CRM Training Requirements Continue to Frustrate and Confuse Operator-Members

In May of last year, the Transportation Safety Board released an occurrence report that Recommended that:
 
The Department of Transport require commercial air operators to provide contemporary crew resource management (CRM) training for Canadian Aviation Regulations (CARs) subpart 703 air taxi and CARs subpart 704 commuter pilots.
 
The recommendation was originally based on a 2007 accident that occurred to Trans West Air – but has since been re-assessed by the TSB on a number of occasions.
 
 
You will recall that HAC requested a six month extension to the January 31 2019 deadline, to give operators some time to comply, and to clarify the requirements of the AC. The request was denied.

In the last issue of the Newsletter (click here to read), HAC was invited by Transport Canada to publish information that provided some relief to the January 31 2019 deadline for training – but HAC has been contacted by a variety of operators to say that some of the AC’s requirements are still confusing, and impractical to apply.

For example, operators have commented that:

• They cannot provide company-specific CRM training to each firefighter on a Project Fire, for example, although the AC seems to call for this training;
• How can operators deal with short-notice demands for service i.e. Hydro work, where the linemen are called upon to service powerlines that are down in an ice storm;
• How would training be delivered in the field, mid-season for temporary, contract, or high-turnover workers;
• Qualified CRM instructors are difficult to find, in the run-up to January 31 2019;
• Some inspectors appear to be unprepared to evaluate CRM training against the requirements of the AC.

Operators with other specific examples of the difficulties implementing the CRM training called for by the AC, please send a bulleted note to fred.jones@h-a-c.ca, without delay. HAC is building a case for another extension request, to get this matter sorted out.

As this will be the last newsletter of 2018, please accept the best wishes of HAC and our Board for a safe and happy holiday season!