!

Command'Development''

Much!of!the!material!is!targeted!at!modern!civilian!airliners,!although!with!
suitable!modification!smaller!commuter!airliner!or!charter!Commanders!can!
still!use!the!underlying!principles.!In!fact,!any!Captain,!civil!or!military,!
of!any!aircraft!can!use!the!basic!principles!contained!here.!
!
While!this!is!the!primary!group!of!individuals!targeted!by!this!blog,!current!
Commanders!can!also!use!the!guiding!principles!to!refine!and!improve!their!
Command!skills.!Other!airline!crew!members!(Second!Officers!and!First!
Officers!who!do!not!have!an!upcoming!upgrade)!will!also!benefit!from!
assimilating!the!knowledge!and!beginning!to!apply!the!skills!in!their!normal!
Line!Flights.!Future!Commanders!can!then!observe!how!their!current!Captain!
leads,!manages,!organises!and!flies!Line!Flights!!they!are!then!free!to!choose!
the!best!of!traits!and!discard!the!worst,!which!they!can!then!start!to!meld!into!
their!own!unique!style!of!Command.!
!
Current!Trainers!(those!who!train!Command!Trainees)!may!also!benefit!from!
refreshing!themselves!with!these!contents.!It!may!remind!them!of!the!stresses!
and!challenges!that!Trainees!will!face!during!Command!Training.!
!
Future!Commanders!should!be!in!no!doubt!over!the!vastly!increased!
responsibilities!and!wide!scope!of!power!that!Command!authorizes!them!with!
(legally,!practically,!technically,!ethically!and!morally).!Depending!on!your!
employer,!a!Commander!may!be!described!as:!
!

The!person!ultimately!responsible!for!the!legal,!safe!and!effective!operation!of!
the!aircraft,!crew!members,!passengers!and!cargo.!

!
Responsibilities!include!preKflight!planning,!unscheduled,!rescheduled,!delayed!
and!diverted!flights,!passenger!and!cargo!handling,!economical!and!effective!
operation!of!the!aircraft!and!compliance!with!the!relevant!laws,!regulations!
and!procedures!(both!the!operation!of!the!flight!and!the!crew!members!and!
passengers!on!that!flight).!It!is!almost!certain!that!you!will!lose!your!Command!
(if!not!your!job)!if!you!or!any!of!your!subordinates!seriously!compromise!any!
legal!aspect!or!safety!of!flight!and!you!will!certainly!be!invited!up!for!a!chat!
with!management!if!you!do!not!operate!a!flight!effectively.!
!
Unlike!most!modern!managerial!positions!in!ground!based!companies,!Aircraft!
Commanders!are!charged!with!the!safe!and!efficient!operation!of!a!piece!of!
machinery!sometimes!worth!tens!of!millions!of!dollars.!In!addition!he!is!
responsible!for!the!health!and!safety!of!the!crew!and!all!the!passengers!
(sometimes!several!hundred),!most!of!which!are!complete!strangers.!The!
aviation!environment!is!constantly!changing!and!the!time!scales!involved!for!
crucial!decision!making!are!often!measures!in!the!seconds!or!in!extreme!cases!
milliKseconds.!Not!too!many!company!executives!are!required!to!make!
individual,!isolated,!multiKmillion!dollar!decisions!in!a!split!second,!which!can!
affect!hundreds!of!people!instantly!with!no!chance!of!conferring!with!superiors!
or!specialists.!As!an!Aircraft!Commander!the!Buck!(truly)!Stops!Here.!
!

I!could!be!President!of!Sikorsky!for!six!months!before!they!found!me!out,!but!
the!President!would!only!have!my!job!for!six!seconds!before!he'd!kill!himself.!
(Walter!R.!'Dick'!Faull,!Test!Pilot)!

For!the!majority!of!time!as!a!Commander,!Captains!are!not!required!to!use!the!
full!extent!of!their!powers.!An!effective!Commander!is!able!to!fulfil!his!role!
successfully!andappear!to!be!doing!little!!However,!there!will!come!times!
when!the!full!extent!of!the!responsibilities!and!powers!of!Command!are!
required!(e.g.!major!aircraft!emergencies,!unruly!passengers!or!diversion!and!
unscheduled!services!with!no!ground!handling!agent).!
!

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Developing!your!Command!qualities!and!skills!should!have!happened!well!
before!you!are!required!to!use!them.!An!ineffective!Commander!can!at!best!
barely!handle!a!major!disruption!and!at!worst!can!turn!it!into!a!disaster!(for!
himself,!his!crew,!the!passengers!and!the!Airline).!
!
Most!airline!Command!Courses,!while!not!implicitly!teaching!Command!skills,!
focus!heavily!on!those!skills!displayed!by!Captains!under!training.!You!can!be!
sure!that!even!if!you!can!fly!and!operate!the!aircraft!to!a!high!standard!but!
cannot!effectively!lead!a!crew!and!passengers!and!manage!the!aircraft!
operation!that!you!will!fail!any!Command!Course.!This!is!one!of!the!most!
common!causes!of!candidates!failing!airline!Command!upgrades!!lack!of!
Command!skills.!
!
Most!airlines!expect!their!future!Command!Trainees!to!possess!these!
Command!skills!prior!to!commencing!the!Command!upgrade!Course.!While!
your!flying!and!operating!skills!of!the!aircraft!as!a!First!Officer!are!assessed!
during!various!regulatory!Simulator,!Training!or!Line!Check!flights,!very!little!
emphasis!is!usually!given!to!Command!skills.!Most!Command!Trainees!learn!
through!osmosis!!they!learn!and!absorb!Command!skills!from!observing!and!
interacting!with!all!the!previous!Commanders!they!have!come!into!contact!
with.!
!
This!blog!intends!to!rectify!this!paucity!of!Command!skills!training!by!setting!
out!some!Command!skills!building!blocks.!It!also!endeavours!to!not!only!tell!
you!what!to!do,!buthow!to!do!it.!
!
While!this!information!does!not!guarantee!that!you!will!automatically!become!
an!effective!Commander!by!reading!it,!it!does!have!the!essential!building!
blocks,!which!if!diligently!applied,!will!certainly!increase!the!probability!that!
you!will!become!an!effective!Commander.!These!building!blocks!of!
characteristics,!skills!and!traits!need!to!be!honed!and!developed!as!a!First!
Officer!prior!to!Command!upgrade!Training.!Only!then!will!you!have!developed!
your!effective!and!unique!Command!style!to!bring!into!the!Command!upgrade!
process.!
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NOTES:!
!
Throughout!this!blog!the!terms!Commander!and!Captain!are!used!
interchangeably!!they!mean!the!same!thing.!
!
Masculine!terms!in!this!blog,!such!as!he,!him!or!his!also!imply!the!female!
gender.!This!is!not!ment!as!a!slight!against!the!female!of!the!species!K!it's!just!
that!I'm!too!lazy!to!type!(s)he,!him/her...you!get!the!picture.!
!
!

Relevant!procedures!contained!in!Company!Operations!Manuals!and!
Documentation,!and!Statutory!and!Legal!requirements!of!the!country!of!your!
Airline!or!your!Pilots!License!have!precedence!over!material!in!this!blog!and!
shall!take!precedence.!

!
Airmanship'(Part'1)'
This!is!the!first!of!a!three!part!article!exploring!the!concept!of!Airmanship.!See!
the!end!of!this!article!to!get!to!Part!2.!
!
Airmanship!appears!in!this!day!and!age!of!glass!cockpits!and!computers!to!be!
an!old!fashioned!term.!Perhaps!because!it!doesn't!have!a!TLA!(ThreeKLetter!
Acronym)!or!some!aviation!psychologist!can't!or!hasn't!written!a!cutting!edge!
paper!on!it,!has!resulted!in!it!being!"left!behind".!Current!trendy!terms!such!as!
CRM!and!TEM!receive!much!more!wide!spread!prominance.!
!
However,!while!Airmanship!has!been!around!ever!since!Man!first!took!to!the!
skies,!it!is!still!as!valid!today!as!it!ever!was.!Some!"older"!pilots!even!contend!
that!CRM!and!TEM!are!really!new!fangled!ways!of!describing!Airmanship.!
!
Airmanship!was!probably!beaten!into!you!when!you!first!learnt!to!fly.!I!can!
recall!that!Airmanship!was!always!a!prominent!part!of!the!PreKflight,!InKflight!
and!PostKflight!briefings!when!I!was!learning!to!fly.!It!was!expected!that!you!
would!eventually!"learn"!and!apply!Airmanship.!
!
So!what!is!Airmanship?!
!
It!is!the!end!result!of!all!those!years!and!hours!of!flying,!reading!aviation!
articles!and!books,!safety!reports,!discussing!previous!or!upcoming!flights!with!
your!mates!and!peers,!learning!through!osmosis!from!watching!more!
experienced!aviators!demonstrate"how!it's!done"!and,!(this!is!where!you!can!
learn!a!hell!of!a!lot),!from!all!the!Bar!talk!and"There!was!nothing!on!the!clocks!
but!the!Maker's!name"!type!of!aviation!folklore!that!you!personally!have!
accumulated.!It!is!a!grand!sum!of!all!your!experience.!At!a!very!simplistic!
level!Experience!=!Airmanship.!
!
If!you!do!a!quick!search!on!the!Internet,!the!most!common!definition!of!
Airmanship!is!something!like;!"The!art!of!operating!aircraft"!or!"The!safe!and!
efficient!operation!of!the!aircraft!both!on!the!ground!and!in!the!air".!Both!
leave!a!lot!to!be!desired!and!don't!really!capture!the!essential!essence!of!
Airmanship.!
!
If!you!ask!10!different!pilots!to!define!Airmanship,!you!will!get!10!different!
answers.!While!everbody's!concept!of!Airmanship!may!be!slightly!different!any!
professional!aviator!will!understand!what!you!mean!by!Airmanship.!
!
While!trolling!around!on!the!Web!doing!a!bit!of!research!for!this!article!I!came!
across!this!description!on!a!site!for!Ultralight!Pilots:!

Good!airmanship!is!that!indefinable!something!that!separates!the!superior!
airman/airwoman!from!the!average:!it!is!not!a!measure!of!skill!or!technique,!
rather!it!is!a!measure!of!a!person's!awareness!of!the!aircraft!and!its!
environment!and!of!her/his!own!capabilities!and!behavioural!characteristics,!
combined!with!wise!decision!making!and!a!high!sense!of!selfKdiscipline.!

While!the!web!site!that!I!took!the!quote!from!is!for!Ultralights,!it!contains!very!
relevant!information!for!pilots!of!modern!airliners,!in!fact!any!pilots,!and!is!well!
worth!a!read.!
!
OK,!so!you've!determined!that!you!have!a!modicum!of!Airmanship!so!how!
does!it!apply!to!you!as!a!budding!Commander?!
!
Don't!ever!forget!where!you've!come!from!!You!have!a!bunch!of!previous!
experience!that!you!bring!with!you!into!this!Airline!Command!game.!Your!
previous!experience!is!your!backKstop,!your!fallKback!position,!for!when!you!get!
into!a!situation!that!is!not!covered!by!the!books!or!you!have!not!experienced!
before.!Use!that!previous!experience!(Airmanship)!to!help!you!formulate!
quality,!informed,!common!sense!decisions.!
!
Some!examples!of!Airmanship!I!try!to!instill!in!Command!Trainees!are;!

Look!out!the!window!when!turning!to!visually!check!for!traffic!or!visually!
acquire!TCAS!targets!displayed!on!your!ND!(use!the!Mk!1!Eyeball!and!don't!just!
rely!on!TCAS!and!ATC).!The!same!goes!for!weather!avoidance!K!look!outside!
and!visually!maneouvre!around!buildKups!if!possible.!Remember!K!a!peek!is!
worth!a!thousand!crossKreferences!!This!is!really!basic!stuff,!but!so!many!
Trainees!forget!to!do!it.!
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If!there!is!any!doubt!K!there!is!no!doubt.!For!example,!if!you!are!unsure!
whether!to!use!TOGA!rather!than!reduced!Thrust!for!Take!Off!when!windshear!
is!forecast!or!reported,!opt!for!the!safer!option!and!use!TOGA.!If!you're!unsure!
if!the!runway!will!be!Wet!or!Dry!when!getting!Take!Off!performance!data!then!
use!Wet.!

