Upset Prevention and Recovery Training (UPRT) is a combination of theoretical and practical training given to
aircraft pilot
An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators because they a ...
s to enable the pilot to prevent, recognise and recover from unusual
attitudes and
unexpected situations.
In
EASA
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is an agency of the European Commission with responsibility for civil aviation safety in the European Union. It carries out certification, regulation and standardisation and also performs inve ...
states, all pilots undergoing training for the
CPL,
ATPL and
MPL (multi-crew pilot licence) are given a basic UPRT course. Advanced UPRT (AUPRT or commonly just UPRT) refers to a regulated course of at least 5 hours theoretical instruction and 3 hours practical instruction. Since December 2019, this course is mandatory for all pilots before their first type rating course in multi-pilot operations. While the AUPRT course may be undertaken in an
aerobatic aircraft, aerobatic training does not replace a UPRT course.
Class- or type-related UPRT addresses a particular class or type of aircraft.
In EASA states, airlines must include upset prevention and recovery training as part of their recurrent training, covering the syllabus every three years.
In the United States, all
Part 121 air carriers have been required to conduct UPRT since March 2019.
Purpose
From 2010 to 2014, loss of control in-flight represented approximately 30% of fatalities in scheduled commercial air transport. UPRT was adopted to address this safety problem.
In addition to teaching techniques to recover from unusual attitudes, UPRT is intended to provide initial experience of g-forces that could be encountered in a commercial aeroplane, from approximately -1g to 2.5g, and to help a pilot gain angle-of-attack awareness. The psychological elements of the course include overcoming surprise and startle, developing counter-intuitive recovery skills, and developing self-confidence through upset recovery in a "real-world" environment.
Techniques
One
mnemonic
A mnemonic device ( ), memory trick or memory device is any learning technique that aids information retention or retrieval in the human memory, often by associating the information with something that is easier to remember.
It makes use of e ...
for upset recovery is "UPRT":
* Upset
* Push
* Roll
* Thrust
On noticing an unusual flight condition, the pilot should first reduce the thrust, and push forward on the
yoke
A yoke is a wooden beam used between a pair of oxen or other animals to enable them to pull together on a load when working in pairs, as oxen usually do; some yokes are fitted to individual animals. There are several types of yoke, used in dif ...
to
unstall the aircraft. An aircraft cannot be stalled at
zero g.
The pilot should then
roll the shortest way to the horizon. Finally thrust can be increased and the aircraft stabilised.
Other mnemonics include "power, push, roll, recovered".
Differences from early-stage training
According to the UK Civil Aviation Authority, UPRT recovery techniques should not be used for light aircraft. Light aircraft should be recovered from unusual attitudes with minimum height loss, with the technique "power, roll, pitch". The "
power-pitch couple" in light aircraft is usually small, that is, the engine is positioned in line with the centre of gravity, so changes in power do not cause large changes in pitch. UPRT techniques are designed for jet aircraft, particularly with underslung engines where a large increase in thrust can cause the aircraft to pitch up (the "thrust-pitch couple").
References
{{reflist
External links
ICAO AUPRTA Airplane Upset & Prevention Recovery Training Aid, Revision 3 (February 2017)
Flight training
Altitudes in aviation