AOPA Pilot Magazine - August 2020 - 28

FLY WELL

BY DR. JONATHAN M. SACKIER

Philosophy and being human
Changing cockpit behavior can save lives

DR. JONATHAN
SACKIER helps

members through
the AOPA Pilot
Protection Services
program.
aopa.org/pps

28 | AOPA PILOT August 2020

IN 1986, technopop band The Human League sang, "I'm
only human, of flesh and blood I'm made. Human, born
to make mistakes." Pilot errors cost lives; understanding human factors saves lives. Recognizing and learning
from mistakes is paramount.
Some mistakes are obvious; baseball legend Roy
Halladay operated his aircraft irresponsibly leading up to
his fatal crash and was taking medications including morphine, disallowed antidepressants, and amphetamines.
Aberrant beliefs inspire bad behaviors. "This doesn't
apply to me because I'm an experienced pilot" or "who
needs sleep?" both are common and sad refrains.
Ignorance and hubris, for a pilot, are like a disease; treatment includes large doses of education and humility.
Lloyd Cromwell Griffiths' father was a Royal Air
Force test pilot. After flight training, Griffiths flew bush
and crop-spraying missions, then joined British Airways,
initially flying Vickers Viscounts in Scotland, home to
inclement weather. Eventually BA's chief pilot, Griffiths
started as a first officer flying challenging island routes.
Griffiths had years navigating the frozen tundra and, on
one flight to Islay, his captain-who was inexperienced
with Hebridean island flying-was loathe to make the
trip because of snow. Griffiths called Islay Tower to ask
if they could make snowballs. If not, the snow must be
dry and runway stopping distance would not be an issue.
The lesson? Seek advice from any source and incorporate
that information into your decision making.
BA arose from merging two airlines with different
philosophies. British European Airways introduced
monitored approaches making full use of all crewmembers, whereas at the more traditional British Overseas
Airways Corp. the captain did everything. The new
airline eventually adopted monitored approaches,
improving cockpit behaviors. The day before the Lion
Air Boeing 737 Max crash, a third pilot was up front
when MCAS behavior caused a pitch-down attitude,
and he suggested disconnecting the system. "Set ego
aside and listen to advice. Of course, questions remain
why such guidance was not more widely disseminated," Griffiths said.
Cockpit self-discipline is critical, from keeping
liquids away from electrical panels to restricting loose
bodies-a water bottle under rudder pedals can be
disastrous. Recall the 1995 incident when a Royal Air

Force Airbus A330 en route to Afghanistan plunged
thousands of feet when a camera jammed between
sidestick and armrest. Consider everything you take on
board, what function it serves, and what harm it might
cause. But even before flight, avoid distraction when
preflighting; silence your phone and politely ask your
passengers to give you 10 minutes of peace.
Joe Rajacic-a NASA special projects test pilot,
Cessna Citation jockey, and 37-year United Airlines
veteran-told me, "flying and driving have similarities.
Modern tire blow-outs are rare, but the consequences
profound. Don't just look, take in what you see and
react accordingly." Occasionally have a more experienced pilot or mechanic do the preflight with you.
Being the dumbest one in the room is a good thought
for business; apply it to flying.
On long cross-country flights, practice emergency
situations: What loads would you shed if the alternator quits? Don't hesitate to declare an emergency-it's
hard to call ATC after the battery dies. Practice on the
ground, with eyes closed, challenging yourself to find
every control-a smoke-filled cockpit precludes visually locating items. And ensure you know every limit
of your airplane, including crosswind limits and stopping distances, wet and dry.
Scott Parazynski, physician, pilot, mountaineer, and veteran NASA astronaut ("Pilots: Scott
Parazynski," April 2020 AOPA Pilot), told me to reflect
on training like you fly. "We would brief and then sim
for every shuttle mission or T-38 sortie with deliberate intention. Every time you strap in, exercise best
CRM and communication practices, just as if it is a
shuttle launch. Any flight might end in an emergency;
having your mind and cockpit always set up the same
way ensures a safe outcome if your flight plan goes
sideways." If these levels of discipline are right for
equipment somewhat more reliable than our GA fleet,
shouldn't we aspire to do the same?
Dutch philosopher Baruch Spinoza wrote,
"Emotion, which is suffering, ceases to be suffering as
soon as we form a clear and precise picture of it." Get
a clear, precise picture of your mental state while flying and stay well as you fly well.
AOPA
EMAIL DrJonathanSackier@gmail.com

http://www.aopa.org/pps

AOPA Pilot Magazine - August 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - August 2020