Upset Prevention and Recovery Training (UPRT)
UPRT equips pilots with essential skills to prevent, recognize, and recover from unusual aircraft attitudes and unexpected situations. It combines theoretical knowledge with practical flying techniques, ensuring pilots are prepared to handle in-flight upsets safely and confidently.
At the Swiss Airline Training Academy (SATA), we offer comprehensive UPRT programs tailored to most airline aircraft types, ensuring our pilots receive training relevant to their operational needs.
In EASA-regulated countries, UPRT is a critical component of pilot training. Basic UPRT is included in courses for the CPL, ATPL, and MPL. Advanced UPRT (AUPRT) builds on this foundation with at least 5 hours of classroom instruction and 3 hours of practical training.
Since December 2019, completing the AUPRT course has been mandatory for all pilots before their first type rating in multi-pilot operations. While aerobatic aircraft are often used for AUPRT, this is distinct from aerobatic training. Class- or type-specific UPRT focuses on training tailored to specific aircraft types, and airlines must incorporate UPRT into recurrent training, revisiting its principles every three years under EASA regulations. Similarly, in the U.S., all Part 121 air carriers have been required to include UPRT since 2019.
Why is UPRT Essential?
From 2010 to 2014, loss of control in-flight accounted for nearly 30% of fatalities in commercial air transport. UPRT was developed to address this significant safety concern by teaching pilots techniques to recover from unusual attitudes and helping them develop critical skills, including angle-of-attack awareness and g-force management.
Beyond technical abilities, UPRT focuses on psychological readiness, such as overcoming surprise and startle responses, mastering counter-intuitive recovery actions, and building confidence through real-world recovery scenarios.