Do!not!blindly!follow!SOPs/NPs!or!Operations!Manuals!if!that!course!of!action!
will!result!in!greater!risk!and!reduce!safety.!SOPs/NPs!are!usually!written!for!
routine!and!standard!conditions.!If!you!experience!an!unusual!situation!it!may!
be!better!to!do!something!slightly!different!(but!safer).!Use!some!common!
sense!and!all!that!previous!experience!that!you!have!accumulated.!This!
especially!applies!to!multiple!related!aircraft!defects!when!dispatching!under!
the!MEL.!The!MEL!most!likely!will!not!be!able!to!legislate!for!the!multiple!interK
related!defects!and!it!is!left!up!to!your!aircraft!technical!knowledge!and!rat!
cunning!to!decide!if!you!can!get!airborne!with!the!defects!or!taxi!back!to!the!
bay!and!hand!the!aircraft!over!to!Maintenance!personnel.!This!doesn't!give!
youcarte!blanche!to!unilaterally!disregard!SOPs/NPs!K!you!need!to!have!a!
bloody!good!reason!for!pursuing!your!alternative!course!of!action.!

Rule!books!are!paper!K!they!will!not!cushion!a!sudden!meeting!of!stone!and!
metal.!(!Ernest!K.!Gann,!'Fate!is!the!Hunter.')!

Think!ahead!and!have!a!plan!for!when!the!"Shit!hits!the!fan".!Whenever!I!am!
cleared!to!Take!Off!or!Line!Up,!I!mentally!review!my!actions!in!the!event!of!a!
Rejected!Take!Off!and!how!I!am!going!to!get!my!backside!back!onto!the!
runway!ASAP!in!the!event!of!a!time!critical!emergency!(e.g.!Cargo!Fire!K!a!visual!
approach,!left!or!right!circuit,!immediate!radar!vectors!for!an!ILS!or!a!
procedure!turn!for!a!landing!on!the!reciprocal!runway),!will!I!need!to!do!an!
Overweight!Landing!or!dump!fuel.!

Treat!every!landing!as!a!Go!Around,!so!that!on!the!day!you!have!to!do!one!for!
real!for!execute!it!flawlessly.!
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Strive!for!excellence!in!your!aviation!skills!and!demand!the!same!from!your!
crew.!Act!with!integrety!and!display!leadership!for!both!your!subordinates!and!
superiors.!

Prepare!for!each!and!every!flight!you!conduct!(you!should!be!doing!this!
anyway!when!on!any!Training!Course).!Where!are!my!Nearest!Suitable!
Alternate!Airfields,!what!runways,!length,!elevation!and!approach!aids!are!
there?!Discuss!new!Ports!or!Routes!with!your!peers!and!mates!to!get!
the!"good!gen".!Ensure!you!have!good!technical!nowledge!of!your!aircraft!and!
its!systems.!This!is!a!continually!evolving!learning!experience.!

When!approaching!possible!weather!induced!turbulence,!put!the!Seat!Belts!
sign!on!early!enough!so!that!your!300!odd!punters!can!strap!in!themselves!in!
time,!the!cabin!crew!can!check!that!the!cabin!is!secure,!reduce!speed!if!
required,!organise!ATC!diversion!tracking!and!inform!the!cabin!crew!how!long!
and!how!bad!you!expect!that!the!turbulence!will!last!for.!

We'll!end!this!first!article!on!Airmanship!with!a!quote!from!Tony!Hayes,!(exK
CFI,!Brisbane!Valley!Leisure!Aviation!Centre);!

!
!
!

!
For!all!my!exposure!to!aviation!!which!extends!over!my!entire!life!from!my!
birth!next!to!an!operational!bomber!airfield!in!World!War!2!!when!I!came!to!
pilot!training!myself!I!met!a!term!so!commonly!used!yet!nowhere!could!I!find!
actually!defined!and!explained,!Airmanship.!
!
So!I!will!fix!that!right!now!in!my!own!flying!training!manual.!The!problem!is!
understood!once!Airmanship!itself!is!actually!understood.!It!is!very!real!and!
manifestations!of!it!may!be!seen!at!every!airfield!or!places!people!come!to!fly!
aircraft.!Yet!Airmanship!is!an!intangible,!for!it!is!a!state!of!mind,!personal!
convictions!and!self!discipline!expressed!in!our!actions!and!attitudes.!It!is!the!
prudent!operation!of!a!machine,!and!the!management!of!circumstances!
surrounding!that!operation,!within!an!element!we!were!not!naturally!designed!
to!inhabit.!
!
Airmanship!appears!in!every!flying!area!and!sets!aside!the!Airman!from!the!
aircraft!driver.!It!is!founded!firmly!in!basic!training!where!mental!attitudes!to!
flying!are!forged,!and!sometimes!in!self!training!where!a!pilot!learns!the!hard!
way!about!what!is!prudent!or!not,!gets!away!with!it,!and!elects!to!make!more!
sensible!decisions!at!the!right!time,!next!time.!
!
Under!growing!experience!Airmanship!may!grow!and!blossom!into!a!
comfortable!protective!cloak,!resting!light!upon!the!shoulders,!worn!perhaps!
with!pride,!but!never!in!vanity,!and!giving!the!protection!of!2!inch!armour!
plate.!
!
The!very!need!for!its!presence!is!a!reminder!that!we!are!privileged!to!transit!
from!our!natural!element!into!another.!There!may!be!a!high!price!for!such!
transition!if!that!act!is!made!in!scorn!or!ignorance.!But!we!may!go!there!safely!
if!we!acknowledge!the!limitations!of!ourselves!and!our!machines,!so!
generating!a!curious!mixture!of!humility!and!confidence!which!is!expressed!in!
the!very!form!of!Airmanship.!
!
!

!
Airmanship!may!be!performing!a!proper!preKflight!check!of!an!aircraft!rather!
than!a!casual!lookKaround.!It!is!something!as!instinctively!looking!before!
turning.!It!is!actually!doing!pre!takeKoff!and!preKlanding!checks!!not!mouthing!
the!words.!It!is!sensible!preKflight!planning!!either!for!a!circuit!or!going!over!
the!horizon.!It!may!be!as!simple!as!looking!at!the!windsock!before!hitting!the!
'loud'!lever,!or!as!complex!as!interpreting!a!changing!weather!pattern.!It!is!the!
essential!personal!and!situational!management!difference!between!being!up!
there!wishing!you!were!down!here,!rather!than!being!down!here!wishing!you!
were!up!there.!
!
But,!founded!on!flawed!training,!or!growing!experience!driven!by!a!different!
pride,!Airmanship!may!wither!into!a!deadly!weed!of!contempt!for!those!who!
slavishly!obey!'regulation'!or!are!not!deemed!'good!enough'!to!sort!out!
situations!as!they!happen.!People!driven!by!such!views,!in!their!ignorance,!
inhabit!a!perilous!place!of!their!own!making!wherein!they!have!become!an!
accident!looking!for!somewhere!to!happen,!and!so!ensure!that!it!will!happen.!
!
The!nonKAirman!will!discount!that!the!'officious!regulation'!is!(in!the!main)!a!
book!written!in!the!blood!of!people!who!found!out!the!hard!way!and!handed!
down!to!us!methods!of!avoiding!their!fate.!In!discarding!that!knowledge!so!is!
generated!the!certainty!of!the!same!fate,!standing!in!the!shadows,!waiting.!
!
The!Airman!is!a!person!who!maintains!a!valid!skill!and!knowledge!currency!
such!that!when!the!unexpected!does!happen!there!is!ability!and!composure!
enough!to!manage!the!situation!into!safety.!He!or!she,!is!a!person!with!a!sense!
of!balance!and!intelligence!enough!to!heed!the!lessons!of!the!past,!apply!them!
in!the!present,!and!so!ensure!a!future!to!be!able!to!fly!again,!and!again,!and!
again.!
!
You!will!be!hearing!a!great!deal!more!about!Airmanship!in!your!time!with!us,!
and!now!you!know!what!we!are!actually!talking!about.!

!
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 !

!
All!pilots!understand!what!airmanship!is,!even!if!they!can!not!define!it!in!
words.!Airmanship!is!the!powerful!combination!of!knowledge,!skill,!awareness!
and!discipline!in!action!that!is!the!difference!between!passengers!and!pilots.!It!
is!our!common!heritage!with!birds!and!sailors.!It!links!old!captains!of!500Kseat!
airliners!with!new!students!in!singleKseat!gliders.!It!links!pilots!of!spaceships!
and!Piper!Cubs,!it!links!fighter!jocks!and!rotorKheads.!It!is!the!sweet!central!
essence!of!piloting.!Airmanship!is!the!key!to!flight!safety!and!efficiency!

!
Airmanship'(Part'2)'
In!Airmanship!(Part!1)!we!looked!at!what!Airmanship!is!and!how!it!affects!us!as!
Professional!Pilots.!Now!in!Part!2!we'll!expand!on!this!discussion!further.!
!
I!spent!a!bit!of!time!researching!Airmanship!to!try!and!tie!together!all!the!
Airmanship!stuff!I!thought!I!knew(?)!prior!to!writing!this!post.!In!doing!so!I!
found;!

I!don't!know!very!much!about!Airmanship!(much!less!than!what!I!originally!
thought!I!did!anyway!)!and!I!really!need!to!keep!improving!this!facet!of!my!
skills,!

Airlines!generally!don't!promote!Airmanship!very!much,!but!instead!focus!
heavily!on!CRM!and!TEM,!

There!is!not!too!much!relevant!stuff!out!there!on!the!Internet!and!what!is!out!
there!is!hard!to!find!or!not!very!relevant!to!actual!real!pilots!doing!the!job,!and!

A!lot!of!the!good!Airmanship!stuff!out!there!on!the!Internet!is!promoted!
byUltralight!and!Gliding!Clubs!!

Maybe!I'm!looking!in!all!the!wrong!places!but!Airmanship!is!a!very!esoteric!
concept!and!means!so!many!different!things!to!so!many!different!people.!Why!
is!it!that!the!people!at!the!top!of!the!"food!chain"!(airline!pilots)!receive!almost!
no!guidance!about!Airmanship!and!yet!the!recreational!and!part!time!pilots!
receive!some!good!guidance!from!their!clubs!and!CFIs.!You!could!perhaps!
argue!that!the!less!experienced!pilots!require!more!information!to!offset!their!
lack!of!experience.!But,!I!would!argue!that!you,!as!a!professional!fullKtime!pilot,!
should!be!seeking!to!continually!refine!and!improve!the!Airmanship!aspect!of!
your!flying!skills.!It!can!be!very!important!during!your!Command!Training!(or!as!
a!Captain).!Nobody!else!will,!so!like!most!things!in!this!game,!it!will!be!left!up!
to!you.!Are!you!prepared!to!accept!the!challenge?!
!
The!best!reference!for!Airmanship!that!I!have!come!across!is!Airmanship!
Training!For!Modern!Aircrew!(hereKafter!abbreviated!to!ATFMA)!by!Ms.!Louise!
Ebbage!and!Mr.!Phil!D.!Spencer.!
!
This!is!a!paper!written!for!the!UK!Ministry!of!Defence!to!modernise!military!
flying!training!across!the!UK's!Armed!Services.!The!first!half!is!for!all!pilots!and!
the!second!half!more!for!your!Airline's!Training!organisation.!It!is!easy!to!read!
and!more!importantly!is!relevant!to!your!actual!job.!I!urge!you!to!read!it.!And!
then!reKread!it!when!you've!thought!about!the!ideas!presented.!And!then!reK
read!it!again!and!again!and!again...!
!
As!a!Captain!of!an!aircraft!you!will!be!expected!to!possess!superior!levels!of!
Airmanship!K!you!probably!won't!be!formally!taught!them.!It!is!usually!assumed!
that!you!have!mastered!the!basic!levels!of!Airmanship!as!you!will!have!had!to!
endure!a!considerable!amount!of!aviation!training!and!experience!to!reach!this!
stage!of!your!career.!
!
ATFMA!puts!forward!the!idea!of!three!levels!of!Airmanship,!which!seems!to!
agree!closely!with!the!normal!career!progression!for!an!airline!pilot;!

Basic!Airmanship!K!Fortunately!most!good!flying!training!organisations!when!
you're!learning!to!fly!impress!Airmanship!on!you!throughout!your!time!with!
them.!At!this!level!you!have!a!basic!competence!(skills,!knowledge!and!
experience).!Your!foundation!of!knowledge!and!skills!etc.!evolves!further!
through!continuous!improvement!and!sometimes!through!making!mistakes.!
You!get!this!level!of!knowledge!during!your!initial!flying!training!and!in!your!
first!experiences!as!a!pilot.!With!further!exposure!to!real!life!situations!and!
increasing!experience!you!progress!to!the!next!level.!This!first!level!can!
thought!of!as!the!Learning!Stage.!

