Summary

The Fairfax County Police Helicopter Division, a vital component of public safety operations, recognized the importance of training aircrew on the non-technical skills of Crew Resource Management (CRM) to include leadership, teamwork, communication, situational awareness, decision making and human factors. The concept of CRM was originated by NASA in the late 1970s has been a focus of high consequence industries like aviation ever since. Partnering with CAVU, a renowned training provider with military aviation expertise, the division embarked on a comprehensive CRM seminar series to include in-flight crew observations to observe team collaboration, effectiveness, and safety.

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The Goal

Actions

CAVU’s Instructor, a certified Airline Transport Pilot with over 4,000 flight hours in 47 different aircraft and helicopters conducted four ½ day seminars for the Fairfax County Police Helicopter Division. Providing the seminars over two days enabled coverage to all four shifts on a not-to-interfere with operations basis. During “calls for service,” the CAVU instructor rode along to observe aircrew CRM skills in action.

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Results

The training seminars delivered by CAVU yielded significant improvements in several critical areas:

- Enhanced situational awareness, enabling the team to better anticipate and respond to dynamic operational environments.

- Improved decision-making processes, particularly in high-stress situations, reducing errors and enhancing safety.

- Strengthened teamwork and airborne communication by standardizing the 5-line brief for all four shifts.

- Increased awareness and management of human factors, such as complacency and fatigue, contributing to sustained high performance and safety.

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Testimonial

“The crew resource management and teamwork training provided to our organization by CAVU has emboldened us to enhance our team’s cohesion, decision-making, and overall performance...

...CAVU’s expertise and aviation background make this training an invaluable asset for any public safety aviation unit seeking to optimize and strengthen its performance.”

Key Capabilities

By leveraging CAVU’s specialized training, the Fairfax County Police Helicopter Division not only addressed its immediate leadership and communication challenges but also established a foundation for sustained excellence and safety in its operations.