Bridging the Gap: On Time Performance (OTP)

This is the fourth in a series of articles on incorporating airline best practices into ab-intio flight training, by Scott Peters.

There is an expression out there and it goes like this: “If you’re early, you’re on time. If you’re on time, you’re late.”

This is an interesting expression which must be taken with a grain of salt. If you are going for an interview, arriving five to ten minutes early is great. Arriving an hour early for an interview is a bit excessive. Showing for an interview at the exact time it is scheduled is, in my opinion, late.

I bring this up because in the airline world being on time is THE key measurement of performance. Think about when someone buys a ticket on an airline’s website. The ticket is purchased with two basic expectations:

1. The aircraft will safely arrive at destination.

2. The aircraft will depart (and arrive) on time.

Number one is a non-issue. Our professionalism, knowledge, experience, and ethical obligations should easily satisfy #1. Number two seems to be more elusive but the point is simple: leave on time and arrive on time.

Leaving on time requires a crew to arrive at an appropriate “show” time (as per SOP), complete all pre-flight duties, call for boarding at an appropriate time and leave as scheduled (on-time). This might mean a crew arrives about an hour before departure.

There are always things outside of our control that can impact departure time such as weather, mechanical issues, customs, etc. An accident on one of the major arteries leading to the airport could affect departure time because the crew are stuck in traffic. This all falls into the realm of uncontrollable delays. What we are concerned with is controllable delays.

Why is it that on-time departure, on-time arrival, and controllable delays are so important? Is the customer planning on a tight connection to their final destination? Is the customer trying to make an important meeting, family function, or get their vacation started on the right foot? There is always a reason why the passenger picked that flight. Our commitment as a crew is to honour their trust that we will meet their expectations.

In flight training, we need to impart the importance of on-time performance (OTP) from the outset. This is true for ANY pilot training. As a Pilot Examiner (PE), nothing gets me more upset than a candidate not being ready for the start time of the flight test. If I say that we will start the briefing at 10:00, I expect to show up a few minutes early to meet a well-organized candidate who is well-prepared to start the flight test. This a great way to begin and I use the early arrival to “break the ice” and establish a more relaxed climate.

Typically what happens though, is I meet with a candidate who is frantically pouring over paperwork requesting a five minute extension as they try to calculate the landing distance over a 50 foot obstacle to the inch. The five minute extension usually turns into an additional five to ten minute extension. In the airline world, this is known as a “rolling delay” and is one of the most irritating things a passenger can experience.

I am a reasonable person and the flight test standards allow for late starts but I have had people take advantage of my good graces in the past. In one case, a flight school was prompting their candidates to state that internet issues precluded their ability to get weather prior to the flight test start in order to buy more time. I caught on to this after three candidates stated the exact same phrase. Was this school really preparing their candidates for the world of commercial aviation?

The long and the short of it is we need to emphasize the importance of OTP and integrate it into the cultural fabric of flight training operations. What does this mean to us as flight instructors?

We need to ensure that we lead by good example and operate on time. This starts with scheduling appropriately. The madness of booking back-to-back 1.5 hour sessions needs to stop! It looks great on paper and may be serving everyone except your customer.

Consider your student's (aka: customer's) needs. That rolling delay that will inevitably result in a cancellation of your last student is not good customer service. What is the message we are sending? Essentially, we are condoning behaviour that has no regard for OTP.

On the other end of the spectrum, in an airline environment, it is not ideal to arrive early either. Everything at an airport is designed to work as a “well-oiled machine.” Arriving early may sound great, but is your gate available? Has “manpower” (gate agents, ground handlers, etc.) been sequenced appropriately? Arriving early does not typically translate into deplaning early.

Everything is planned based on time and, more importantly, on-time performance. Landing early only to have to stop off the gate and explain to the passengers that there will be a delay due to no ground crew does nothing for customer service. In the flight training world, this means not scheduling excessive time blocks either.As a flight instructor we need to promote and enforce the importance of OTP. Simple as that. This means:

• The instructor maintains a realistic schedule

• The instructor and candidate honour the schedule

• Emphasizing time and workload management within the syllabus

• Delays are communicated appropriately (and hopefully in advance)

OTP is founded in both time and workload management. If a commercial candidate needs to arrive three hours early to plan a two or three leg cross-country, something is inherently wrong and, ultimately, it is rooted in a lack of sufficient practice. Remember, practice makes perfect and improves accuracy and speed due to repetition.

Another example of OTP considerations is calculating takeoff and landing distances - they do not need to be down to the inch. If the candidate generated a number at the next highest pressure altitude and temperature under zero wind conditions it would be conservative, less apt to "calculator issues", and it would work for me. Effective use of OTP time saving measures like this can be developed under your guidance and instruction.

On-time performance needs to be introduced at the onset of training and consistently enforced. Having said that, there will always be uncontrollable delays that impact this concept. Those will be an opportunity to practice good, proactive, CRM communication skills amongst flight school staff and customers.

Establishing OTP SOPs at your flight school are a great way to instill these concepts at a formative stage in training. Remember though, that these protocols should not be one-sided. The flight instructor and student need to embody these concepts and manage their time effectively.

Safe flying,

Scott

Airlines are so concerned with OTP, that there are standard delay codes. Your school could develop your own version to help break down your own controllable and uncontrollable delays. Over time, it will show you where you can improve. - Ed.

Scott Peters is an ATP, Class 1 Flight Instructor, Pilot Examiner, and Flight Instructor Refresher Course Presenter. In his 25 years as an instructor, he has held numerous training positions including Chief Flight Instructor, and is presently the Manager of Pilot Training at a Canadian air carrier. Scott can be reached at scottpeters320@hotmail.com.