A4.2.6 Guidance for Using Electronic Lesson Plans

#Why electronic lesson plans

To effectively conduct an EBT session, the instructor will need numerous lesson plan options. For checking sessions this will help to introduce an element of surprise; for training sessions it will help the instructor to focus on observed competencies.

Earlier paper or static production systems were not capable of generating the amount of data and all the options that EBT needs. Using an approved electronic lesson-plan system, a programme can produce lesson plans to a consistent standard for all aircraft types and crew combinations with relative ease. By checking each plan for validity, the amount of simulator testing is reduced. A well-designed system can also support compliance checks against the relevant regulations.

The lesson plans are generated in a PDF format. This visual presentation contains all the information needed to run the session, in a format that is easy to read.

#How to access and navigate the lesson plans

Electronic lesson-plan PDFs are typically designed for tablet consumption with click-through navigation between TOC, exercises, and competencies. Use your organisation's approved document library or lesson-plan system to obtain the current approved plan for the session.

Your organisation's layout and click-through colours may differ slightly from the examples below; the icon logic and setup content are what matter.

#Why the lesson plans look sparser than the prior format

The lesson plan has fewer, if any, Amplified Instructor Actions. This is because all of the information required to run the session is contained within the body of the lesson plan. Where there is any background information or clarification required, this will be included in an introductory section at the start of the document.

The change in density is intentional: older formats often duplicated information across an Amplified Instructor Actions section and the inline session guide; the electronic format consolidates into the inline guide so the instructor reads from one source rather than cross-referencing two.

#Introduction (welcome to the format)

Electronic lesson plans are in PDF format (as many legacy plans already were). They can be printed, or can be viewed on the preferred PDF viewer on a tablet device.

The layout is quite different from that which was previously used on many fleets. This guide provides insight on how a typical design can be best utilised.

An example of a lesson plan is provided as a worked walkthrough: the example features a simple simulator session to train low speed rejected take-off and evacuation. Each element and icon depicted in the lesson plan is examined element by element below. Treat the icons and colours as a representative vocabulary; match them to the legend on your own approved plans.

#Lesson plan elements: the header strip

The top strip of every lesson plan page identifies the lesson at a glance:

#EBT phase indicator (the coloured vertical line)

A coloured vertical line on the left of the session content indicates the EBT phase the section belongs to. The colour changes according to the phase of training (e.g. EBT SBT for Scenario-Based Training, MV for Maneuvers Validation, ISI for In-Seat Instruction). The instructor reads the colour-strip to identify which posture (per A4.2.1 Guidance for Examiners or A4.2.2 Guidance for Instructors) applies to the upcoming section.

#PF and seat indicator (the yellow line)

A yellow vertical line on the LHS column shows that the PF (Pilot Flying) is in the left seat; on the RHS column it shows the PF is in the right seat. The yellow line is the operational signal that authorises which crew member is flying the upcoming exercise; the colour change between exercises is what tells the instructor that PF role has changed for the next maneuver.

#Phase of flight (the C-P, P-B, TAXI, RTO, etc. icons)

Each section of the session is anchored with a phase-of-flight icon and the relevant frequency for that phase. The full set:

Each phase icon carries the relevant frequency for that phase (e.g. Dlvy 125.1 for delivery during Cockpit Preparation, Gnd 123.975 for ground during Push Back and Taxi, Twr 119.2 for tower during Rejected Take-off). Frequencies in the plan match the scenario airport.

#Cockpit Preparation: standard content

Every Cockpit Preparation section repeats a standard content guide that helps the instructor set up the simulator for this session. The standard items in a Cockpit Preparation block:

• Course label (e.g. "EBT SBT")
• Origin and runway (e.g. EXAMPLE APT - XXXX - RW27L - 3500 m, with ETD)
• Reposition target (e.g. Reposition to: Gate 12; FMS setup: From: XXXX To: XXXX)
• Weather quickset (e.g. [CAT1] 020/15 550m FG OVC003 15°C 1013, with TURB / Rwy / Time of Day / App. Lights / Rwy Lights ratings)
• Aircraft status (e.g. A340-RR: ZFW: 200000 Fuel: 50000 V1:139 Vr:139 V2:148 F:3 Flex:73)
• PF assignment (e.g. PF= Left Seat)
• Instructor notes (e.g. "Preselect malfunctions required in RTO phase", with yellow highlighting for important notes)
• Freezes (e.g. Fuel Freeze)

#Time references

A clock-and-time icon in the left margin specifies the time at which an action should occur, e.g. "AT START OF TAKEOFF ROLL" or "PASSING 500ft". When pre-selecting malfunctions on the IOS, use the Time Reference to specify when the event should occur.