Superior!Airmanship!K!At!this!level!you!have!gained!enough!experience!in!the!
real!world!to!enable!Situation!Management!(foresight,!problem!solving,!
situational!awareness!etc.).!You!get!to!this!level!by!observing!other!more!
experienced!pilots!(your!Captains!when!you're!an!F/O),!reading!aviation!and!
safety!articles,!upgrades,!conversion!courses,!type!ratings.!Sometimes!you!get!
to!this!level!by!almost!killing!yourself!or!by!making!big!blunders!with!big!
consequences!(hands!up!who's!done!that!).!You!are!proactive!rather!than!
reactive!and!can!think!outside!the!box.!There!is!usually!no!formal!training!to!
progress!to!this!level.!You!should!be,!at!the!very!least,!already!at!this!level!K!if!
you!are!not!then!you're!going!to!have!a!very!hard!time!passing!your!Command!
Training!!This!can!be!thought!of!as!the!Being!A!Good!Operator!Stage.!

Outstanding!Airmanship!K!At!this!level!you!have!the!drive,!motivation!and!the!
will!to!be!an!excellent,!professional,!safe!and!competent!aviator!and!are!
dedicated!to!selfKimprovement.!This!should!be!the!level!that!you!strive!to!
achieve.!Aircrew!operating!at!this!level!seek!airmanship!excellence!and!this!
manifests!itself!in!outstanding!performance.!When!you!get!to!this!stage!you're!
at!the!Aviator!Stage.!

There!are!airmen!and!there!are!pilots:!the!first!being!part!bird!whose!view!
from!aloft!is!normal!and!comfortable,!a!creature!whose!brain!and!muscles!
frequently!originate!movements!which!suggest!flight;!and!then!there!are!pilots!
who!regardless!of!their!airborne!time!remain!earthKloving!bipeds!forever.!
When!these!latter!unfortunates,!because!of!one!urge!or!another,!actually!
make!an!ascension,!they!neither!anticipate!nor!relish!the!event!and!they!drive!
their!machines!with!the!same!graceless!labour!they!inflict!upon!the!family!
vehicle.!(Ernest!K.!Gann)!

So!how!do!you!get!from!the!Superior!level!to!the!Outstanding!level!of!
Airmanship?!It's!not!as!hard!as!you!may!think!and!if!you're!prepared!to!invest!
some!time!and!energy!in!dedicated,!disciplined!selfKimprovement!you!can!
reach!this!lofty!goal.!
!
The!secret!is!ATTITUDE.!
!
No,!not!the!pitch!and!roll!type!of!attitude!K!your!own!personal!attitude!towards!
learning,!aviation!and!striving!for!excellence!and!selfKimprovement.!You!don't!
get!something!for!nothing!and!to!elevate!yourself!from!the!Superior!to!the!
Outstanding!level!of!Airmanship!will!require!some!effort.!
!
This!is!an!area!that!only!you!can!expand!and!improve.!If!you!haven't!read!the!
section!on!Self!then!get!on!over!there!and!start!developing!yourSELF!!You'll!
need!to!be!working!at!this!continually.!
!
Set!high!standards!for!both!yourself!and!your!crew,!don't!cut!corners,!lead!by!
example,!increase!your!knowledge!and!skills,!but!most!of!all,!have!the!
extremely!positive!attitude!that!you!will!be!the!best!you!can!be.!And!expect!
nothing!less.!

Airmanship!is!more!than!simply!having!the!requisite!knowledge!and!skills;!it!is!
also!about!having!an!appropriate!attitude,!selfKdiscipline!and!a!desire!to!
perform!optimally!at!all!times.!Airmanship!is!an!approach!to!aviation,!which!
manifests!itself!in!excellent!performance.!(Ebbage!and!Spencer)!

!
!
This!Airmanship!thing!is!starting!to!take!on!a!life!of!its'!own!!I!originally!only!
planned!on!two!articles!but!I've!found!so!much!interesting!stuff!that!you'll!
have!to!have!a!look!atAirmanship!Part!3.!To!be!continued...same!BatKTime,!
same!BatKChannel.!

!
Airmanship'(Part'3)'
Welcome!to!Airmanship!Part!3.!Here!we'll!continue!our!Airmanship!selfK
education.Airmanship!Part!2!built!heavily!on!an!Airmanship!model!proposed!in!
a!paper!titled!"Airmanship!Training!For!Modern!Aircrew".!If!you!have!
neglected!to!read!it!I!urge!you!to!go!back!to!Part!2!now,!as!this!Part!will!build!
on!information!from!there.!
!
"Redefining!Airmanship"!
An!excellent!book,!Redefining!Airmanship!by!Anthony!T.!Kern,!contains!a!very!
useful!Airmanship!model.!
!
The!easy!to!understand!analogy!used!is!that!of!a!house!or!building.!
!
A!house!has!a!firm!foundation,!which!is!required!first!and!upon!which!all!else!
rests!and!is!further!constructed!upon.!It!also!has!walls!and!supports!which!
need!to!be!sturdy!and!firm!enough!to!anchor!into!the!foundation!(so!you!need!
a!firm!base)!and!support!the!roof.!The!roof!overKarches!all!other!parts!of!the!
house!and!is!the!pinnacle!of!the!entire!structure.!Each!separate!element!of!the!
house!relies!on!the!others!K!the!roof!would!fall!if!the!walls!or!foundation!were!
weak!and!damaged.!
!
So!it!is!with!Airmanship.!
!
Let's!have!a!look!at!these!"Building!Blocks"!in!our!context!of!being!a!
Commander!of!an!aircraft.!(Click!on!the!picture!to!view!at!a!larger!size.)!
!
 !
Bedrock!Principles!
!
The!foundation!in!Kern's!analogy!is!called!the!Bedrock!Principles!and!consists!
of!three!"foundation!stones".!This!foundation!must!be!firmly!established!as!the!
other!elements!or!"Building!Blocks"!cannot!compensate!for!a!weakness!in!this!
critical!area.!The!three!"foundation!stones!are:!
!
Discipline!K!You!will!be!required!(and!expected)!to!exercise!a!high!degree!of!self!
discipline!as!a!Captain.!Kern!believes!that!discipline!is!so!fundamental!to!your!
makeKup!as!a!professional!aviator!that!he!has!written!another!book!about!just!
that!in!Flight!Discipline.!
!
Kern!defines!flight!discipline!as;!

"the!ability!and!willpower!to!safely!employ!an!aircraft!within!operational,!
regulatory,!organizational,!and!common!sense!guidelines,!unless!emergency!or!
combat!mission!demands!dictate!otherwise".!

Note!that!it!is!YOUR!ability!and!YOUR!willpower!that!is!required.!
!
Examples!of!this!might!be!the!correct!use!of!Checklists!and!pertinent!Briefings,!
ensuring!that!you!(or!your!crew)!do!not!take!expediant!shortKcuts!that!may!
violate!regulations,!being!the!best!that!you!can!be,!using!correct!R/T!
phraseology!K!in!essence,!doing!the!right!thing!at!all!times.!You!are,!or!will!
soon,!be!a!role!model!and!the!tone!and!actions!that!you!portray!will!be!
emulated!by!your!subordinates.!
!
Skill!K!You!will!be!required!to!have!a!high!degree!of!skill!in!your!role!as!Captain.!
Skill!is!developed!by!knowledge,!demonstration!and!practice.!Flying!must!be!
continually!practiced!to!maintain!the!skill.!This!can!be!in!the!aircraft,!the!
simulator!or!any!ground!based!flight!training!device.!Competence!will!quickly!
diminish!without!practice.!
!
During!your!Command!Training!you!will!probably!get!very!skilled!in!the!
physical!manipulation!of!the!aircraft!(stick!and!rudder!skills)!as!you!will!tend!to!
get!a!lot!of!sectors!compressed!into!a!tight!time!frame.!Don't!forget!about!the!
other!skills!that!you!will!require!as!a!Captain!such!as,!decision!making,!CRM,!
TEM!or!InterKpersonal!skills!(just!to!mention!a!few).!They!are!just!as!important!
in!your!new!role!as!Captain!and!some!people!tend!to!neglect!them.!
!
Proficiency!K!Proficiency!tends!to!go!handKinKhand!with!Skill!and!they!are!
usually!developed!together.!Practice!and!repetition!are!the!key!drivers!towards!
competent!proficiency.!It!is!more!than!just!clocking!up!flight!hours!in!your!
logbook.!Seek!to!obtainquality!and!not!just!quantity.!
!
Examples!of!this!might!be!requesting!to!complete!a!Non!Precision,!Visual!or!
Circling!Approach!or!manually!flying!the!aircraft!rather!than!using!the!
Autopilot.!It's!up!to!you(and!your!Trainer).!
!
Pillars!Of!Knowledge!
!
The!walls!are!called!the!Pillars!Of!Knowledge!and!bridge!the!foundation!and!
the!roof.!There!are!five!Pillars!of!Knowledge:!
!
Self!K!You!should!already!have!read!the!articles!on!the!SELF!as!this!is!an!
important!area!to!work!on!K!if!not!then!get!cracking!and!read!them!!It!is!about!
knowing!your!own!limitations!and!having!the!preparedness!to!self!assess!and!
analyse!your!own!flying!performance.!
!
Aircraft!K!As!Captain!you!will!need!to!have!a!thorough!knowledge!and!
understanding!of!the!aircraft,!its!systems!and!components,!speeds!and!
limitations,!including!the!airworthiness!status!and!all!maintenance!
requirements.!
!
This!should!have!been!accomplished!well!before!you!commence!your!
Command!Training.!Use!whatever!resources!are!available!to!you.!If!you!are!
employed!by!a!big!outfit!you!will!probably!have!access!to!CBT,!educational!
software!on!DVDs,!a!Technical!Library!(either!hard!copy!or!onKline)!and!Fixed!
Base!Trainers.!Whatever!method!you!use,!having!a!firm!grasp!of!the!aircraft!
that!you!will!be!operating!will!make!your!job!as!Captain!so!much!easier.!
!
Team!K!We!operate!in!a!team!environment!and!our!whole!profession!has!been!
based!around!the!concept!of!the!crew!(and!others)!functioning!coherently!as!a!
team.!
!
You!need!to!address!your!CRM!and!Leadership!skills!(and!your!subordinates!
Followership!skills)!and!how!you!as!the!leader!of!your!crew!"run!the!show".!
!
Don't!forget!that!your!"team"!is!not!only!the!other!guy!sitting!in!the!right!seat,!
it!is!definitely!your!cabin!crew!(and!on!occasions!may!even!be!your!
passengers),!ATC,!Traffic,!Loading,!Airport,!Outport,!Maintenance,!Engineering,!
Dispatch,!Operations!and!your!aircraft!Fleet!Staff.!
!
Environment!K!The!Environment!includes!the!physical,!regulatory,!and!
organizational!elements!that!you!operate!in!as!a!Captain!(and!you!thought!it!
just!meant!the!Met!situation!).!
!
Some!of!the!"environments"!that!you!will!be!exposed!to!as!a!Captain!are;!the!
cockpit,!airspace,!weather,!terrain,!other!airspace!users!or!your!own!Airline's!
corporate!culture!(is!it!supportive,!antagonistic!etc.).!
!
As!a!Captain!you!will!be!operating!in!a!different!"environment"!from!that!of!
when!you!were!an!F/O.!You!have!far!more!power!and!responsibility!
(remember!Uncle!Ben!in!Spiderman!"With!great!power!comes!great!
responsibility"?).!Part!of!your!Command!Training!should!address!this!aspect!of!
your!new!role!in!this!new!environment.!Ask!your!Trainer!to!include!this!area!if!
you!feel!that!you!are!missing!out.!
!
Risk!K!A!big!part!of!your!new!job!as!a!Captain!is!the!assessment!of!risk!and!
suitable!risk!management!to!ensure!that!your!desired!outcome!is!safely,!legally!
and!efficiently!achieved.!
!
This!job!entails!risk.!If!you!want!to!be!relatively!riskKfree!stay!locked!up!at!
home.!
!
Now!you!as!the!Captain!get!to!make!decisions!on!whether!to!accept!that!risk!
or!not!(and!sometimes!you!have!multiple!choices).!Sometimes!there!is!a!lot!at!
stake!(hundreds!of!people's!lives!sitting!just!behind!you!springs!immediately!to!
mind).!
!
Risk!management!involves!gathering!information!and!making!an!assessment!
and!then!a!considered!decision!based!on!your!knowledge,!previous!experience!
and!common!sense!to!pursue!the!safest,!least!risk!option.!You!will!be!required!
to!judge!and!evaluate!the!amount!of!risk!you!(and!your!crew/team)!are!
prepared!to!accept!to!achieve!your!goal.!
!
Capstone!Outcomes!
!
The!final!structure!which!goes!over!all!the!previous!"Building!Blocks"!and!could!
be!thought!of!as!the!pinnacle!of!this!"Airmanship!Building"!is!called!Capstone!
Outcomesand!consists!of:!
!
Situational!Awareness!K!Any!pilot!is!required!to!have!Situational!Awareness!
(SA).!Now!as!the!Captain!your!SA!will!have!to!be!further!expanded!and!refined!
and!take!on!a!"global"!aspect.!In!a!normal!Line!Crew!the!Captain!is!usually!the!
most!experienced!crew!member!and!as!such!he!is!potentially!the!"last!line!of!
defence".!You!won't!be!able!to!rely!anyone!else!as!a!"backKstop"!as!you!may!
have!done!as!an!F/O.!In!addition!YOUare!responsible!for!the!safe!conduct!of!
the!flight.!
!
You!need!to!have!enough!spare!mental!capacity!to!be!able!to!take!in!all!the!
things!occuring!around!you!such!as;!weather,!traffic,!navigation,!ATC,!aircraft!
serviceability/defects,!what!the!aircraft!is!doing!and!where!you!want!it!to!go!
and!how!you!will!accomplish!that!(aviate,!navigate,!communicate),!flight!
schedule!keeping,!potential!hazards,!terrain,!nearest!suitable!airfields!and!so!
on,!so!that!you!can!formulate!plans!and!keep!ahead!of!the!aircraft.!
!
If!you!can!manage!to!do!all!that!(and!you!will!be!expected!to)!it!will!help!you!
enormously!with!the!final!Capstone!Outcome.!
!
Judgement!K!In!some!other!Airmanship!articles!that!I've!seen,!some!people!also!
include!DECISION!MAKING!as!part!of!the!Capstone!Outcome!of!Judgement.!For!
the!purposes!of!simplicity!for!this!article!I'll!stick!with!just!the!one!word!K!
Judgement,!but!you!can!use!either!judgment!or!decision!making.!
!
The!annuals!of!Aviation!Safety!articles!are!littered!with!instances!of!incidents!
and!accidents!that!were!the!result!of!poor!judgement!by!the!pilots!(you!
know...that!really!nice!term!"Pilot!Error").!You!now!have!to!ensure!that!you!
make!considered!and!high!quality!judgements.!
!
During!your!training!your!Trainer!may!get!you!to!justify!why!you!made!a!
particular!judgement.!Practise!this!BEFORE!you!get!to!the!Command!Training!
stage.!Write!down!the!reasons!why!you!chose!a!particular!course!of!action.!If!
you!practise!prior!to!your!course!commencing!you!will!find!that!your!
judgments!will!be!of!a!higher!quality!because!you've!forced!yourself!to!utilise!
your!brain.!Judgement!and!decision!making!is!just!one!more!skill!that!you!will!
have!educate!and!train!yourself!through!continual!practise!as!a!Captain.!
!
Using!good!judgement!and!making!the!right!decisions!is!an!essential!Command!
skill!and!vital!to!the!safe!conduct!of!any!flight.!

