KSA 100 - Knowledge Skills & Attitudes

What Does KSA100 cover

Knowledge, Skills and Attitudes is a subject area introduced in 2021 as a compulsory module for students studying for their ATPL examinations. It explores the non-technical aspects and pilot competencies - soft skills - that airline pilots are assessed against. There is no associated EASA exam for KSA; students are continually assessed against ICAO core competencies including communications, leadership & teamwork, problem solving & decision making, application of knowledge and Threat Error Management (TEM). Each student is required to pass a final assessment and a mental arithmetic test prior to booking their final ATPL exam. The final assessment and mental arithmetic test are all undertaken at ATO level.

The mental arithmetic element is an area that the majority of students baulk at. In this day and age, the calculator is the default option for any maths-based question, even the most basic addition, subtraction, multiplication or division sum. With practice, the skill of being able to approximate the answer to a sum witjout the need of a calculator will improve. It isn't just a 'hoop' to jump through; the use of mental approximations is used during flying training to calculate differences to wind components, update timings, work out rates of climb or descent, etc. Mastering the 'forgotten' art of maths will not only help during flying training, but will clearly demonstrate a positive attitude to this element of flying training.