The Ecological Dynamics Model for Aviation (EDMA)
A Educational Framework for Flight Training
Flight training is about more than mastering manoeuvres. It is about developing pilots who can read what is happening, adapt, and respond safely when conditions change.
The Ecological Dynamics Model for Aviation, or EDMA, is an educational framework for how pilots learn to fly. It describes flying skill as something that develops in the relationship between the pilot and the flying environment. The pilot sits at the centre. Around the pilot are the systems that shape what they can notice, do, retain, and carry to new situations: their perception, their thinking and emotions, the operational setting, the training culture, their values, and across the widest span, time and technology.
What EDMA is for
The purpose of EDMA is to improve how flying is taught. It gives instructors one coherent account of how learning develops, and it holds the existing tools of training, the standards, the procedures, and the established programs, within that account. An instructor teaching within the model is supported by its design to develop perception and judgement in students, rather than connecting standards to learning through personal habit.
EDMA also returns the learner to the centre of training design. Many frameworks set out the outcomes a pilot must reach or the procedures a pilot must follow, while saying little about the person learning them. EDMA begins with the pilot and works outward, so the learner becomes the organising principle of the whole model.
Who EDMA is for
EDMA is written for flight instructors, training organisations, curriculum designers, regulators, and researchers. It does not introduce new science. It brings together established findings from learning and aviation safety research into one model built for flight training.
More Detail About EDMA
Want the detail before you read the paper? See how the model is built, the six layers, the programs it draws on, and the safety case.
A Commitment to Lifelong Learning
Whether you're a flight instructor looking to elevate your teaching or a pilot eager to grow, ecological dynamics offers something invaluable: a framework for continuous improvement. It’s about mastering not just the controls but the entire flying experience.
The Ecological Dynamics Model for Aviation (EMDA) is maintained under a stewardship model. It is availbale under a tiered licensing structure that allows wide access for research and education while preserving the model's integrity.
Flight Envelope EDMA is a trade mark of Flight Envelope.
To find out about using and referring to the model follow the link below.