!
!
Get!Redefining!Airmanship!and!have!a!read.!If!you!can't!get!a!copy!here!is!!
!

R.E.D.'
Doing!your!Command!upgrade!Training!can!be!quite!a!stressful!time.!It!is!
(possibly)!the!culmination!of!many!years!of!struggle,!learning,!financial!and!
family!difficulties.!
!
You!don't!get!this!stage!of!your!career!by!being!second!rate!and!by!not!
travelling!the!hard!yards.!Let's!face!it,!to!get!to!here!you!have!had!to!jump!
through!a!serious!number!of!hoops.!Some!Command!Trainees!invest!so!much!
of!their!time!ensuring!that!they!are!as!well!prepared!as!they!can!possibly!be!
(an!admirable!goal)!that!they!neglect!their!mental!and!physical!health!(a!not!so!
admirable!goal).!
!

You!will!still!have!to!look!after!
yourself!while!you!are!preparing!and!undertaking!your!Command!Course.!
!
Don't!start!losing!sleep,!doing!no!exercise!or!eating!crap!foods.!Why?!Because!
your!Command!Performance!will!suffer!and!you!will!be!operating!at!a!less!than!
optimal!level.!
!
To!look!after!yourself!remember!R.E.D.!K!Rest,!Exercise!and!Diet.!
!
Rest!Get!lots!of!rest!and!recovery!(mainly!good!quality!sleep)!to!recharge!your!
brain!and!to!ensure!that!you!don't!feel!"flat"!and!lethargic.!
!
Do!not!fall!into!the!trap!of!thinking!that!you!have!to!study!and!prepare!during!
every!waking!moment.!You!need!to!"rest"!your!brain!and!have!some!relaxing!
time!to!refresh!yourself.!This!might!be!as!simple!as!watching!some!enjoyable!
TV/DVDs,!continuing!your!hobby!or!just!socialising!with!family,!friends!and!
mates.!
!
Ensure!that!you!are!achieving!good!quality!sleep.!Your!brain!"recharges"!during!
quality!sleep.!If!you!neglect!this!important!area!of!your!personal!health!you!
will!eventually!become!chronically!tired!and!your!physical!and!mental!
performance!will!deteriorate.!
!
Exercise!Exercise!is!great!for!relieving!stress,!getting!you!out!of!the!books,!out!
of!the!house/flat!and!is!a!good!chance!to!mentally!"switch!off".!
!
If!you!haven't!been!regularly!exercising!prior!to!commencing!the!Command!
Course!this!doesn't!mean!that!you!go!out!and!overKdo!it.!You!will!just!wear!
yourself!out!and!make!things!worse!(and!possibly!injure!yourself).!Go!for!a!
walk!with!the!dog,!chase!the!kids!around!the!playground!(or!the!significant!
other!around!the!bedroom?).!
!
I!personally!find!that!I!do!a!lot!of!thinking!about!things!while!out!exercising.!
This!might!be!the!best!time!to!think!about!problems!or!difficulties!you!may!
encounter!during!the!Command!Training!process.!
!
Being!physically!fit!is!an!excellent!way!to!counter!the!effects!of!stress!(and!
some!Command!Trainees!manage!to!put!themselves!under!enormous!selfK
imposed!stress),!to!promote!good!quality!sleep!and!feel!good!about!yourself!
(you!have!to!look!after!your!selfKconcept!K!nobody!else!will).!
!
Diet!You!are!what!you!eat!(literally).!Eat!a!balanced!diet!to!get!all!the!goodies!
that!your!body!and!brain!requires!and!so!that!you!feel!refreshed!and!
recharged.!A!crap!diet!can!leave!you!feeling!lethargic!and!washed!out.!
!
Once!again,!you!don't!have!to!make!major!changes!to!your!lifestyle!just!
because!you're!on!a!Command!Course.!Just!pay!a!little!attention!to!what!
you're!popping!into!your!mouth!to!make!sure!that!it!is!"quality"!food.!
!
It!is!easy!when!you!don't!feel!like!you!have!enough!time!to!do!anything!to!
neglect!your!diet!and!eat!fast!foods!or!poor!quality!foods.!Eat!fruit!and!veggies!
(you!don't!want!to!get!scurvy!).!Watch!out!for!increasing!your!alcohol!intake!K!
don't!fall!into!the!trap!of!drinking!more!to!offset!the!increased!effects!of!stress!
(both!professionally!and!personally).!
!
Do!not!underKestimate!R.E.D.!If!you!start!stressing!about!the!course,!start!
losing!sleep,!neglect!to!do!any!exercise!and!eat!junk!food!you!are!pretty!much!
setting!yourself!up!for!future!poor!performances.!
!
Look!after!your!body!and!your!brain.!After!all!this!is!not!a!physical!job,!it!is!
mainly!a!mental!one.!

!
K.I.S.S.'
Hands!up!who!doesn't!know!what!K.I.S.S.!stands!for?!
!
For!those!of!you!who!have!been!living!in!a!box!for!your!entire!aviation!career!it!
is!an!acronym!for!Keep!It!Simple...Stupid!!
!
This!article!could!also!be!subKtitled!You!Don't!Need!To!Make!It!Any!Harder!
Than!What!It!Already!Is!(but!YDNTMIAHTWIAI!is!nowhere!near!as!cool!as!KISS).!
!
By!now!you've!probably!got!the!drift!of!this!blurb.!One!of!the!secrets!of!
Command!is!to!simplify!whenever!possible.!If!you!have!two!options,!and!one!is!
harder!than!the!other!but!they!both!achieve!the!same!result,!you!would!be!a!
bit!silly!to!choose!the!harder!option.!

Efficiency!is!intelligent!laziness.!

The!job!of!being!a!Captain!of!todays!modern!airliners!can!be!a!piece!of!cake!
when!everything!is!going!according!to!plan!K!the!weather!is!great,!the!aircraft!is!
not!broken,!you've!got!a!supportive!team,!ATC!is!giving!you!Directs!and!High!
Speed!K!but!it!can!rapidly!get!a!tad!difficult!when!everything!is!turning!into!a!
can!of!worms.!I!mean,!anyone!can!do!this!job!when!everything!is!going!right,!
but!not!too!many!people!can!do!it!when!the!wheels!are!falling!off.!When!this!
happens!you!start!to!earn!your!pay!as!the!Captain.!
!
Here's!some!idea!of!what!I!mean!by!trying!to!simplify!stuff;!

If!isolated!TCu!or!CB's!are!around,!then!look!out!the!window!and!visually!avoid!
them!rather!than!get!buried!"heads!down"!trying!to!dodge!them!using!the!
radar.!

Use!the!Autopilot!soon!after!Take!Off!if!you!have!a!minor!problem,!have!to!
dodge!weather!or!your!workload!increases!for!whatever!reason.!

!
Utilise!the!automatics!(Managed!in!the!Airbus)!whenever!possible!to!ease!your!
load.!This!method!is!only!effective!if!you!are!aware!of!what!the!Managed!
automatics!will!accomplish!for!you.!(You!do!know!what!the!automatics!can!do!
for!you,!don't!you?!If!not!then!you'd!better!get!cracking!and!learn!fast!as!the!
automatics!can!be!a!very!effective!way!to!gain!valuable!spare!brain!power).!

Don't!unduly!complicate!engineering,!cabin!crew!or!pax!problems.!

An!example!of!this!happened!on!one!flight!with!a!Command!Trainee!when!we!
got!an!ECAM!FLAP!SYS!2!FAULT!during!preflight!with!the!ground!engineer!
sitting!in!the!Jump!Seat!completing!the!Logbook.!The!engineer!suggested!doing!
a!Flap!System!check!(to!which!the!Command!Trainee!readily!agreed)!and!
shortly!after!commencing!the!test!the!fault!selfKcleared.!The!Command!Trainee!
let!the!engineer!complete!the!test!(Elec!HYD!pumps!ON!and!external!observer!
to!confirm!actual!flap/slat!position)!and!wasted!valuable!time!that!could!have!
been!put!to!better!use,!as!the!check!effectively!tested!a!now!serviceable!
system.!
!
Have!a!think!about!things,!even!when!all!is!going!to!plan,!and!endevour!to!take!
the!easy!option!if!that!will!achieve!the!same!result.!
!
hi,ive!been!keenly!reading!your!blog,real!helpfull.!
but!i!couldnt!understand!why!the!trainee!commanders!decision!was!
incorrect.can!u!elaborate!
!
!

