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I have been approached by Carey to write a regular column in TheWindsock. The initial approach was done by my colleague Scully Levin, whom most of you will know through his many and varied contributions to the general aviation and airline training scene in South Africa. He has not lost his touch and his powers of persuasion and delegation are many and varied!

A short description of my career before I start. I am a Training Captain with SAA, having started my flying in the SAAF in 1975. I have extensive training experience, having spent 15 years as an instructor and CFI at a number of flying schools in Pretoria. I am also a director of AviMenco, a company specialising in the career development of aspirant Commercial Pilots. While I do very little general aviation flying any more, I still have a continuing interest in flying training and aviation development.

Without further ado, let’s get on with the column!

There are a great number of aviation magazines and books on the market, most giving lots of advice to pilots. They do a great job, so rather than rehashing a whole lot of "tips for pilots" I would prefer to add a more philosophical and psychological touch to the column, focusing on the pilot and his or her interaction with the environment. So pardon me if the column is slightly "off-beat".

The interaction between the pilot and the environment?

Like it or not, flying is not a natural thing (the "no wings on your back" syndrome!). So we are forced to do our best to remain airborne using artificial means. The pilot has to learn non-instinctive skills and become a different being once airborne. The aircraft itself is the link between the pilot and the environment and all three aspects interact to make or break the flight. Let us look at these aspects in turn.

The pilot.
Pilots are normally human, although chimps have been known to do it fairly well in space! Unfortunately we, as humans (chimps, too), are very fallible. You need look no further than the many accident reports reported by the CAA every year to see how many of these were caused completely or in part by "human error". The pilot is arguably the weakest link in the safety chain and it worth looking critically at ourselves.
Some of the problems we encounter as a result of our genes are:

We are inherently emotional. We get angry, frustrated, happy (even euphoric) or sad, often at the worst times. These emotions affect the way we think, how efficiently we operate and how effectively we make decisions. For example, the frustration at being delayed at the holding point can distract us to the extent that we forget to do the last part of the pre-takeoff checklist. If the pilot is unhappy at the start of the flight, the chances are good that she will not concentrate well enough and may make unforced errors under pressure.
Humans are subject to physical limitations. For example we can’t see well at night, we suffer badly if it is too hot or cold and our bodies take strain if we fly too high without a pressurised cabin. These limitations are manageable if we are aware of them and cater for our inadequacies. But do we? How does fatigue affect your decision-making? Will a hangover affect your operation? Medication? Influenza? Recreational drugs?
We are also poorly equipped psychologically for aviation. We are egotistic, often responding to the presence of others by doing silly things in aircraft. We often respond poorly to stress, especially if we have to make decisions under pressure. In fact, stress may prove to be completely debilitating under certain circumstances. We are generally easily persuaded to perform above our capabilities and some of us are quite happy to take unnecessary risks in order to save face or generate "adventure". We also worry easily and often lose the "big picture". Unless we are well trained, we are poor managers of time and find it difficult to prioritise. We are also very easily distracted. These and many other aspects make us poor operators of aircraft. However, there are some tools to use to overcome the worst of our deficiencies. More in a later column.
Humans experience sensory overload quite easily. In simple terms, maintaining our awareness of what is happening around us, our spatial orientation and time-awareness (termed Situational Awareness), is vital if we are to keep safe flight. Our situational awareness is easily compromised, especially if we are very busy. For example, trying to fly an accurate ILS in bumpy conditions with heavy rain on the windshield, ATC talking to us and a checklist to do will make the pilot very busy (probably overloaded!). It is quite possible that he might not notice ice forming on the aircraft in time, or hear a report of the deterioration of the weather. Workload management and prioritisation will be covered later.

These and other problems put the human being in a poor position in the cockpit. Somehow we learn to cope and generally do a very good job. Good training, a healthy dose of awareness of our limitations and appropriate response to the environment will go a long way to improving the safety of flight. However, with poor training and disrespect for the environment, the aircraft and oneself, pilot judgement is badly affected and an accident almost inevitable.

Emotional breakdown!
In this first column let us begin to explore the emotional aspects of the pilot. While it is impossible to entirely eliminate emotion from the cockpit, it may be possible to reduce its harmful effects. I will attempt to give you some tools to use when dealing with this very important feature of our humanity.

It is vital to recognise when your judgement is being affected by your emotional condition.

Test yourself. How am I feeling? Angry at being kept waiting by my passengers? Annoyed by a change in runway after I have begun taxying for takeoff? Am I taking a risk so that I get my adrenaline fix? Am I really so good that I am "bullet-proof"? Am I focused on flying, or worrying about the situation at home or work?

Focus! If you have failed your "self-test" then it is time to put the brakes on (literally!). It is a tough call to delay the departure, or return to the ramp, but if this is what it takes to regain flying "focus", then do it! If you are feeling the need to hurry, purposely take an extra few seconds to review your checks, your briefing or your emergency procedures. This "time out" will serve to calm you down and enable you to perform properly. Sort out all your domestic or work problems before climbing into the aircraft, and then put them out of your mind. You need to be 100% focused on your flying when you are flying!
Are you being pressured into doing something uncomfortable, illegal or just plain stupid?
Many accidents every year are caused by the pilot being pressurised into landing or taking off when they should not have. Pressure from passengers, ATC and even yourself can have a large effect on your decision-making. It is terrible to lose face if you decide to return to the apron because the wind is out of your crosswind limits, but to lose control and go "bundu-bashing"? To call off a landing at the destination because the grass is a bit long is a real bummer, but the anthill will do a lot more damage to the nosewheel.

Most safety books and journals tell you the same thing, but very few tell you how to deal with the damage to your pride. Ask yourself if you are taking a calculated risk based on your experience, or whether you are landing because you don’t want to appear incompetent? Ask your passengers whether they are prepared to take the same risk that you are! What is at stake? Human life? Now deal with the pride issue by realising that you will be alive to fly another day. Keep a picture of a broken aircraft in your flight satchel to remind yourself what an accident does to the hard and software! There are old pilots ….

During your life you have developed a "risk profile" – basically determining how averse you are to taking risks. If you are the adventurous type, then perhaps you will be happy to take on a challenge, even if it could result in disaster. The risk-averse person is liable to be more cautious and conservative when making decisions. The good news is that self-discipline and awareness training can even out the differences and make you both cautious and self-confident.

Are you under pressure? Do you feel the need to bend or break the rules to land or take off? Do you feel uncomfortable with what is happening? If so, then review the risks associated with the actions and decide whether you have the expertise to carry it off. Remember you are very seldom "committed" to any action. You can also always change your mind, even at the last moment. Remember, you have limitations! Yes, I know it is difficult to return to the ramp if you have a queue of aircraft behind you, but, as the Nike logo says – Just do it!
Ask the opinion of others if undecided. This may often re-focus your attitude towards the situation. Communicate your problems with other people, other pilots or even ATC, they might be able to offer alternatives you had not considered.

The old saying: Pride comes before a fall.

Hopefully the few ideas presented above will be one corner of the jigsaw puzzle that forms the safety aspect of our aviation scene. The next column will concentrate more on the physical and psychological aspects of the pilot.

In the meantime, good safe flying!

Mike Malherbe
23 Jan 2000

I will be happy to receive and respond to comments.
Email: mikemal

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