What does it truly mean to be competent in aviation?

Updated: Nov 5

The ICAO Aviation Competencies: The Key to Safe and Efficient Performance in Modern Aviation.

In the aviation sector, being competent goes beyond simply accumulating flight hours or possessing isolated theoretical knowledge. According to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), competence is a dimension of human performance that is used to predict excellent performance reliably on the job. It means consistently possessing and demonstrating the ability to apply and integrate the required knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviors to perform a task at the prescribed level and safely in the real operational environment.

The key components of competence are:

• Knowledge: The specific information necessary to perform a task. This includes theory, principles, regulations, procedures, aircraft systems, and the operating environment.

• Skills: The ability to perform an activity or action. We often divide these skills into motor, cognitive, and metacognitive categories. It includes both the technical dexterity for specific role tasks (like piloting an aircraft or working in a busy control tower) and non-technical skills (communication, leadership, teamwork, and workload management). Skill refers to the ability to effectively apply knowledge when performing a specific task.

• Attitudes: A persistent internal state of mind or disposition that influences the choice of actions and can be learned. It involves "knowing how to be" in a given context. Attitudes include being professional, alert, responsible, and disciplined. Attitude reflects how a person expresses their behavior according to their values by demonstrating the expertise needed to apply the information required for performing a specific task.

•Behaviors: Observable actions that demonstrate the integrated application of knowledge, skills, and attitudes to carry out activities or tasks under specified conditions. Behavior is what a pilot does to make something happen.

Being competent is of critical and paramount importance in aviation, as lives are at stake.

The main reasons for this importance are:

• Ensures Operational Safety: Incompetence can lead to catastrophic consequences. Being competent minimizes risks and prevents accidents and incidents.

• Enables Effective Threat and Error Management (TEM): Competencies such as situational awareness, decision-making, and communication are the tools that allow for identifying threats, avoiding errors, detecting them if they occur, and recovering from adverse situations. A competent professional knows how to handle the unexpected and maintain the operation within safe margins. TEM is the overall safety concept, and competencies act as individual and team countermeasures against threats, errors, and undesired aircraft states. The ability to apply TEM is a competence in itself or the result of applying other competencies.

• Ensures Efficiency and Reliability: Competent personnel perform their tasks efficiently, contributing to the regularity and reliability of the service. Efficient performance reduces delays, manages resources like fuel optimally, and contributes to reliability.

• Ensures Regulatory Compliance: Aviation is strictly regulated, and being competent involves knowing and applying these regulations.

• Fosters Public and Industry Trust: Competence generates and maintains the trust of passengers, airlines, and organizations.

• Facilitates Adaptation to Changing Situations: A competent professional can quickly adapt to new situations, make informed decisions under pressure, and apply correct procedures in complex scenarios.

For pilots, ICAO, in line with the most recent provisions, recommends using a set of nine competencies. These are:

• Application of Knowledge: Demonstrates knowledge and understanding of relevant information, operating instructions, aircraft systems, and the operating environment. This includes practical and applicable knowledge of limitations, systems, and their interaction. It also includes knowledge of published operating instructions, the physical and air traffic environment, including routes, weather, airports, and operational infrastructure, applicable legislation, knowing where to source required information, demonstrating a positive interest in acquiring knowledge, and being able to apply knowledge effectively This competency, proposed by EASA for EBT and included by IATA, was considered necessary to ensure pilots, air traffic controllers, and cabin crew demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of relevant information.

• Application of Procedures and Compliance with Regulations: Identifies and applies appropriate procedures in accordance with published operating instructions and applicable regulations. Observable behaviors include knowing where to find procedures and regulations; using the right operating instructions, procedures, and techniques on time; following standard operating procedures unless safety requires a change; correctly operating aircraft systems and equipment; keeping an eye on aircraft system status; following the rules; and using relevant procedural knowledge.

• Communication: Communicates through appropriate means in the operational environment, in both normal and non-normal situations. Observable behaviors include checking if the person is ready to receive information, choosing the right time and way to communicate, sharing messages clearly and briefly, making sure the person understands key points, listening carefully and showing understanding, asking useful questions, knowing when to escalate issues, using nonverbal cues correctly, following standard radio communication rules, and accurately reading and responding to datalink messages in English.

