Aerospace Technology-Windshear FAA-Boeing Windshear Training Aid Program

Severe microburst windshear has been identified as a significant cause of airline accidents during the takeoff and landing phases of flight. In 1985 the Federal Aviation Administration contracted with an industry team (manufacturers, airline training departments, meteorological experts, pilots groups, other interested parties) to develop a windshear training program for transport pilots. This paper treats the organizational structure used to develop industry consensus on the pilot training issues as well as reports on the principal elements of the training program developed by this industry team. The paper discusses the tools available to flight crews to recognize and avoid microburst windshear, and failing that, how to recover from an inadvertent encounter.