Talon Systems congratulates 2nd Lt. Corato on his commissioning and graduation and wishes him much success and the very best in his aviation career.

2nd Lt. Corato received a B. S. degree in Aeronautical Engineering and was selected to attend the USAF Undergraduate Pilot Training for Remote Piloted Aircraft and will start the training at Randolph AFB in San Antonio, TX in August of this year.

The Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award is the most prestigious award the FAA issues to pilots certified under Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) part 61.

This award is named after the Wright Brothers, the first US pilots, to recognize individuals who have exhibited professionalism, skill, and aviation expertise for at least 50 years while piloting aircraft as "Master Pilots".

• World Airline Pilot Training
• Regional Airline Pilot Training
• Cabin Crew Training
• Maintenance Training
• Sesion en Lengua Espanola
• Helicopter Pilot Training (New for 2015)

The National Training Aircraft Symposium (NTAS) is an annual event hosted by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University to bring together stakeholders who have interest in furthering efficiency and effectiveness of pilot training in a formal training, education and academy environment.

• Welcome Reception at the Auburn University Hotel and Conference Center

• Committee Meetings
• University Gateway Program

• Committee Meetings

• Industry/Educator Forum--Educators Respond
• Visiting Team Training Workshop
• Forum Luncheon
• Workshop on Industry Advisory Board--
• Best Practices
• Workshop on Policies, Procedures & Protocols
• Reception & Dinner

The 17th World Aviation Training Conference and Tradeshow starts today. 950 people have registered in advance to attend from 52 countries and representing 96 airlines

The National Training Aircraft Symposium (NTAS) is an annual event hosted by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University to bring together stakeholders who have interest in furthering efficiency and effectiveness of pilot training in a formal training, education and academy environment.

BILLINGS, MT-The Rocky Mountain College Aviation Program has begun using new state-of- the-art software from Talon Systems. This software places them on the leading edge of technology in aviation education, further improving their safety, maintenance, scheduling, and training.

The aviation program used a Department of Education Title III grant as seed money to purchase Education and Training Administration (ETA) software. Approximately 75 students are currently flying in the program with grade books and syllabi that are completely electronic and accessible from anywhere. Josh Mlnarik, Director of Flight Operations, said, "Due to the numerous details that have to be tracked in flight training, ETA has improved our scheduling and record-keeping. It has also given us access to valuable information to help us easily evaluate, assess, and continuously improve our operation and program." Dan Hargrove, Director of Aviation, said it is now nearly impossible for a student to fly a lesson out of order, or not complete a required maneuver because of paperwork errors. "We've seen our efficiency improve dramatically, resulting in students completing flight labs in record time."

This year, the program added Resource Maintenance System software which improves parts inventory control, maintenance inspection scheduling, and maintaining aircraft maintenance records. Doug Erickson, Director of Maintenance, said, "RMS has increased the visibility of our maintenance operation and has transformed the department to be proactive rather than reactive. Direct results include reduced shipping costs due to better parts management and reduced downtime of aircraft, allowing more available aircraft for student training."

The third component of the software is directly related to the implementation of Safety Management Systems-an industry standard process for improving safety. "Pilots now can easily report the smallest of safety concerns-anonymously if they want-so that we can track them and make improvements before the issue becomes a big deal," said Tom Nelson, Director of Safety. He added, "Our reporting has more than doubled because of the new system, and we are safer because of it."

The entire aviation program has over 100 students, which represents 10% of the student body at Rocky Mountain College. Graduates fly for airlines, the military, corporations, and in Alaska or manage airports and airlines. Hargrove noted, "Our graduates tell us their training and understanding of safety is better than that of their peers in their careers. We know these new software systems are making our program better and our graduates more marketable."

Methods for ensuring pilot competence are high on the list of necessary requirements to improve global pilot training, which has been an industry hot-button issue since the crashes of Continental 3407 and Air France 447. "Graduation from a flight training program does not end a pilot's learning nor does [earning] a license or rating necessarily demonstrate a pilot's true level of competence," said Robert Barnes, president of the International Association of Flight Training Professionals (IAFTP).

In a paper titled "Managing the Pilot Training Process To Help Ensure Pilot Competence," delivered at the ASEAN Aviation Training & Education Summit in Jakarta, Indonesia, last month, Barnes explained how a training management system created by Talon Systems and the IAFTP is being used to ensure basic pilot competence at the Saudi Aviation Flight Academy (SAFA). The academy is using a training management system to ensure both the quality and effectiveness of its training program. SAFA is also issuing the IAFTP eCV-essentially an electronic resume-that securely tracks and verifies each graduate's personal flying career.

Barnes explained that while management of flight training is not new, "the effective daily management of a pilot training program requires constant monitoring and decision-making based on accurate and current information. It requires an in-depth knowledge of students, instructors, aircraft, availabilities, regulations, course syllabus and many other factors and elements comprising the flight training domain. The challenge of ensuring the efficient graduation of competent pilots is far beyond the capability of any paper-based system."

The regional and national SAFECONs are NIFA's (The National Intercollegiate Flying Association) most important events held each year. The events held at both the regional and national SAFECON are very similar, however not exactly the same. Most of the regional SAFECONs are held in the fall, with some exceptions. The national SAFECON is always held in the spring, specifically between April 15 and June 1 as prescribed in the Rules and By-Laws of NIFA.

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University will convene the 2007 National Training Aircraft Symposium March 19-22 on its Daytona Beach campus. The theme of the annual event is "The View from 2010: Air Traffic Management Innovation." This year's meeting, sponsored by Embry-Riddle's College of Aviation at Daytona Beach, will spotlight developments in navigation and air traffic management from the cockpit. "Air traffic management innovation is the key to maintaining the capacity of our aviation system in the face of growing traffic and diversification of air transportation services," says Tim Brady, dean of the College of Aviation.