marked as complete and they may move onto the main course. If, however, they fail, they will be required to study the associated lesson and pass all the lesson quizzes before being able to attempt the progress test again. Of course, less confident students may do the lessons before the tests. If you would like to review this course, please email support@bristol.gs and we’ll add it to you staff account for review.

We offer more than ATPL We currently produce ATPL(A), ATPL(H)/IR, and CPL(H) courses.

We can also supply you with course training material for:• IR(A) and IR(H) • ATPL(H) (non-IR)• EIR-CBIR

If you are interested in any of the above, or you have any other requirements, please email laura@bristol.gs for more information.

Placing a training partner orderJust a reminder when you are placing your order for Bristol Groundschool material please complete the online order form on the BGS website.

If you require a member login or you have forgotten your login details, please email laura@bristol.gs

Bristol Groundschool

training material update

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Information for your students

Bristol Groundschool International Ltd We are in the process of separating our trade and retail business. Trade sales will be through our new company, Bristol Groundschool International Ltd. We will shortly be issuing new trading agreements reflecting our name change to our training partners, there will no other impact on you.

Pilot Career Exhibition eventsThis year Bristol Groundschool are planning to exhibit at several Pilot Career Live events including the 9th July in Leeds and the 5th November at Heathrow in London. If you are also attending or visiting these shows do please come and say hello.

FREE access to BGS Online, our online Question Bank Can you please remind all your students that as part of the cost of purchasing ATPdigital they also receive a free* 12-month subscription to Bristol’s BGS Online Question Bank, activated when a student first installs their ATPL digital software.

This question bank is recognised as a leading study aid in preparation for EASA ATPL exams and is regularly updated with student feedback from our Bristol exam centre.

* Unless a specific agreement between yourselves and Bristol Groundschool excludes it.

Training material update

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www.wingsalliance.eu Tel: + 44 (0)1275 345 914

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The Wings Alliance is an innovative alliance of high quality and respected Flight Training Schools, offering a complete modular pilot training route. It is a trade organisation whose members are some of the most respected EASA Flight Training Schools. Each member will have different products and prices, they may be in competition with each other but nevertheless each Wings Alliance member is happy to recommend the services of other members.

The purpose of the Wings Alliance is to provide aspiring pilots with a credible and cost-effective training route and recommend the right graduates to airlines. It provides individuals with all the advantages of integrated training while retaining the advantages of the modular route. For example, the advantages of each route include:

For the first time ever there is a real high quality and cost effective alternative to studying with a large integrated school for aspiring pilots.

Students can choose which member school they use for different parts of their training, depending on their circumstances. They will be offered support and guidance by the Wings Alliance throughout their training and will have one continuous professional Wings Alliance training record.

Successful graduates of the Wings Alliance programme will be recommended to partner airlines for employment opportunities, giving them a direct route to employment.

If you are interested in becoming a Wings Alliance member or finding out more, please complete the enquiry form http://www.wingsalliance.eu/flight-schools/become-a-member/

A viable alternative to the integrated route...

Wings Alliance

Integrated• Employment opportunities

• All training with one organisation

Modular• Reduced and spread costs• Flexibility• Wide choice of schools• Ability to continue working for the majority of a student’s training

Wings Alliance

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Contact us Your Account ManagerYour primary point of contact for all queries other than technical support issues is Laura Maskew.Email laura@bristol.gsTel +44 (0)1275 340444 option 1

Support with software installation or courseware issues For support with ATPdigital or BGS Online contact one of the support team, Deb, Sue or Jane, who will be able to help you. It is always useful to find out the computer’s hardware and the operating system that is being used before you contact us.Email support@bristol.gsTel + 44 (0)1275 340 444

Brand and Marketing ManagerYour contact for any information you would like included in future newsletters or any other marketing queries is Gill Fowkes.Email gill@bristol.gsTel +44(0) 1275 345 915

+44(0)1275 340444www.bristol.gs