I have trained countless load controllers and ramp agents over the years. Some sessions happened on-site in bustling airport offices; others took place across digital screens via web meetings. No matter the format, my core takeaway remains unchanged: training is the single most critical factor in proper system utilization.
Aviation software is not a regular app. Users cannot just click around and figure it out as they go. To use these systems safely, you must deeply understand three things:
- What the system is doing behind the screen.
- What effects and calculations are expected.
- What specific outcome you need to achieve.
The “Learning by Doing” Philosophy
You cannot learn to swim without water. You cannot learn to ski without snow.
Similarly, you cannot learn weight and balance by reading a manual. I strictly use the learning by doing method. The absolute key to success in aviation training is manual repetition—preparing as many loadsheets as possible.
During my courses, I deliberately throw trainees into the deep end. They face highly unusual scenarios:
- Massive last-minute offloads
- Radioactive cargo shipments
- Live animal transport
- Disruptive passenger situations
- Extreme Last Minute Changes (LMCs)
We do not face these crazy scenarios every single day. However, trainees must encounter them in a safe environment so they know exactly where to click when real-world chaos strikes.
The Dangerous Trend of Rushed Courses
The aviation industry has changed drastically since I started working at airports in the late 1990s. I often think about a good old friend of mine—who also happens to be my wife’s uncle—with whom I shared shifts back then.
Back in the 90s, an average load controller handled two or three flights per day. Today, a complete newbie processes 12 loadsheets on the very first day of their course.
The operational pace has skyrocketed, yet the training time is shrinking. This is a dangerous mistake.
1990s Training Duration: [████████████████████████████████] ~1 Month
Modern Training Trend: [███] 3 to 5 Days (Dangerous Shortcut)
The Absolute Minimum: [███████] 1 Week (For experienced staff only)
Back in the day, a load control course took about a month. Today, corporations compress it into a week, and sometimes format it into just three days.
Nothing could be more wrong. People must understand the actual aircraft. They need a foundational grasp of basic physics. You cannot teach structural limits, center of gravity, and aerodynamics in three days.
With modern, intuitive Departure Control Systems (DCS) or Weight and Balance (WAB) tools, the technical software training can be optimized. However, one week is the absolute bare minimum, and that is only for trainees who already understand airport basics.
The Hidden Language Barrier
Aviation runs on English, but we cannot ignore reality: many global teams do not speak it fluently.
Years ago, I attended an Altéa database management course in London. I sat next to two airline employees from Russia. From the very first minute, all I heard from them was a whispered, “Что он сказал? Что он сказал?” (“What did he say? What did he say?”).
After 30 minutes, I stepped in. I spent the rest of the week translating complex database logic from English to Russian on the fly. It was exhausting.
At the end of the course, I approached the instructor—a man I consider an industry guru—to apologize for the constant whispering. His response surprised me. He thanked me for saving the class. He had no idea how to reach those students because he spoke no Russian, and they spoke no English.
Accountability Belongs to the Instructor
Training is completely useless if it is not understood.
If most of your attendees fail the final exam, it rarely means the material was too difficult. More often, it means you failed to explain it properly.
My exams are notoriously tough. I do not hand out easy passes. But I will spend every ounce of my energy breaking down complex subjects until the trainees truly grasp the mechanics. Passing a test shouldn’t be about memorizing steps; it must be about mastering the craft. In aviation, safety depends on it.