Why!continue!with!the!flap!test?!What!practical!purpose!does!it!serve?!
!
The!fault!has!selfKcleared!(for!whatever!reason!K!it's!an!Airbus,!so!who!knows!
why!they!do!these!things),!so!as!far!as!all!the!BITE,!computers!and!black!boxes!
are!concerned!this!is!a!fully!serviceable!piece!of!equipment.!All!that!will!be!
accomplished!by!the!Ground!Engineer!completing!the!flap!check,!is!to!make!
you!feel!good!K!it!won't!reveal!or!accomplish!anything!of!value!to!you.!
!
The!system!can!only!identify!faults!if!they!are!present!K!if!they!are!NOT!present!
you!are!checking!a!serviceable!part!of!the!aircraft!(as!far!as!the!test!equipment!
is!concerned)!and!creating!extra!work!for!not!only!yourself!but!also!the!Ground!
Engineer.!
!
You!could!argue!that!doing!the!check!won't!hurt,!but!you!have!to!weigh!that!
up!against!the!additional!time!that!will!be!wasted,!the!extra!workload!and!
distractions!that!it!also!presents.!That's!your!call!as!the!Captain.!
!
My!personal!opinion!is!that!this!creates!extra!work!for!no!gain.!K.I.S.S.!

Anonymous!said...!

Hi!!
!
I'm!not!a!Captain!but!combine!this!mindset!with!the!suggestion!of!thinking!
what!the!newspapers!would!write!the!next!day,!if!for!some!reason!the!flaps!
would!retract!during!rotation!due!to!a!malfunctioning!microKswitch!that!could!
have!been!spotted!doing!the!flap!test...!
!
Just!my!humble!opinion...!

!
!

Mistakes'And'Criticism'(Part'1)'

This!is!the!first!of!three!parts!about!Mistakes!And!Criticism.!
!

Humans!make!mistakes.!You!are!
human!K!therfore!you!WILL!make!mistakes.!
!
Get!used!to!it.!
!
I!see!so!many!pilots!get!their!knickers!in!a!really!tight!knot!when!they!make!
mistakes!and!then!let!it!affect!their!performance.!
!
You!cant!afford!to!let!any!mistake!you!make!during!Command!Training!affect!
you!so!much!that!your!performance!during!the!flight!becomes!subKstandard.!
!
This!is!a!multiKpart!section!because!there!is!a!fair!bit!of!material!to!be!covered!
in!this!subject!and!it!is!important!that!you!approach!Mistakes!with!the!right!
sort!of!attitude.!Your!Command!Performance!depends!on!it!!
!
Mistakes!(or!errors)!come!in!many!forms.!They!may!be!errors!of!judgement!or!
Command,!aircraft!handling!mistakes,!the!application!of!incorrect!procedures,!
forgetfulness!K!the!list!goes!on.!

The!greatest!mistake!a!person!can!make!in!life!is!to!be!continually!afraid!you!
will!make!one.!(Elbert!Hubbard)!
Aviation!Culture!&!Mistakes!
!
Aviation!culture!tends!to!view!mistakes!or!errors!in!a!poor!light.!The!
consequences!of!major!errors!can!be!catastrophic!or!have!very!dire!results.!
The!dynamics!of!flight!(you!cant!stop!the!flight!in!midKair!and!sort!a!problem!
out)!mean!that!actions!and!decision!making!are!required!continuously!and!are!
often!pressured!by!a!lack!of!time.!
!
Mistakes!and!aviation!safety!are!heavily!portrayed!as!interKrelated;!the!less!
mistakes!you!make,!the!safer!the!flight.!Safety!journals!point!out!the!errors!
pilots!(and!others)!have!made!and!try!to!determine!the!error!chain!of!events.!
!
It!is!generally!inculcated!into!student!pilots!at!the!very!beginning!of!their!flying!
career!that!mistakes!are!undesirable!and!are!to!be!avoided.!This!theme!of!
avoiding!mistakes!is!perpetuated!throughout!the!remainder!of!a!pilots!career!
progression.!Almost!all!types!of!training!flights,!Command!Training!included,!
finish!with!a!debrief.!Here!all!your!mistakes!and!errors!are!pointed!out!to!you,!
even!ones!you!were!not!aware!that!you!made.!The!almost!non!stop!catalogue!
of!mistakes!is!very!often!perceived!by!the!Trainee!as!criticism!and!is!sometimes!
taken!very!personally.!
!
As!a!result!of!this!aviation!culture!and!continual!reinforcement,!mistakes!are!
perceived!as!bad!and!undesirable!and!are!to!be!avoided.!
!
Criticism!is!included!here!along!with!mistakes,!as!you!must!be!able!to!handle!
the!effects!of!criticism!as!a!result!of!your!mistakes!K!particularly!during!any!
debrief.!Debriefs!sometimes!can!be!a!chronicle!of!everything!you!did!wrong,!
every!mistake!and!error!committed!and!can!be!damaging!to!your!confidence!
and!self!concept.!You!may!walk!away!from!some!debriefs!wondering!if!you!did!
anything!right.!This!is!sometimes!as!a!result!of!Trainers!utilising!poor!debriefing!
techniques.!
!
During!Command!Training!your!every!action!and!decision!is!being!scrutinised,!
assessed!and!debriefed.!Someone!is!always!looking!over!your!shoulder.!
Major!mistakes!or!lots!of!minor!mistakes!are!what!will!get!you!suspended!from!
Command!Training.!Is!it!any!wonder!that!when!it!comes!to!Command!Training!
that!you!are!fearful!of!making!mistakes.!And!when!you!make!a!mistake!it!
assumes!huge!proportions!in!your!mind.!Not!only!are!you!worried!about!the!
mistake!itself,!but!also!about!how!it!affects!your!assessment!of!Command.!
!
You!must!realise!that!everyone!makes!mistakes!and!that!you!are!no!different.!
Perfection!is!an!unattainable!goal.!During!Command!Training!you!will!make!
mistakes.!To!successfully!complete!Command!Training!you!must!be!able!to!
manage!how!mistakes!affect!you,!direct!a!satisfactory!outcome!after!the!
mistake,!minimise!the!stress!(selfKinduced!or!otherwise)!that!they!can!cause!
and!continue!the!flight!to!a!successful!conclusion.!
!
What!Are!Mistakes!
!
For!the!purposes!of!Command!a!mistake!can!be!defined!as;!

Anything!that!you!do!that!you!later,!upon!reflection,!wish!you!had!done!
differently.!This!applies!also!to!things!you!didnt!do!that!you!later,!upon!
reflection,!wish!you!had!done!K!(McKay!and!Fanning).!

Mistakes!are!always!assessed!as!such!in!retrospect!K!they!are!deemed!to!be!
mistakes!after!you!make!them.!The!time!frame!between!making!the!mistake!
and!realising!that!it!was!a!mistake!can!vary.!It!may!be!almost!instantaneous!(I!
shouldnt!have!deleted!that!waypoint)!or!it!may!be!after!the!completion!of!
the!flight!during!the!debrief!or!upon!later!reviewing!the!flight!yourself!days!
later.!
!
There!is!no!such!thing!as!an!intentional!mistake.!Using!the!definition!of!a!
mistake!above,!if!you!intended!to!do!something,!then!it!was!not!a!mistake.!
Commanders!do!not!deliberately!set!out!to!make!mistakes.!Their!actions!and!
decisions!are!made!using!the!information!available!to!them!at!the!time.!Using!
that!information!in!conjunction!with!their!previous!flying!skills!and!aviation!
experience,!airmanship,!their!training!and!their!knowledge!of!procedures!and!
SOPs,!Commanders!then!make!what!they!determine!to!be!the!best!course!of!
action.!It!is!only!later,!after!you!have!completed!that!course!of!action,!that!you!
may!deem!it!to!have!been!a!mistake.!
!
Only!you!can!allocate!the!term!mistake!to!something!you!have!done.!If!
others!determine!that!you!have!made!a!mistake!but!you!disagree,!then!in!your!
own!mind!you!have!not!made!a!mistake.!This!selfKdetermination!may!or!may!
not!be!correct.!This!conflict!over!whether!a!mistake!has!been!made!or!not!
often!results!in!discussions!(sometimes!heated!and!lengthy)!during!debriefs!
between!Command!Trainers!and!Trainees.!
!
Were!not!going!to!focus!on!major!errors,!such!as!hitting!the!ground!or!other!
objects!while!taxying,!incorrect!procedures!during!TCAS!RAs!or!engine!failures.!
If!you!commit!a!major!error!during!Command!(if!you!survive!the!
consequences),!you!will!generally!be!suspended!from!Command!Training.!
These!types!of!major!errors!are!prevented!by!adherence!to!SOPs!and!Company!
regulations,!through!knowledge!of!FCOMs!(particularly!any!procedures!that!
are!required!to!be!completed!entirely!by!memory!and!therefore!must!be!
executed!accurately!and!almost!instantaneously)!and!by!using!your!experience!
and!not!putting!yourself!in!situations!that!require!extreme!measures!to!get!out!
of.!Nor!are!we!going!to!bother!with!the!inconsequential!and!innocuous!
mistakes!that!everyone!makes!during!a!flight,!although!by!applying!the!
principles!that!follow!you!may!lessen!or!minimise!the!effects!of!trivial!
mistakes.!
!
Between!these!two!extremes!of!errors!are!the!mistakes!that!have!the!potential!
to!affect!your!Command!decisions!and!your!progression!through!Command!
Training!and!these!are!the!types!of!mistakes!that!well!be!focussing!on.!
!
As!with!most!things!in!life!the!perceived!magnitude!of!a!mistake!will!vary!with!
different!individuals!and!will!also!vary!depending!on!that!individuals!mood!or!
state!of!mind.!What!one!Command!Trainee!perceives!as!a!big!mistake!will!be!
perceived!by!another!as!minor!error!and!not!worth!worrying!about.!
!
!

!
!

Mistakes'And'Criticism'(Part'2)'

In!Mistakes!And!Criticism!(Part!1)!we!discussed!what!mistakes!are!and!how!
mistakes!are!viewed!in!the!aviation!profession!(usually!negatively).!Now!well!
look!at!how!to!minimise!your!mistakes!(remember!you!will!never!eliminate!all!
mistakes)!and!how!mistakes!can!affect!you!physiologically!and!cognitively.!
!

