2.1.4 – Production Release

New Course: Pre-departure Walkaround Check

Three new lessons that teach the full exterior walkaround check of an aircraft before departure, progressing from guided instruction through free practice to a scored assessment.

Pre-departure Walkaround Check (Guided)

• Teaches the complete pre-departure aircraft walkaround check route, leading trainees counter-clockwise from the aircraft's nose with each inspection point shown and explained in turn.
• Covers what to look for during the walkaround check at each inspection point: dents and cracks, doors and access panels left open, missing or protruding screws, oil and hydraulic leaks, gear safety pins still fitted, and F.O.D. or equipment left behind.
• Trains judgment by showing reference images: telling a real dent from a paint scratch, a tire crack from ordinary tread wear, and damage already logged from damage nobody has reported yet.
• Ends by explaining the reporting loop: what has to be reported to the cockpit, and that a fault is reported rather than closed or repaired on the spot.

Pre-departure Walkaround Check (Practice)

• Trains the same pre-departure walkaround check route without guidance: at every inspection point the trainee decides whether the part is in order or faulty.
• Gives immediate feedback on every decision, naming the fault when the trainee is right and prompting another look at the inspection point when the trainee is wrong.
• Faults are randomized and deliberately over-seeded, well beyond what a real aircraft would show, so the lesson can be repeated for a different set of faults.
• Emphasizes reporting when in doubt: an unnecessary report costs a minute, a missed fault costs far more.

Pre-departure Walkaround Check (Assessment)

• Assesses trainees on the full pre-departure walkaround check, with no route highlighting and no immediate feedback; every call is final and the trainee submits the whole assessment by walking into an exit area.
• Trainees are scored on five criteria, all five needed to pass: 1) assessing every inspection point, 2) following the correct walkaround check path, 3) identifying every fault, 4) reporting all in order parts as such, and 5) testing the parking-brake light before judging its functionality.
• Concludes with a results screen listing the missed criteria and mapping the trainee's actual path against the intended route.

New Lesson in Pushback (Towbar): Live Operations

Incident Scenario: Towbar Disconnect

• Recreates a real accident that happened at a large international airport this year.
• Works differently from other lessons by first deliberately guiding the trainee into the mistakes, so the consequences are experienced first-hand.
• Covers the human factors at play: how time pressure and the urgency of others push toward unsafe decisions.
• Sets up the failure with the tractor and towbar left at an angle: the coupling jams on the nose gear, the safety pin cannot be reseated, and the crew chief orders a push forward to straighten up.
• Reviews the three errors: following an unsafe order and pushing the aircraft without the safety pin of the towbar being inserted, disconnecting the towbar from the nose gear before the tractor, and finishing the pushback misaligned.
• Concludes that an aircraft should never be pushed with an unsecured towbar, no matter who gives the order, and that in doubt the aircraft must be chocked and the technical operations team called.

New Lesson in Belt Loader: At the Aircraft

Approaching the Aircraft (Assessment)

• Assesses the full belt loader approach to the rear cargo hold, with a guide person present but no prompts or corrections along the way.
• Scored on eight checkpoints, all eight needed to pass: 1) scanning the path before and during the approach, 2) following the correct route, 3) performing a brake test before entering the equipment restraint area, 4) following the guide person's signals during the approach, 5) aligning the belt loader straight at the cargo hold, 6) securing the belt loader on the guide person's OK signal, 7) not driving under the aircraft wing, and 8) avoiding collisions with people, the aircraft and equipment.
• Ends the assessment immediately on a critical error, such as colliding with the aircraft, another vehicle or a person, or leaving the assessment area.
• Concludes with a results screen splitting passed from missed checkpoints and naming what went wrong.

LMS / Trainer Portal

• Lesson durations shown throughout the LMS now reflect the actual duration of each lesson based on empirical data, giving trainers reliable figures for planning training days and sessions.