• Aeroplane Flight Path Management, automation: Controls the flight path through automation This includes the appropriate use of flight management and guidance systems, monitoring and detecting deviations from the intended flight path, safely managing the flight path for optimal operational performance, maintaining the intended flight path with automation while handling other tasks and distractions, selecting the correct level and mode of automation, and effectively monitoring that automation. This competency aims to encourage and develop effective flight path management by promoting the proficient and appropriate use of automation, which includes transitions, monitoring, mode awareness, vigilance, and flexibility. It includes mitigating errors related to mishandled auto flight systems, inappropriate mode selection, and FMS/autopilot usage.

• Aeroplane Flight Path Management, manual control: Controls the flight path through manual control. This involves controlling the aircraft manually with precision and smoothness, monitoring and detecting deviations, and taking appropriate measures. The competency description states that the individual maintains control of the aircraft to ensure the successful outcome of a procedure or maneuver. Desired outcomes include showing good manual control of the aircraft smoothly and accurately, noticing any changes by checking instruments, keeping some mental focus available, flying the aircraft safely within normal limits, and understanding how the aircraft's position, speed, and power work together.

• Leadership and Teamwork: Influences others to contribute to a shared purpose and collaborates to achieve team objectives. This includes Crew Resource Management (CRM). Observable behaviors include sharing the workload effectively, providing and accepting constructive feedback, supporting other team members, managing conflicts professionally, using appropriate assertiveness (expressing concerns or suggestions respectfully but firmly), maintaining a cooperative and mutually respectful atmosphere, and conducting effective briefings and debriefings. It also includes carrying out instructions when directed, applying effective intervention strategies, and managing cultural and linguistic challenges. The adapted competency model incorporates CRM skills, which facilitate the development of competencies as countermeasures within the TEM concept.

• Problem Solving and Decision Making: Identifies, analyzes, and solves problems and makes timely and appropriate decisions. Observable behaviors include identifying precursors, mitigating problems, and making decisions. This skill includes identifying, evaluating, and managing threats and errors in a timely manner; seeking accurate information; identifying and verifying what and why things went wrong; persevering in problem-solving while prioritizing safety; identifying and considering appropriate options; applying appropriate and timely decision-making techniques; monitoring, reviewing, and adapting decisions as needed; adapting when faced with situations without guidance or procedure; and demonstrating resilience when encountering an unexpected event.

• Situation Awareness and Management of Information: Perceives, understands, and manages information and anticipates its effect on the operation. Observable behaviors include monitoring and assessing the state of the aircraft and its systems, the aircraft's energy state and anticipated flight path, and the general environment as it may affect the operation. It also involves validating the accuracy of information and checking for gross errors, maintaining awareness of the people involved and their capacity to perform, developing effective contingency plans, and responding to indications of reduced situation awareness. Other behaviors include actively scanning instruments and the external environment, anticipating future events, detecting unexpected changes, continuously updating understanding, verbalizing perceptions or threats, and recognizing discrepancies.

• Workload Management: Uses available resources to achieve and maintain a manageable workload. Observable behaviors include maintaining available workload capacity by prioritizing and distributing tasks using appropriate resources, exercising self-control, planning, prioritizing, and scheduling tasks effectively, managing time efficiently, offering and providing assistance, delegating tasks, seeking and accepting assistance, and consciously monitoring, reviewing, and verifying actions.

These competencies are defined by performance dimensions that reliably predict success on the job. We evaluate the demonstration of competencies through observable behaviors (OB). Performance criteria are statements used to evaluate whether the required performance levels have been achieved, consisting of an observable behavior, conditions, and a standard of competence. Competency assessment must be based on multiple observations and tasks. To be considered competent, the student must demonstrate integrated performance across all required competencies.

The competency-based training and assessment (CBTA) approach and Evidence-Based Training (EBT), which is a CBTA program, are specifically designed to develop these capabilities as countermeasures against operational risks. The goal of EBT is to train and assess the competencies required to operate safely and efficiently, addressing the most relevant threats according to evidence collected from accidents, incidents, flight operations, and training. The paradigm shift in EBT is that pilot performance should be determined through a broader range of competencies, not simply by achieving a predetermined outcome in a specific task or maneuver.

In summary, the ICAO competencies provide a global standardized framework that defines the essential capabilities (knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviors) that aviation professionals must possess and demonstrate to ensure safety and efficiency in aviation.

This competency-based approach is fundamental for training, assessment, and risk management in the industry.