!
!
Minimising!Mistakes!
!
Mistakes!are!an!inevitable!fact!of!life.!But!is!there!any!way!that!you!can!
somehow!minimise!the!number!or!severity!of!the!mistakes!that!you!will!make!
in!your!aviation!career?!The!following!includes!some!guidance!on!how!to!
minimise!or!eliminate!mistakes.!
!
!
Successive!Approximation.!Many!of!the!skills!that!are!required!as!a!pilot!are!
fairly!repetitious.!As!you!do!and!redo!these!skills!you!become!more!proficient!
at!them.!Successive!Approximation!is!the!redoing!of!skills!to!get!better!and!
so!move!closer!to!the!perfection!of!the!skill!by!receiving!feedback!provided!by!
mistakes.!You!do!a!skill,!make!a!mistake,!learn!from!that!mistake!and!the!next!
time!you!do!that!skill!you!perform!better!since!you!do!not!make!the!mistake!
again.!
!
Flight!Simulator!Training!is!an!excellent!method!for!practising!Successive!
Approximation.!If!you!make!an!error!in!the!Simulator,!get!the!instructor!to!
reset!the!Sim!and!fly!the!profile!again.!
!
The!same!can!be!done!during!flights.!Most!approaches!to!busy!airports!in!wide!
bodied!airliners!are!via!radar!vectors!to!intercept!the!ILS!localiser.!Use!these!
opportunities!to!refine!and!improve!your!flying!skills.!
!
Successive!Approximation!can!also!be!used!to!refine!your!People!Skills!!how!
you!interact!and!relate!with!people.!
!
You!should!be!actively!doing!Successive!Approximation!well!before!your!
Command!Training!begins.!
!
SOPs!and!FCOMs.!Airlines!long!ago!realised!the!value!of!standardising!their!
flight!procedures.!Airlines!usually!operate!their!aircraft!to!a!set!of!Standard!
Operating!Procedures!(SOPs)!or!Normal!Procedures!(NPs).!These!SOPs!result!in!
all!the!flight!crew!knowing!their!particular!responsibilities!and!required!duties.!
They!also!minimise!errors.!It!is!absolutely!imperative!that!you!know!your!
aircrafts!SOPs!intimately.!
!
In!conjunction!with!SOPs!are!aircraft!Flight!Manuals!or!FCOMs,!Airline!
Operations!Manuals!and!other!Operational!Directives!your!Airline!may!
issue.The!more!you!thoroughly!know!and!are!able!to!apply!the!contents!of!
these!documents!the!fewer!errors!you!will!make.By!knowing!the!contents!of!
these!publications,!or!by!seeking!out!the!particular!reference!you!require,!you!
will!be!guided!towards!making!the!correct!decisions!and!fewer!mistakes.!
!
Publications!and!Documentation.!Most!Trainers!will!require!that!you!know!
procedures!and!actions!to!important!items!intimately!(such!as!emergency!
procedures!or!your!Companys!Fuel!Policy).!They!also!expect!that!you!dont!
necessarily!have!to!memorise!absolutely!everything,!but!must!be!able!to!find!
the!required!information,!usually!contained!in!onKboard!publications,!and!then!
apply!that!information.!Familiarity!with!all!the!publications!stored!on!the!Flight!
Deck!is!essential.!Know!which!publications!are!kept!there!and!have!a!good!
working!knowledge!of!their!contents.!
!
When!faced!with!an!unusual!situation!you!may!be!able!to!avoid!making!an!
error!by!looking!up!the!solution!in!a!book.!However,!to!do!this!you!must!be!
aware!that!the!solution!lays!within!the!aircraft!publications,!you!must!be!able!
to!quickly!select!the!correct!document,!then!find!the!appropriate!reference!
and!then!apply!it!correctly.!If!you!are!able!to!do!this!quickly!and!effectively!it!
not!only!saves!a!great!deal!of!time!(which!is!usually!in!short!supply!and!
therefore!takes!pressure!off!you)!and!conveys!to!the!Trainer!that!you!are!a!
competent!and!knowledgeable!Commander.!
!
Contrast!this!with!a!Command!Trainee!who!knows!that!there!is!a!problem!and!
knows!that!the!answer!to!this!problem!is!within!the!aircraft!documents,!but!is!
unsure!of!which!publication!the!solution!is!in!or!how!to!find!or!apply!that!
solution.!The!result!is!hurried!searches!through!a!variety!of!different!
publications,!furious!page!flipping!trying!to!spot!the!solution!(I!know!its!in!
here!somewhere!).!Mean!while!time!is!marching!on!and!our!poor!ineffective!
Command!Trainee!is!effectively!wasting!valuable!time!and!increasing!the!
perceived!pressure!on!himself.!This!type!of!activity!does!not!convey!a!positive!
message!to!the!Command!Trainer.!
!
Ensure!you!know!your!books!and!more!importantly!that!you!can!apply!the!
information!that!they!contain.!
!
Time!Out.!Take!time!to!pause!and!then!think!through!unusual!problems!(Stop!
&!Think).!Making!off!the!cuff!decisions!when!pressed!for!time!can!be!one!of!
the!most!effective!ways!to!introduce!errors.!If!you!are!being!pressured!to!take!
a!particular!action!or!make!a!decision,!take!a!quick!time!out.!Stop!what!you!are!
doing!and!think!about!the!situation.!If!required,!get!out!of!the!cockpit,!tell!
other!non!essential!people!to!get!out!of!the!cockpit!or!to!be!quiet!or!close!the!
cockpit!door.!Minimise!distractions!so!that!you!can!think!about!the!problem!
and!formulate!an!appropriate!solution.!
!
An!effective!way!to!get!a!bit!of!time!out!for!yourself!is!to!turn!in!your!seat!
slightly!so!that!you!are!not!facing!others!in!the!cockpit!and!gaze!thoughtfully!
out!of!the!side!window.!Other!crew!members!or!ground!staff!will!see!you!deep!
in!thought!and!may!leave!you!alone!(for!a!while!anyway).!This!only!works!for!a!
short!time!so!take!your!quick!time!out,!think!through!your!situation,!
formulate!a!plan!and!then!face!the!others!and!convey!your!thoughts!to!the!
other!related!parties.!If!you!take!too!long!others!will!wonder!what!you!are!
doing.!
!
Other!People.!Utilise!the!expertise!of!other!people!available!to!you.!Command!
is!not!a!solo!enterprise;!you!are!the!leader!of!a!team.!Other!crew!members!or!
ground!staff!may!have!experienced!this!problem!before!and!have!a!ready!
made!solution!for!you.!This!is!after!all!the!essence!of!team!work!and!CRM.!Ask!
for!their!assistance,!question!them!or!delegate!the!problem!to!someone!else!
(ensure!that!you!are!not!fobbing!off!the!problem!to!someone!else!when!it!is!
really!you!who!are!responsible!for!that!problem!and!you!who!has!to!provide!
the!solution).!
!
Affects!Of!Mistakes!On!Individuals!
!
This!section!will!discuss!how!mistakes!affect!you!as!an!individual!!as!a!person.!
Broadly!speaking!you!will!be!affected!either!physiologically!(physical!body)!or!
cognitively!(mind!and!thoughts).!
!

!
!
As!has!been!seen,!mistakes!are!generally!perceived!as!bad!in!aviation.!This!has!
far!reaching!effects!on!you!as!a!person.!While!the!effects!mistakes!can!cause!
vary!widely!with!individuals!some!common!effects!are!listed!in!the!following!
table.!

Physiological! Cognitive!

Increased!Blood!Pressure! Stress!

Increased!Heart!Rate! Anxiety!

Perspiration! Embarrassment!

Muscular!Tenseness! Irrational!Thoughts!

(can!affect!fine!motor!skills! Feelings!of!Inadequacy!

such!as!manipulating!the! Lowered!SelfKEsteem!

control!column!or!side!stick)! Negative!Emotions!and!Moods!

K! Decreased!Motivation!

!
!
The!fear!of!making!mistakes!can!stifle!your!creativity!and!affect!your!piloting!
and!Command!performance.!It!may!also!result!in!Command!Trainees!changing!
their!style!of!Command!and!flying.!You!may!become!very!conservative!and!try!
to!slow!things!down!as!much!as!possible,!particularly!your!flying!when!acting!
as!PF.!You!may!also!start!to!off!load!you!decision!making!responsibilities!to!
subordinates!or!other!airline!staff.!Remember,!as!a!Commander!the!
responsibility!is!ultimately!yours.!
!
In!Mistakes!And!Criticism!(Part!3)!well!look!at!managing!mistakes!and!how!to!
handle!the!inevitable!debrief!and!the!associated!criticism!(this!is!always!the!
fun(?)!part!of!being!a!Trainee).!

!
!

Mistakes'And'Criticism'(Part'3)'

In!Mistakes!And!Criticism!(Part!2)!we!had!a!look!at!managing!mistakes!and!how!
mistakes!affect!you!(both!physiologically!and!cognitively).!Now!well!get!onto!
how!you!can!minimise!the!affects!mistakes!have!on!you!by!introducing!a!5!Step!
Mistake!Management!plan!and!your!responsibilities!as!a!Commander.!And!to!
finish!off!well!discuss!that!all!time!favourite!of!Trainees!K!the!debrief!K!and!how!
to!handle!the!(perceived)!criticism!that!this!fun!exercise!involves.!
!

!
Managing!Mistakes!
!
Mistakes!happen!!What!do!you!do!when!the!inevitable!error!occurs?!Have!you!
even!thought!about!your!actions!after!making!a!mistake?!
!
The!following!section!gives!a!Five!Step!model!on!how!to!manage!mistakes.!
Realise!that!every!situation!will!be!different!and!a!strict,!set!formula!may!not!
be!appropriate!for!all!situations.!In!these!cases!the!Steps!may!have!to!be!
modified!to!suit!the!particular!case.!Like!most!things!with!Command!Training,!
practise!makes!perfect!K!use!these!Steps!prior!to!Command!Training!so!that!
you!can!effectively!manage!mistakes!when!they!occur!during!the!upgrade!
Course.!

!
!
!
Step!1!K!Awareness.!The!very!first!step!in!managing!mistakes!is!to!be!aware!
that!you!make!mistakes!and!that!perfection!is!not!possible.!Mistakes!are!
human!nature!and!you!should!get!used!to!making!them.!By!all!means!do!
everything!in!your!power!to!minimise!errors!but!be!aware!that!you!will!make!
mistakes.!
!
Most!Command!Trainers!are!very!aware!that!you!will!make!mistakes.!The!
really!good!Trainers!will!let!you!make!mistakes!and!not!interfere!because!
mistakes!can!be!a!powerful!learning!tool,!they!want!to!see!how!you!react!to!
the!mistake!and!more!importantly!how!you!recover!from!the!mistake.!During!
Command!Check!Flights!the!Trainer!(Assessor)!will!usually!not!provide!any!
guidance!or!assistance!to!help!recover!from!your!mistake!as!they!are!assessing!
your!overall!performance.!
!
Step!2!K!Acknowledge!&!Move!On.!The!next!step!is!to!acknowledge!that!you!
have!made!a!mistake,!learn!from!the!mistake!and!then!move!on.!
!
The!aircraft!or!flight!will!not!stop!to!let!you!dwell!on!your!mistake.!Applying!
the!definition!of!a!mistake!means!that!they!are!now!in!the!past!but!you!must!
operate!in!the!present!to!produce!satisfactory!outcomes!in!the!future.!
!
In!acknowledging!that!you!have!made!a!mistake!do!not!unduly!criticise!
yourself.!You!are!a!human!who!has!the!same!imperfections!as!other!humans.!
You!can!be!your!own!worst!critic,!especially!so!as!a!pilot.!Do!not!keep!vilifying!
yourself!over!a!mistake!by!continually!replaying!the!error!or!postulating!What!
if!scenarios.!You!should!only!have!to!pay!for!a!mistake!once!and!that!is!
when!you!acknowledge!the!mistake!K!then!move!on.!
!
This!concept!of!moving!on!is!particularly!important!if!you!make!a!mistake!early!
in!a!multi!sector!(or!even!multi!day)!flight!and!more!so!on!a!Check!Flight.!If!you!
make!a!mistake!on!the!first!sector,!criticising!and!vilifying!yourself!and!
worrying!about!the!mistake!will!increase!your!anxiety!and!stress!levels.!If!you!
do!not!control!this!selfKinduced!form!of!stress!it!will!inevitably!affect!your!
future!performance!and!decision!making.!In!extreme!forms!this!anxiety!will!
create!further!errors!in!other!sectors!K!you!are!fretting!about!the!past!mistake!
and!fail!to!operate!in!the!present!and!so!create!further!problems!for!yourself.!
If!you!then!have!an!overnight,!you!spend!the!entire!time!in!the!Hotel!
castigating!yourself!and!worrying!that!the!entire!series!of!flights!is!turning!into!
a!can!of!worms.!You!get!a!poor!nights!sleep!and!start!the!next!day!fatigued.!
Small!mistakes!then!start!building!up!and!creating!further!mistakes.!You!can!
get!into!a!Death!Spiral!of!selfKinduced!mistakes,!your!confidence!plummets,!
you!start!to!fly!very!conservatively!(so!as!not!to!make!more!mistakes),!your!
stress!levels!soar!and!your!Command!performance!suffers.!
!
Some!Command!Trainees!who!have!experienced!this!situation!of!mistakes!
perpetuating!mistakes,!increased!stress!and!decreased!Command!performance!
describe!it!as!Losing!It.!You!must!break!the!vicious!cycle,!put!the!mistake(s)!
behind!you!and!move!on.!
!
Step!3!K!Time!Out.!In!moving!on!from!the!mistake!take!a!quick!time!out!to!get!
yourself!physically!and!more!importantly,!mentally!refocussed.!The!time!
available!to!do!this!may!of!necessity!be!very!short!(sometimes!only!a!few!
seconds).!
!
Deep,!rhythmic!breathing!and!relaxing!tense!muscles!can!control!some!of!the!
physiological!affects!as!can!positive!thinking.!Reframe!the!mistake!from!a!
negative!to!a!positive!experience!(e.g.!I!learnt!a!lot!from!that!or!I!know!how!
to!solve!this).!If!you!have!the!time,!try!to!detach!yourself!from!the!situation!
by!looking!out!the!side!window!or!even!leaving!the!cockpit!(if!that!is!possible).!
!
These!physical!and!mental!skills!are!very!individual!and!what!works!for!one!
person!will!not!work!for!another.!They!are!only!acquired!through!practise!and!
you!should!begin!to!incorporate!them!into!your!day!to!day!flying!well!before!
the!Command!Course!begins!so!that!they!are!ingrained!and!almost!automatic.!
!
You!may!need!to!continue!to!calm!yourself,!turn!your!thinking!positively!and!
reframe!the!error!after!the!flight!has!finished.!As!has!been!discussed!this!is!
important!during!Check!Flights,!multi!sector!flights!and!during!overnight!
stopovers.!
!
Step!4!K!Error!Recovery.!After!refocussing!you!should!be!concentrating!on!Error!
Recovery.!By!operating!in!the!present!to!produce!satisfactory!outcomes!in!the!
future!you!should!be!formulating!plans!and!taking!actions!to!recover!from!the!
mistake.!Dont!just!ignore!a!mistake,!do!something!positive!to!either!mitigate!
the!effect!or!produce!a!different!satisfactory!outcome.!Be!proactive!and!
positive.!
!
Some!Airlines!actually!assess!Command!Trainees!on!their!error!recovery.!While!
you!may!not!receive!an!optimum!assessment!due!to!the!mistake,!you!may!
receive!an!above!average!assessment!for!the!way!that!you!handled!the!
recovery!from!the!initial!error.!Error!recovery!is!an!important!skill!in!being!a!
Commander.!Trainers!(and!you)!can!learn!a!lot!about!you!from!watching!how!
you!react!to!a!mistake.!
!
Your!error!recovery!outcome!may!not!be!as!good!as!if!you!had!not!made!the!
error!in!the!first!place,!but!it!will!inevitably!be!better!than!if!you!had!done!
nothing!about!the!error.!
!
Step!5!K!Self!Concept.!Finally,!dont!let!mistakes!erode!your!concept!of!yourself.!
Do!not!fall!into!the!trap!of!equating!mistakes!with!failure.!You!are!only!a!failure!
if!you!do!not!learn!from!your!mistakes.!Mistakes!should!be!viewed!as!a!
powerful!learning!opportunity.!Whether!or!not!you!view!mistakes!as!a!positive!
experience!depends!upon!your!attitude!and!the!value!you!place!on!your!self!
worth.!Just!because!you!make!a!mistake!does!not!mean!that!you!are!a!lesser!
person!and!you!should!not!allow!your!selfKesteem!to!be!adversely!affected.!
!
Summary.!Mistakes!can!be!small!or!they!can!be!monumental.!Generally!small!
mistakes,!the!inconsequential!errors!everyone!makes,!are!OK!during!Command!
Training!but!larger!mistakes!are!not.!Not!making!a!mistake!in!the!first!place!is!
ideal!but!if!you!do!make!a!large!mistake!use!the!5!Step!Mistake!Management!
Plan!to!get!back!on!track:!

