Interagency Aviation Training Subcommittee

IATS header graphic. Running wild horse heard being gathered by helicopter on the the Nevada range. Man assisting with hoist cable in seeding operations using helicopters. Water plane used to transport biologists and equipment to remote areas with no landing strips. Inset photo of four biologists standing in front of plane.

Mission Statement

The Interagency Aviation Training Subcommittee (IATS) provides national leadership to establish and disseminate interagency aviation training standards for natural resource agency personnel in support of safe, effective, and efficient use of aviation resources.

photo of xxx Decorative.
  • Establish minimum training, skills, knowledge, and currency requirements for agency personnel who work with aircraft or have aviation duties, including managers and supervisors, in order to accomplish fire and resource (non-fire) missions.
  • Provide a forum for interagency coordination in the development and implementation of aviation education, training, and qualification standards.
  • Recommend standards and guidelines for non-fire aviation training in relation to the Interagency Aviation Training (IAT) Education, Qualification, and Currency System.
  • Establish and maintain best practices in education and training methods and techniques. These include: direct instruction, web-based distance learning, and the media and technology necessary to support both. 
  • Establish and maintain minimum interagency standards for aviation qualification, certification, and documentation.
  • Establish qualifications and currency standards for interagency aviation trainers (IATs).

Request For Change

Request for Change Form

Status of Recent Change Requests

Click on the RFC number for details.

Tracking #StatusProposed Change
20-01ApprovedA-100 revision course length to 6 hours from current 5 hours.
20-02PendingAlter the IAT system to send employees, supervisors and their UATAs a proactive "training due" email when employee is close to expiring on a IAT course.
20-03ApprovedProvide a 3rd option for presenting A-200.
3) IAT Instructor requests annual approval to access A-200 through their profile and lead a discussion with the class via the on-line presentation to the class via DOI OAS Chief ASTPE or USDA-FS ATPM or RASM.

The IAT Guide currently states: 
Instructor Requirements:
1. Reference Part 3 (1) (B) of IAT Guide
2. Requests to offer Instructor-Led Presentation:
a. DOI content: Authorization by the DOI OAS Chief ASTPE:
1) For Bureau Aviation Safety Managers—Annually
2) For other DOI personnel—per course offering
b. USDA-FS content: Authorization from RASM or USDA-FS ATPM—Annually

20-04ApprovedThe course updating group decided:
  1. Combined the A104 and 204 class to form one course - course identifier A204 or IATs decides 
  2. New course will be taught on-line only 
  3. New course length will be one hour
  4. Title of new course - A-XXX  ( example - Manned XXXXXXXXXXXXXX) 

These are the initial changes requested from this group. The group will be updating the course based on proposed changes.   
After the course is closer to finalization the group will provide Objectives, recommended target audience (position in IAT Guide or OPM-4 appendix 1).

20-05ApprovedUnder Part 4 A220 course  Instructor requirements  Number 2 bullet point 

Change from - "or" to "and" 

20-06ApprovedOPM-4 Requirements for A-312 instructors (8.E):
-Add requirement that A-312 must be completed as a student in the 36 months prior to taking A-223.
-Add language that ensures the evaluation requirement is the last step in the process.
 
Proposed language:

Certification: 

  1. Meet criteria above in section 8(B)(1),(2)
  2. Successfully complete the A-312 course in the 36 months prior to taking the A-223 course.
  3. Hold a current Adult CPR, AED, and basic first aid certificate.
  4. Must complete A-223 Water Ditching and Survival Train-The-Trainer.
  5. Complete the Instructor Trainee Task Book.
  6. After completion of steps 1 through 5 above, must be evaluated instructing the A-312.
Tracking #StatusProposed Change
19-01ApprovedTheir are 15 or so Interagency UAO/FAO/UAM's in the Pacific Northwest. I'm sure there are more elsewhere as well. 
The concern is that you can currently only choose FS or DOI Aviation Manager and not both. If we were able to choose both, it would more closely track with the jobs we do (FS and DOI) and when we are reviewed, reports are looked at and this would show more closely reality as well. 
19-02Not ApprovedNWCG Standards for Aviation Transport of Hazardous Materials, Ch 1.8 pg 2,3.

