Ask the Captain: How do pilots keep current on flight hours and training during a pandemic?

You wrote about the necessary steps to return airplanes to service following long periods of storage, whether due to the pandemic or fleet grounding. But, what about the crews? It's impossible for them to maintain "recency" and stay current on training. Furthermore, many simulators have likewise been shut down. How will the industry and FAA deal with this?

– JS, Southborough, Massachusetts

Returning flight crews to service may be more difficult than the airplanes.

Depending on the length of time they are grounded, pilots can go 90 days from their last flight before they have to demonstrate landing currency.

Recurrent training and check rides are scheduled months in advance, recovering these training events will be very challenging. The FAA is  discussing extending the date for required check rides to allow this training to catch up. 

As we found in the days following the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, returning to the sky is more difficult than shutting flight operations down.

One issue with the simulators is the inability to maintain social distance in simulators. This factor could put the pilots and instructors at risk for contracting COVID19, and therefore must be considered in any training plans. 

These are all complex issues, never before faced by the industry. Solutions will be innovative, and eventually, the training system will catch up with the demand.

How long can an auxiliary power unit (APU) be stored before it needs to be run?

– M. Ohlson, Oregon

Usually, all the systems, including the APU, are run weekly, unless the airplane is set up for long-term storage.

In that case, special long-term storage oil is used that preserves the APU and it is not run again until the airplane is being prepared to return to service. 

In short-term storage, the APU is run weekly. In many airliners, the APU air is used to turn the pneumatic starter for the engines, which needs to be run weekly themselves. 

Ask the Captain:  What will it take to return parked planes to service after coronavirus?

John Cox is a retired airline captain with US Airways and runs his own aviation safety consulting company, Safety Operating Systems.