Step!1!K!Be!aware!that!you!make!(and!will!make)!mistakes.!
!

Step!2!K!Acknowledge!and!learn!from!the!mistake,!then!move!on.!

Step!3!K!Refocus!physically!and!mentally.!

Step!4!K!Error!recovery.!

Step!5!K!Maintain!your!SelfKConcept.!

You!must!be!able!to!apply!these!steps!quickly,!efficiently!and!as!instinctively!as!
possible.!Accomplishing!Steps!2,!3!and!4!are!the!most!important!steps!to!be!
accomplished!after!making!a!mistake!airborne.!
!
The!5!Steps!are!a!learned!skill!and!the!more!you!practise!this!skill!the!better!
you!will!become!at!handling!errors,!especially!errors!which!are!time!
dependant.!As!an!added!benefit!if!you!can!control!your!attitude!and!the!way!
that!you!think!about!the!mistake!in!a!positive!way,!you!will!reduce!your!anxiety!
and!stress!levels!and!increase!your!Command!performance.!
!
Responsibility!
!
As!Harry!Truman!said!The!buck!stops!here.!
!
As!an!aircraft!Commander!you!are!charged!with!the!ultimate!responsibility!of!
the!crew,!passengers!and!the!conduct!of!the!flight.!As!such!you!must!accept!
responsibility!for!any!mistakes!that!you!make!and!to!a!certain!extent!the!
mistakes!your!subordinates!make!or!you!allow!them!to!make.!
!
Fobbing!off!the!blame!for!mistakes!to!subordinates,!ATC,!the!weather!or!the!
aircraft!is!just!not!acceptable.!Step!2!of!the!Mistake!Management!Plan!is!to!
acknowledge!and!learn!from!the!mistake,!then!move!on.!Part!of!the!
acknowledgement!of!the!mistake!is!to!accept!responsibility!for!the!mistake.!
!
Dont!try!to!make!excuses!about!a!mistake!you!have!made.!Most!competent!
pilots!will!know!why!it!happened!and!by!trying!to!pull!the!wool!over!their!eyes!
will!result!in!their!having!less!respect!for!you.!Especially!do!not!try!to!convince!
Trainers!that!it!was!not!your!fault!K!it!is!extremely!unlikely!they!will!fall!for!the!
deception.!By!attempting!to!place!the!blame!on!some!other!person!or!object!
you!display!poor!Command!and!Leadership!skills!and!if!you!regularly!do!this,!
will!develop!a!reputation!as!a!less!than!responsible!person!and!someone!not!to!
be!trusted.!
!
Criticism!And!The!Debrief!
!
After!each!and!every!simulator!session!and!flight!during!Command!Training!
you!should!receive!a!debrief.!The!main!aim!of!a!debrief!should!be!to!not!only!
highlight!errors!and!mistakes!but!also!what!you!did!correctly!and!praise!you!for!
the!good!things!you!achieved.!Sadly!most!debriefs!tend!only!to!focus!on!what!
you!did!wrong!and!how!to!correct!what!you!did!wrong!on!future!flights.!
!
If!you!experience!this!type!of!debrief!it!can!seem!as!though!it!is!non!stop!
criticism!of!you!and!some!people!will!take!this!very!personally.!Most!Trainers!
will!only!point!out!your!mistakes!and!errors!so!that!you!are!aware!that!you!
made!them!in!the!first!place!and!so!that!you!can!avoid!making!the!same!
mistake!in!later!flights.!It!is!not!a!personal!attack!on!you!K!the!Trainer!is!trying!
to!improve!your!performance!on!future!flights.!
!
You!should!approach!debriefs!as!a!valuable!learning!experience.!Not!only!your!
mistakes!and!errors!should!be!discussed!but!also!how!you!could!have!avoided!
the!mistake!in!the!first!place!and!what!to!do!after!the!mistake!has!been!made!
(error!recovery).!If!the!Trainer!does!not!cover!these!two!items!ensure!that!you!
ask!him!about!them.!Be!proactive!in!your!development.!
!
Ensure!that!you!leave!the!debrief!on!a!positive!note.!If!the!Trainer!does!not!
finish!it!positively!make!sure!that!you!somehow!put!a!positive!spin!on!it.!
Recount!the!learning!opportunities,!gain!satisfaction!that!you!wont!make!the!
same!mistake!again!and!remind!yourself!that!as!a!result!of!the!debrief!you!will!
be!a!better!Commander!in!the!future.!Good!Trainers!should!end!a!debrief!on!a!
positive!note!so!that!you!are!motivated!and!enthused!to!continue!to!produce!
good!flights.!
!
Do!not!let!debriefs!erode!your!self!concept!or!self!esteem.!Remember!
everyone!makes!mistakes!and!you!are!no!different.!
!
The!Debrief!From!Hell.!Everyone!at!some!stage!of!their!aviation!career!has!
experienced!the!Debrief!From!Hell.!This!is!usually!performed!by!a!Trainer!
who!has!poor!instructional!and!debriefing!skills.!In!the!Debrief!From!Hell!you!
are!harangued!for!every!minor!and!major!mistake!you!made,!everything!is!
negative,!there!is!no!positive!criticism!or!guidance!given!and!you!leave!the!
debrief!feeling!incompetent!and!worthless.!Be!aware!that!these!types!of!
debriefs!still!exist,!but!are!fortunately!quite!rare.!If!you!are!unfortunate!
enough!to!be!on!the!receiving!end!of!the!Debrief!From!Hellremember:!

It!is!usually!not!a!personal!attack!on!you.!

If!the!mistakes!pointed!out!to!you!are!all!minor!and!trivial,!then!you!must!have!
conducted!the!vast!majority!of!the!flight!competently!and!satisfactorily.!

Dont!ever!allow!a!debrief!to!erode!your!self!concept!or!self!esteem.!Try!to!put!
the!debrief!in!its!perspective.!Just!because!you!made!some!mistakes!does!not!
mean!that!you!are!a!poor!Commander!or!a!bad!person.!

Sometimes!the!criticism!is!the!personal!opinion!of!the!Trainer!K!whether!right!
or!wrong.!

Try!to!learn!from!any!debrief;!after!all,!the!main!reason!for!a!debrief!is!so!that!
you!learn!from!your!mistakes!and!dont!make!them!again.!Your!attitude!
towards!debriefs!will!affect!whether!you!can!make!this!experience!into!a!
positive!or!negative!one.!
!

Dont!get!into!a!slanging!match!if!you!perceive!that!the!Trainer!is!incorrect!or!
being!unfair.!By!all!means!stand!up!for!yourself!and!clarify!any!debrief!points!
that!you!think!are!incorrect!(a!good!knowledge!of!SOPs!and!procedures!is!
required!to!successfully!achieve!this),!but!dont!allow!the!session!to!
deteriorate!into!a!personal!argument!or!shouting!match.!The!Trainer!usually!
has!some!form!of!power!over!you!(the!power!of!authority!derived!from!him!
being!your!superior,!teacher!and!mentor!given!to!him!by!the!Company!Training!
Department)!and!you!will!in!most!cases!come!off!second!best.!

Sometimes!it!is!best!to!accept!the!criticism,!ignore!the!debrief!points!you!
perceive!as!unfair!or!incorrect,!learn!from!the!other!debrief!points!and!then!
get!out!of!the!debrief!as!quickly!as!possible.!Try!and!then!put!the!whole!
unpleasant!experience!behind!you!and!move!on.!

NOTE:!
!
Some!Command!Trainees!perceive!that!they!are!experiencing!a!form!of!
the!Debrief!From!Hell!when!in!fact!they!are!receiving!a!fair!debrief!for!a!poorly!
executed!flight.!
!
It!is!not!in!reality!a!Debrief!From!Hell,!just!a!fair!and!accurate!assessment!of!
their!errors!and!poor!conduct.!If!you!are!unable!to!distinguish!between!
a!Debrief!From!Helland!a!normal!debrief!pointing!out!your!shortcomings!and!
errors,!then!you!should!not!be!in!a!position!of!Command.!
!
The!vast!majority!of!Trainers!have!your!best!interests!at!heart!and!the!Debrief!
From!Hell!is!a!rarity.!You!will!not!do!yourself!any!favours!if!you!act!as!though!
you!have!received!the!Debrief!From!Hell!when!in!fact!you!are!totally!unaware!
of!your!shortcomings.!People!with!this!type!of!delusional!thinking!cannot!
understand!why!they!are!suspended!from!Command!Training!

!
!

Self'Concept'(Part'1)'

