Instruction Needed to Master New Cockpit Technology

Flight management systems technologies, especially when newly adopted, can be major distractions for flight crews, cause runway incursions and lead to confusion in flight, according to the NBAA Safety Committee, which has named technology management as one of its 2014 Top Safety Focus Areas. “When pilots step into a new avionics suite, it’s not an evolution, it’s a transformation,” said Gray Stone Advisors Principal James Lara, a member of the NBAA Safety Committee. “In order to make that leap, you really need to have significant study and professional instruction to be competent and safe.”