FA question...MQAA?

[MikeD]

Question on FA training. Most airliners obviously have 2 or more FAs onboard, allowing a new FA to train with other personnel on a crew. For the commuter planes that have only one FA onboard, how is the OJT worked? Does the new FA have to fly so many flights with a training-FA or some similar type program?

Thanks!

MD

 

[Kristie]

Ooooh.. Ooohh... I might actually be able to help with this one... I was on a flight once (CRJ) that usually only has 1 flight attendant, but since the F/A flying was in training, her supervisor or IOE person was with her showing her how to work the cabin all on her own.. she actually did very well with a few minor things gone wrong.. you could tell it was her first day on the job and her first CRJ at that....

I'll let MQAAord answer the rest since she's the most experienced and would know if it's an actual training program or not... but that was my experience with it....

 

[MQAAord]

Training at Eagle was conducted like this:

A student goes through the 4 week training class, and does not step foot on a real airplane. Students are fully trained via cabin trainer to conduct emergency evacuations. Upon graduation, new-hires report to base where they undergo what is called IOE, or Initial Operating Experience.

During IOE the new-hire flies with a designated IOE instructor (which I was for 3 years). The student is paired with the instructor, on the instructors bid line trip. The instructor MUST occupy the F/A jumpseat, as the new-hire is not yet fully qualified. During IOE the student occupies a passenger seat for take-off & landing. I would try very hard to get them in the seat closest to me, so I could hand them the PA to make announcements, and so they didn't have to be climbing over paying pax to work the flight. How I conducted IOE was the first flight I did everything and had the student watch, then starting with the second trip I gave them more and more duties until the last flight when they must do everything all on their own, and that is their checkride. They must complete all duties with no assistance to pass this ride. As long as they have logged enough hours (about 8 hours, I'd have to check my paperwork to tell you exactly how many hours are required per FAA) I would sign them off, and then they were on their own! The FAA says "props" and "jets" are two separate types of aircraft, and you have to log a certain amount of hours on a "jet" (either the EMB or CRJ), and a certain amount of hours on a "prop" (either the ATR or Saab). So a new-hire will usually end up doing two trips, with two different instructors before they're done with IOE. I tried to resign as an IOE instructor, but the training department wouldn't let me because I was the only instructor in ORD who bid the ATR. I had a student with me on every trip until the ATRs left ORD.



At AA we did work flights while in ground school, so there was no IOE required. There are extra F/A jumpseats on all AA aircraft, and before we worked a trip on a certain ac we had to have completed the cabin trainer evacuation drills & related exams.

Hope this answers your question!

 

[Seggy]

What happens if the new FA that you are suppose to certify doesn't understand the difference between the Emergency Exit and the overhead Oxygen Masks? Is their IOE a one time deal that if they screw up they are washed out? Or are they given a second chance to improve?

 

[MQAAord]

[ QUOTE ]
What happens if the new FA that you are suppose to certify doesn't understand the difference between the Emergency Exit and the overhead Oxygen Masks? Is their IOE a one time deal that if they screw up they are washed out? Or are they given a second chance to improve?

[/ QUOTE ]

If they don't know the difference between the emergency exits and the oxygen masks, they never would have made it out of ground school. New-hires take many written & practical tests during ground school, and those must be completed successfully before they go on to do IOE. A student who fails a test in ground school does have a second chance to retake the test they failed, and they are given additional instruction in the subject matter that they need help with. If you don't pass a second time, you get more instruction, and then one last chance. If you don't pass after the third try, you're sent home. However that doesn't happen very often.

As for passing IOE, but the time a student gets to IOE, they know the job functions, it's just a matter of overcoming any 'stage fright' they may have, and putting all of what they've learned to work. In 3 years of doing IOE I only refused to sign off one person. He simply could not do the job. I was not yet a ground school instructor at the time, so I have no idea how he passed ground school. I had this particular guy with me for about 15 (flight) hours, and he came to me from another instructor who had him for about 10. I refused the sign off, and the training department elected to send him to yet another instructor. He did not ever pass IOE. But this was one person out of every student I ever had. (I can't remember how many IOEs I did over those 3 years, but it was a lot.)

 

[Seggy]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
What happens if the new FA that you are suppose to certify doesn't understand the difference between the Emergency Exit and the overhead Oxygen Masks? Is their IOE a one time deal that if they screw up they are washed out? Or are they given a second chance to improve?

[/ QUOTE ]

If they don't know the difference between the emergency exits and the oxygen masks, they never would have made it out of ground school. New-hires take many written & practical tests during ground school, and those must be completed successfully before they go on to do IOE. A student who fails a test in ground school does have a second chance to retake the test they failed, and they are given additional instruction in the subject matter that they need help with. If you don't pass a second time, you get more instruction, and then one last chance. If you don't pass after the third try, you're sent home. However that doesn't happen very often.

As for passing IOE, but the time a student gets to IOE, they know the job functions, it's just a matter of overcoming any 'stage fright' they may have, and putting all of what they've learned to work. In 3 years of doing IOE I only refused to sign off one person. He simply could not do the job. I was not yet a ground school instructor at the time, so I have no idea how he passed ground school. I had this particular guy with me for about 15 (flight) hours, and he came to me from another instructor who had him for about 10. I refused the sign off, and the training department elected to send him to yet another instructor. He did not ever pass IOE. But this was one person out of every student I ever had. (I can't remember how many IOEs I did over those 3 years, but it was a lot.)

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks for the answer. My bad, I used that analogy of the O2 masks to the exits as a joke (of course I knew they wouldn't be let out of ground school if they didn't know that). I guess I should have put a

next to it.

Thats not bad only one person you weren't able to sign off in 3 years.