Can Competency Based Training (CBTA) Help Pilots Make Better Decisions?

In this video, we take an in-depth look at Competency-Based Training and Assessment (CBTA) and how it’s being applied in modern airline pilot training. Boeing flew me to Miami to visit the Commercial Training Solutions Center to see how CBTA is used to evaluate not just stick-and-rudder skills, but decision-making, task prioritization, situational awareness, and crew coordination—the competencies that define good airmanship but are difficult to assess with traditional, maneuver-based standards. Using a real-world scenario in a Boeing 787 simulator, we explore how pilots are assessed when faced with competing demands: aircraft control, ATC instructions, and abnormal indications. Rather than grading a single maneuver, CBTA evaluates observable behaviors, followed by a structured post-flight debrief designed to uncover why decisions were made. We also discuss how CBTA relates to familiar frameworks such as: Traditional task-based training and checkrides The Airman Certification Standards (ACS) Risk management and crew resource management FAA Part 141 training and ongoing modernization efforts While CBTA is well established in airline and international training environments, it’s increasingly being introduced earlier in pilot development—including at flight schools—raising important questions about how pilots are trained long before they reach the airlines. As a flight instructor and ground school creator, I’ll also share why CBTA matters beyond compliance, and how competency-based thinking can improve training outcomes, decision-making, and ultimately safety. Topics covered in this video: What CBTA actually is (and what it is not) How competencies and observable behaviors are assessed Scenario-based training vs task-based training The role of facilitated debriefs in pilot evaluation Where CBTA fits into current U.S. pilot training If you’re a student pilot, instructor, or airline pilot interested in the future of pilot training, this video provides a practical, non-marketing look at how competency-based assessment works in practice.