US Airline Owned FTO Highlights Significant Benefits from Implementing UPRT Since 2022

USA – United Aviate Academy (UAA), United Airlines’ wholly owned ab-initio pilot training school, is reporting exceptional gains in student performance following the integration of a comprehensive Upset Prevention and Recovery Training (UPRT) programme delivered in partnership with Aviation Performance Solutions (APS). According to a new multi-year study independently validated by a former NASA/FAA human-factors specialist, UAA cadets improved their ability to recognise and recover from unexpected aircraft upsets by more than 400%—one of the strongest data-supported outcomes in the flight-training sector.

• Loss of control in flight (LOC-I) remains the leading cause of fatal aviation accidents, with an average of one fatal LOC-I crash every four days in the general aviation sector.

• After completing UAA’s UPRT programme, graduates achieved an 86.6% success rate in recovering from a unique, never-practised upset event—up from 16.4% before training, representing a 427% improvement.

• UAA began its UPRT integration in 2022, supported by APS instructors, on-aircraft aerobatic training in the Extra 300L, class-specific simulator sessions and 11 hours of online and classroom coursework.

• The programme also provides students with a CFI spin endorsement, aligning training with FAA and ICAO guidance on spin awareness and upset recovery.

• APS’ EPIC-S2 framework—built around instructor qualification standards, programme intensity, platform selection, and a fully integrated ground-and-flight methodology—forms the foundation of UAA’s curriculum design.

• UPRT instils critical cognitive skills required for modern airline cockpits, including rapid decision-making, aerodynamic awareness, stall/spin escalation recognition, workload management and application of the push-roll-power-stabilise recovery strategy.

Source: United Aviate Academy / Aviation Performance Solutions