Singapore Focus: ATR Singapore Training Centre of Excellence

Shortly before the conference room chimes sounded to start APATS 2024, Christian Commissaire, ATR’s Head of Customer Training & Flight Operations, provided an update on the ATR Singapore Training Centre of Excellence and ATR’s training offerings in general. Highlights of the ATR executive’s insights follow.

The ATR Training Centre’s (TC) comprehensive range of courses for airline personnel fall into three categories:

• Regulatory Courses: These cover type rating, difference courses, instructor/examiner training, recurrent training, and license renewal;

• Aircraft Entry into Service Training: This includes initial cadre training, line training, route-proving, documentation setup, and flight operations training; and

• Advanced Training: This is designed to enhance flight and maintenance operations and includes instructor refresh & standardization, UPRT, line training/LIFUS (line flying under supervision), FDM (flight data monitoring)-based recurrent training, engine run-up, and enhanced troubleshooting.

The executive noted ATR’s approach is to offer end-to-end training solutions, from ab-initio training up to ATR type rating, ensuring that our pilots are fully equipped to enjoy the unique flying experience of ATR aircraft. “Our aircraft feature glass cockpits, state-of-the-art avionics,

and advanced PBN (performance-based navigation) capabilities such as Baro-VNAV, LPV, and RNP-AR,” he noted and added, “ATR aircraft can tackle the most challenging airfields, offering a thrilling flying environment that only ATRs can serve. Additionally, our versatile family of aircraft, with a single type rating for both the ATR 42 and ATR 72, allows for fast career evolution—from first officer to captain, and from captain to instructor.”

This ATR TC is attentive to shifting demographics and the demand signals for more pilots as well as maintenance personnel in and beyond Asia. To that end, Commissaire pointed out ATR TC trains airline personnel and students who are either currently employed by or will be employed by ATR operators and customers. “In a context of strong demand for pilots and technicians, we support our customers with high-standard, tailored training solutions using Competency-Based Training (CBT) concepts. We are also committed to developing initiatives that attract young generations of pilots to the ATR community.”

Training Materiel Census

ATR has a full menu of learning technologies, products and strategies to support its learning enterprise for pilots, crew and maintenance personnel including: E-learning platforms; classroom training; 3-D-digital trainers; procedure trainers; full flight simulators and aircraft practical training.

These devices come from various suppliers, including some exclusive tools developed

Internally, the executive explained and continued “Our three global ATR Training Centres (Miami, Toulouse, Singapore) ensure that we provide top-tier training services to our customers worldwide, from flight operations to pilots, crew, and maintenance.”

Asked about near-term additions to the Singapore TC training device inventory, the ATR training and operations leader replied, “The ATR Training Centre continually updates and enhances its training tools and programs to stay aligned with the latest regulations, aircraft standards, and technologies.”

And how does the Singapore Training Centre use or expect to use XR, AI and even

data to enable pilot- and maintenance training courses? Commissaire significantly noted, the centre plans to expand its use of customized recurrent training based on FDM data, following the Evidence-Based Training (EBT) philosophy. “Additionally, Virtual Reality (VR) procedure training for pilots and maintenance personnel is currently being tested. These advancements in technology, coupled with our global presence and commitment to providing a unique flying experience, enhance the effectiveness of our training programs across all our centres.”

More E-learning and CBTA

In the next 12-24 months, the ATR Training Centre is restructuring its Pilot Type Rating

course to emphasize e-learning and the Competency-Based Training and Assessment

(CBTA) philosophy.

The ATR executive concluded, “For UPRT training, ATR recommends that flight simulators are equipped with representative models based on the manufacturer’s data package.”