Royal Brunei Airlines, the flag carrier of the nation Brunei Darussalam, engaged IDT-SCS for the delivery of both Upset Prevention and Recovery Training (UPRT), as well as Final Approach Standardisation Training (FAST).
During 2022, IDT began the UPRT program, starting with a two-day ground school, held at Airbus Asia in Singapore. This was followed by the delivery of UPRT Modules 1 & 2 to four SME instructors on the Boeing 787 and the Airbus A320. Since that time, Royal Brunei has delivered these training exercises to all of its pilots.
In 2023, the airline received a combination of the UPRT Modules 3 & 4, as well as the FAST program.
Whereas UPRT is a complete program that must be conducted from start to finish FAST provides the instructor with (a) knowledge on how to assess a candidate as well as (b) a set of “tools” (simulator exercises) to address specific needs of the individual. It helps to assess why a particular pilot may be having difficulty with the approach or landing maneuvers.
“Landings are the most challenging maneuver of the entire flight. They are in fact a single-pilot operation, and they are not an option: every flight ends with a landing”, says Sunjoo Advani, president of IDT-SCS. “Our program is in many ways similar to the UPRT, where emphasis is placed on the quality of instruction, and how to use the simulator correctly. No simulator is perfect, however an instructor must understand the capabilities and limitations of the device.”
Royal Brunei will continue to expose its pilots to the FAST program. The training has also revealed certain areas for future improvement to the airline’s operating procedures for approach and landing.
The overall aim of FAST is to recuse landing incidents – the most significant factor in airline incidents and resulting claims, while UPRT addresses the most life-threatening area of flight operations, namely Loss of Control in Flight. LOC-I is the largest cause of fatal commercial airline accidents.
This program is also supported by IDT partner Starr Consulting Services.