Time markers in the body (e.g. 00:10, 00:14, 00:15, 00:18 down the left margin) are guidelines for the estimated elapsed time at any point in the session. They are planning anchors, not real-time triggers.

#Lesson Plan Actions: the icon vocabulary

The Lesson Plan Actions icons identify the instructor actions required to run the session. Whenever one of these icons appears in a lesson plan, the instructor must take some action, either on the IOS or by communicating with the crew.

#Training Plan Elements

Two icons identify the training goals within the session:

#Malfunction icons and ATA references

Malfunction icons (typically depicted with a red icon) identify the Malfunction with ATA reference that needs to be set in the IOS, with the malfunction name and engine / system number. Example: "A340: ATA26 ENG FIRE - SERIOUS DAMAGE UNEXTING 1 (2)(3)(4) Eng #1" identifies an ATA Chapter 26 (Fire Protection) engine fire malfunction with serious damage that does not extinguish, with engine 1 affected and the alternate options of engines 2, 3, 4 in parentheses.

A time reference accompanies the malfunction icon to specify when the event should occur (e.g. "LOW SPEED at 60kt" indicates the malfunction should be triggered at 60 knots ground speed during the take-off roll).

#Reposition setup blocks (the pink-background sections)

A pink background comes after the end of an exercise and shows the required setup for the next phase. Example: "WHEN GO-AROUND COMPLETED: REPOSITION" with PF= Left Seat, Reposition to: TAKE-OFF, Recall Capture #1 (Min T-O RVR), Preselect malfunction required in RTO phase, Recall FMS if required.

Reposition blocks are bridge instructions: they tell the instructor what to set up between exercises, reusing prior setup elements (Recall Capture, Preselect malfunction, Recall FMS) where possible to avoid re-entering the full IOS state from scratch.

#Comments to the instructor: the yellow-highlight rule

Comments to the instructor help the instructor run the session. Yellow highlighting is used to draw attention to important notes (e.g. "Preselect malfunctions required in RTO phase"). The yellow-highlight rule is the operational signal for content that is easy to miss in the visual density of the lesson plan; the instructor should treat yellow text as a mandatory pre-action item.

ATC instructions are shown in blue.

#FD / AP / ATH status columns

Columns on the right of each session block show the required status of the Flight Director, Autopilot and Autothrust:

• Green = ON
• Red = OFF
• Grey = at pilot's discretion

The status columns are normative for the exercise: the instructor checks the trainee selects the configuration the lesson plan calls for, and notes any deviation as relevant for the competency assessment (typically Application of Procedures or Flight Path Management - Automation).

#How the electronic lesson plan supports the EBT module

The approved electronic lesson plan is the operational delivery vehicle for the procedural framework set out across the rest of the cluster:

#Where to send comments

Questions, comments and suggestions concerning the lesson-plan format go to the training design or standards contact named in your organisation's lesson-plan front matter or training document library.

#Connections

• A4.2.1 Guidance for Examiners. The lesson plan delivers the per-component content the 14-step examiner sequence is conducted against (Steps 4 and 6: cockpit set-up and reposition; Step 5: state planned maneuver, conditions, and weather as the lesson plan specifies).
• A4.2.2 Guidance for Instructors. The lesson plan is the script for the ISI at Step 5 of the instructor sequence ("fly the ISI as written in the lesson plan; do not deviate from the script").
• A4.2.3 Conduct of Briefing. The lesson plan is what the trainees review during the briefing's planning-time windows; the briefing's references to "the list" of maneuvers point to the lesson plan.
• A4.2.4 Grading Methodology for Recurrent Training and Checking. The exercise click-through to competencies operationalises the Classify step of the four-step grading cycle.
• A4.2.5 Conduct of Debriefing. The lesson plan's exercise descriptions and competency annotations are what the instructor's pre-debrief reflection (Step 1 of the 9-step debrief) draws from to build the per-competency examples.
• 9.6 Instructor / Operator Station. The electronic lesson plan integrates with the IOS lesson-plan management subsystem where fitted; the malfunction triggers and reposition blocks are IOS instructions in lesson-plan form.
• EBT. The methodology the approved lesson plans deliver session-by-session.