A NOPIC must occur using the Hazardous Materials Manifest Form (Appendix 1) to include:...
NWCG Standards for Aviation Transport of Hazardous Materials 3 of 17
Notification standards:
7. Initial: a written NOPIC will be completed during the aircraft pre-use inspection.
8. Daily: load calculations or manifest documentation completed.
9. Verbal: external jettisonable load operations or HAZMAT changes during the mission cycle.
The NOPIC will be given to the pilot before the first flight of the day. Thereafter, verbal notification of changes in hazardous materials is acceptable for ongoing missions.
For external jettisonable load operations, verbal notification of the type and quantity of hazardous materials is acceptable.
19-03ApprovedRequire the IAT position training requirements of Fixed Wing Flight Manager Special Use (FWFM-SU) AND Helicopter Manager Resource be consistent within these two IAT positions as managers. Additional proposed courses and currency requirements for the FWFM-SU position, are shown in the attached matrix.
19-04Not ApprovedAdd online fire shelter training to IAT courses.
19-05Not ApprovedCombine M3 and A-314 into one mater class taking the best from each of these very similar courses.
19-05bPendingProvide IAT instructors the teaching materials of a PowerPoint, an instructor guide and an student guide for presenting a combined A-314 and M-3. These materials will be hosted on the IAT web-site as a separate class. 
This will not replace M-3 or A-314 but provide an option for interagency units to get multiple agencies talking about aviation safety and leadership instead of one agency at a time.
Instructor and Student Guide will need to be created.
19-06Not-ApprovedA-203 Basic Airspace to be required for Flight Follower training plan.
19-07ApprovedIntegrate A-116 (General Awareness Security Training) within the A-100 Course. 
Course Description:  This course is designed to provide students with an introduction to DOI and USFS departmental aviation security requirements.
19-08Not-ApprovedAdd a "Passenger" Category to the IAT Aviation Training Positions.  Training would consist of a one time A-100 taken either on-line or in person.  IAT would serve strictly as a record system, no statistics would be calculated or included in unit compliance report.
19-09ApprovedOAS TD, in collaboration with the IATS, develop an expanded Crew Resource Management (CRM) course to provide more in-depth training than is currently available in the current A-310 (Introduction to CRM). Development of this expanded CRM training should consider the USFS's CRM 7 skills (N9059) and 7 skills refresher (RT9059F). Desirably this course would be available in both on-line and webinar/classroom modes. Which positions that would require this training will be determined by OAS/IATS or by the individual bureau.
19-10PendingOAS TD, in collaboration with the IATS, develop a training course to address what DOI/USFS passengers need to understand (and comply with) to transport hazardous material (HAZMAT) by air when such transportation does not fall under Department of Transportation, Special Permit (DOT-SP) 9198.
Desirably this training would be available on-line and in webinar/classroom modes.  Positions that would require this training will be determined by OAS/IATS and by the individual bureau.
Tracking #StatusProposed Change
18-01Not ApprovedTo better match title of courses to actual contents and avoid confusion, I suggest we change: A-104 title from "Overview of Aircraft Capabilities and Limitations" to "Overview of Aircraft Categories and Capabilities", and A-204 title from "Aircraft Capabilities and Limitations" to "Aircraft Aerodynamics, Performance and Limitations."
Course descriptions would change accordingly.
Consider combining the two courses at next revision date.
18-02ApprovedSuggest to create and make available the course A-455 Overview of Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS) Operations.  There is a large interest in UAS within the bureau.  Would like an avenue to educate employees on UAS and capabilities interagency wide.
18-03ApprovedModify the instructor criteria for the A-309 Helicopter Flight Manuals course to include OAS Trainers and Currently Qualified Resource and Fire Helicopter Managers. Currently the only positions/titles recognized as instructors are HIP and HOS.
Add additional language to define the Course Purpose in the front matter of course materials. This will meet the current Instructor Guide template used for A Course revisions and help to define the target audience.
18-04ApprovedA-225 Course Length to 2 Hours from the current 1.5 Hrs. Removal of Student Guide, as the objectives covered can be done via course presentation of objectives and updates to IAT website for instructors via live review online.
18-05aNot Approved

A-208 is currently required once for the Interagency aviation training position of "Aviation Manager".  The class is listed in the IAT Guide as "2 hours".

  1. Propose adding the course to the position requirement of Aviation Dispatcher.  One time only.
  2. Propose increasing the length of the course from 2 hours to 3 hours.
18-05bNot Approved

A-208 is currently required once for the Interagency aviation training position of "Aviation Manager".  The class is listed in the IAT Guide as "2 hours".

  1. Propose adding the course to the position requirement of Aviation Dispatcher.  One time only.
  2. Propose increasing the length of the course from 2 hours to 3 hours.
18-06Not ApprovedGrant IAT Instructors NWCG S- to A- course equivalence.  If an instructor has NWCG quals to instruct an S- course, then they should be given IAT quals to instruct the A-course equivalent courses as found in the "One Way S-Course (NWCG) to A-Course(s) IAT Equivalency Matrix".
18-07ApprovedAllow UATA's to update a very limited subset of fields in profiles (eg, supervisor). 
18-08ApprovedAllow appropriate IAT positions (UATA, etc) to search compliance by course.
18-09ApprovedA-208 is currently required once for the Interagency aviation training position of "Aviation Manager".  The class is listed in the IAT Guide as "2 hours".
  1. Propose increasing the length of the course from 2 hours to 3 hours.
18-10ApprovedRemoval of the outdated Field Reference Guide for Aviation Users (2014) from the DOI OAS Library and other websites.
18-11ApprovedIABS is requesting that the Fixed Wing Parking Tender Training on-line module that is in IAT, be assigned a formal A number.

 

 

Chair: 
Jason Petruska
NWCG Coordinator: 
Tim Blake
Parent Committee: 
National Interagency Aviation Committee
Meeting Schedule: 
Monthly on the Last Wednesday
Page Last Modified / Reviewed: 
2020-06-10