This!is!the!first!part!of!a!series!of!linked!articles!about!the!SELF.!At!the!
beginning!there!is!a!link!back!to!the!Introduction!and!at!the!end!of!each!article!
a!link!to!the!next!one.!
!
To!be!an!effective!person,!Commander!and!Leader!you!have!to!understand!
yourself.!Only!when!you!have!a!grasp!of!who!you!are!can!you!then!attempt!to!
understand!other!people.!
!
This!eventual!understanding!of!how!you!and!other!people!interact!will!
determine!decisions!you!make!(in!the!air!and!on!the!ground),!the!type!of!
leadership!style!you!employ,!choices!you!make!and!the!effectiveness!of!that!
interaction!and!the!relationships!you!form!with!those!people.!
!
In!essence!understanding!YOURSELF!has!a!large!bearing!on!your!success!or!
failure!as!a!Commander.!And!it!all!starts!with!you.!
!
Self'Concept!
!
Everyone!has!a!mental!image!of!who!they!are!and!what!they!represent,!their!
strengths!and!weaknesses!and!their!abilities!and!limitations.!This!may!be!an!
accurate!image!or!may!be!somewhat!distorted.!This!internal!mental!image!is!
your!Self!Concept.!
!
Our!perception!of!ourselves!is!continually!being!changed!and!updated!from!
birth!and!is!the!end!result!of!all!our!experiences,!relationships!and!interactions!
with!people!and!the!environment.!It!is!a!very!subjective!assessment!because!of!
the!individual!associations!we!have!with!other!people.!It!may!be!distorted!and!
inaccurate!due!to!old,!obsolete!or!inaccurate!information.!It!is!flexible!and!
depends!on!the!situation!and!environment!we!find!ourselves!in.!It!may!change!
depending!on!whether!we!are!fatigued!or!rested,!hot!or!cold,!confused!or!
alert,!in!current!flying!experience!or!uncurrent,!happy!or!sad.!
!
Your!Self!Concept!is!moulded!from!four!main!sources:!
!
Others!Images!Of!You.!People!reflect!how!they!perceive!you!as!an!individual!
back!at!you,!like!looking!in!a!mirror,!through!their!actions!and!behaviours.!If!
they!think!that!you!are!a!competent,!capable!and!successful!person!they!will!
probably!treat!you!with!respect,!courtesy!and!politeness.!If!however,!they!
perceive!you!as!incompetent,!clumsy!and!a!loser!they!will!probably!treat!you!
completely!differently.!
!
The!more!the!other!person!is!significant!in!your!life,!the!more!impact!the!
reflected!image!will!have!on!your!Self!Concept.!If,!during!the!course!of!a!flight,!
you!receive!a!positive!(or!negative)!image!from!a!Senior!Training!Captain,!it!
would!mean!much!more!to!you!than!if!you!had!received!the!same!message!
from!a!Second!Officer!or!a!cabin!attendant.!
!
Social!Comparisons.!We!tend!to!make!social!comparisons!by!evaluating!
ourselves!with!others,!especially!our!peer!group.!Am!I!better!or!worse!than!
him,!fatter!or!thinner,!can!I!fly!as!well!as!him?!
!
If!you!form!some!sort!of!support!group!or!are!paired!up!with!others!
undergoing!Command!Training!you!will!invariably!compare!yourself!with!the!
other!Command!Trainees!!especially!if!the!simulator!sessions!or!flights!are!
evaluated!or!graded!by!a!marking!system.!This!type!of!comparison!should!be!
approached!with!caution!as!the!marking!can!be!influenced!by!so!many!
variables,!which!may!or!may!not!be!present!in!some!of!the!flights.!You!may!
also!compare!how!you!would!have!handled!a!particular!situation!described!by!
another!and!determine!if!you!may!have!been!better!or!worse.!For!example,!
another!Command!Trainee!may!describe!how!he!executed!a!Visual!Approach!
and!you!then!determine!if!you!are!better!or!worse!than!him!based!on!your!
own!knowledge!of!how!you!would!have!flown!the!Visual!Approach!yourself.!
!
Cultural!Teachings.!Your!beliefs,!values!and!attitudes!are!heavily!influenced!by!
the!cultural!environment!that!you!were!brought!up!in!and!now!live!in.!Your!
race,!nationality,!parents,!teachers,!managers,!the!media,!social!environment,!
religion,!flying!instructors!and!even!your!employer!has,!and!is!now,!influencing!
the!way!you!see!yourself.!
!
The!way!you!measure!success!and!failure!and!determine!if!you!are!good!or!bad!
are!influenced!by!your!cultural!teachings.!An!Occidental!pilot!will!view!being!a!
good!Captain!in!a!different!manner!to!an!Oriental!pilot.!An!Australian!pilot!will!
tend!to!have!a!different!and!distinctive!Command!style!to!a!British!or!Japanese!
pilot.!Even!different!Airlines!will!have!their!own!brand!of!"Culture"!!their!way!
of!doing!things!that!you!are!expected!to!conform!to,!which!may!be!quite!
different!to!another!Airline.!
!
Your!Own!Interpretations!And!Evaluations.!As!other!people!reflect!back!at!you!
how!they!perceive!you,!so!do!you!react!to!your!own!behaviours!and!actions.!If!
you!interpret!an!action!that!you!do!as!positive,!then!you!will!make!a!positive!
evaluation!about!yourself!and!so!increase!your!Self!Concept.!
!
You!must!learn!not!to!be!your!harshest!critic.!People!when!they!selfKevaluate!
tend!to!be!much!more!critical!than!how!others!actually!see!them.!However,!do!
not!delude!yourself!either.!Your!own!interpretations!and!evaluations!can!be!a!
double!edged!sword.!SelfKevaluation!is!by!nature!very!subjective.!Depending!
on!your!past!life!experiences!and!your!current!Self!Concept,!you!may!be!
making!either!accurate!or!inaccurate!selfKevaluations.!Feedback!from!other!
people!is!one!way!to!confirm!or!deny!your!subjective!selfKevaluations.!
!
The!more!you!know!of!yourself,!the!more!accurate!your!interpretations!and!
evaluations!will!be.!
!

!
!

Your!Four!Selves!(Part!2)!

!
Your!self!awareness!can!be!explained!by!examining!a!little!concept!known!as!
theJohari!Window!model.!
!
This!is!a!concept!used!by!pyschologists!to!help!(try)!and!explain!the!Self.!If!you!
persevere!and!read!this!it!may!even!help!you!too.!
!
It!has!four!quadrants!representing!a!different!aspect!of!your!Self.!These!
aspects!are!also!related!to!what!you!know!of!yourself!and!what!others!know!of!
you!and!are!all!interKrelated.!
!
The!Open!Self.!This!aspect!represents!everything!that!you!know!of!yourself!and!
what!others!know!of!you.!It!includes!such!things!as!your!name!and!age,!marital!
status,!your!motives!and!desires,!behaviours,!rank,!aeronautical!experience!
and!your!position!in!your!Company.!
!
This!part!of!your!Self!is!the!one!you!have!the!most!control!over.!Your!Open!Self!
window!can!vary!in!size!depending!on!how!much!information!about!yourself!
you!are!willing!to!disclose!(to!relative!strangers),!the!situation!you!are!in!or!the!
people!about!you!that!you!are!interacting!with.!The!size!of!the!Open!Self!
depends!also!on!the!personality!of!the!person.!Some!people!are!quiet!and!do!
not!readily!reveal!certain!aspects!of!themselves!and!so!have!a!small!Open!
window,!while!others!are!very!open!and!need!little!prompting!to!talk!about!
themselves!and!have!a!large!Open!window.!The!more!comfortable!a!person!
feels!in!a!situation,!the!more!likely!it!is!that!he!will!allow!his!Open!window!to!
expand!by!revealing!parts!of!himself.!
!
After!meeting!other!members!of!your!cockpit/cabin!crew!(and!you!feel!
comfortable!with!them)!you!may!elect!to!divulge!information!about!yourself!
and!so!expand!the!size!of!your!Open!Self!to!them.!This!generally!happens!quite!
early!on!in!the!team!formation!process!(at!the!preKflight!briefing!if!you!have!
not!met!these!crew!members!before)!and!generally!takes!the!form!of!polite!
social!questioning.!Such!queries!may!be;!Are!you!married?!How!many!kids!do!
you!have?!When!did!you!last!complete!a!take!off!and!landing?!Have!you!been!
to!this!destination!before?!
!
The!Blind!Self.!This!aspect!represents!everything!about!you!that!others!know!
but!you!are!not!aware!of.!Areas!which!are!blind!to!us!may!be!an!insignificant!
habit!of!saying!"Err"!at!the!beginning!of!every!radio!transmission,!a!lack!of!
piloting!skills!or!poor!communication!skills!with!ground!handling!agents.!
!

The!size!of!the!Blind!Self!can!also!
vary!with!people.!Some!people!are!oblivious!to!their!faults!and!habits,!while!
others!seek!to!determine!their!every!fault.!You!can!reduce!the!size!of!your!
Blind!Self!by!judicious!questioning!and!prompting!of!others.!Good!
interpersonal!and!conversational!skills!generally!results!in!a!smaller!Blind!Self.!
However,!be!careful!about!helping!someone!"discover"!their!Blind!Self!!that!
person!may!resent!the!perceived!fault!being!pointed!out!to!them.!
!
The!Hidden!Self.!This!aspect!contains!all!that!you!know!about!yourself!but!keep!
hidden!from!others.!Such!things!as!successfully!kept!secrets!and!personal!
thoughts,!motives!and!desires!which!we!feel!belong!only!to!us!are!examples!of!
the!Hidden!Self.!
!
The!size!of!the!Hidden!Self!is!also!dependant!on!the!person.!Some!people!
readily!disclose!every!minute!detail!about!themselves!and!others!are!reluctant!
to!divulge!much!of!this!personal!information.!Most!people!keep!certain!things!
to!themselves!and!disclose!other!personal!items!and!they!make!disclosures!to!
some!people!and!not!others.!
!
The!Unknown!Self.!This!aspect!of!the!Self!contains!details!about!you!that!
neither!you!nor!others!are!aware!of.!There!is!little!you!can!do!about!this!aspect!
except!be!aware!that!it!exists.!
!
The!Unknown!Self!is!continually!being!reduced!as!you!and!others!learn!more!
about!yourself!and!so!transfer!to!the!Hidden,!Blind!or!Open!Self.!The!Unknown!
Self!can!be!revealed!in!unusual!or!demanding!circumstances.!During!an!inflight!
emergency!or!stressful!personal!event!you!may!react!and!do!things!that!you!
had!not!previously!been!aware!that!you!were!capable!of.!
!
Command!often!produces!unusual,!unplanned!and!stressful!moments!in!which!
you!may!be!surprised!at!how!you!react!and!the!decisions!that!you!make!(both!
good!and!bad).!Your!mental!image!of!yourself!will!be!modified!by!revelations!
of!the!Unknown!or!Hidden!Self!as!they!then!become!one!of!the!other!types!of!
Self.!
!
InterKrelation!of!the!Selves.!The!relative!size!of!the!different!windows!can!vary!
and!are!dependant!on!the!others!and!the!circumstances!you!find!yourself!in.!
For!example!if!the!Hidden!Self!is!reduced!by!disclosing!a!secret,!the!Open!Self!
becomes!larger!or!if!something!of!you!that!you!or!others!were!not!aware!of!is!
revealed!in!an!unusual!circumstance,!the!Unknown!Self!is!reduced!and!the!
Open!Self!or!the!Hidden!Self!is!expanded!depending!on!whether!the!
circumstance!was!observed!by!others!or!you!related!the!experience!to!others!
or!not.!
!
The!Johari!Window!concept!applies!to!not!only!you,!but!all!people.!So!you!can!
apply!this!same!concept!towards!your!other!crew!members!and!even!pax!(if!
you!want!to!get!involved).!
!
!

!
Self'Awareness'(Part'3)'

!
Many!of!your!Command!decisions!and!actions!and!how!you!interKrelate!with!
people!will!be!based!on!the!type!of!person!you!are.!Increasing!Self!Awareness!
is!necessary!if!you!want!to!increase!your!Open!or!Hidden!Self!and!it!is!also!
required!to!be!able!to!form!correct!and!accurate!interpretations!and!
evaluations!of!yourself.!By!increasing!Self!Awareness!you!can!capitalize!on!your!
strengths!and!minimise!your!weaknesses.!As!your!Self!Awareness!develops,!so!
will!your!Self!Concept.!You!may!discover!hidden!strengths!and!so!increase!your!
Self!value.!
!
You!are!basically!learning!about!yourself!and!this!learning!should!be!a!
continuous!process.!It!is!a!life!long!pursuit.!Realise!that!your!Self!Concept!has!
been!moulded!by!a!lifetime!of!experiences!and!is!usually!quite!slow!to!
change.!Do!not!think!that!you!can!change!yourself!overnight.!Any!major!
changes!you!would!like!to!attempt!should!be!completed!before!you!begin!the!
Command!Course.!For!this!reason!you!need!to!begin!to!assess!and!increase!
your!Self!Awareness!well!before!the!Command!Course!starts.!
!
With!a!suitably!developed!Self!Awareness!you!may!start!to!become!aware!of!
the!core!reasons!behind!why!you!make!certain!decisions!or!do!certain!actions.!
It!may!also!cause!you!to!pause!and!examine!a!situation!closer!before!making!a!
decision.!
Self!Awareness!can!be!increased!from!two!basics!sources:!yourself!and!other!
people.!
Yourself.!Just!by!reading!this!info!you!are!increasing!your!Self!Awareness.!
Anything!that!causes!you!to!pause!and!look!inwards!to!yourself!is!expanding!
your!Self!Awareness,!such!as!reflecting!on!why!you!have!made!a!particular!
decision!and!the!reasons!behind!that!decision.!Essentially!by!looking!inwards!
towards!yourself!you!are!expanding!your!Hidden!Self.!
!
Learning!about!yourself!can!be!as!easy!as!taking!a!page!of!paper!and!dividing!it!
into!two!columns!headed!STRENGTHS!and!WEAKNESSES.!Then!as!quickly!as!
possible!and!without!thinking!too!much!about!the!results,!list!your!perceived!
strengths!and!weaknesses.!Include!not!only!the!Command!traits!but!also!your!
basic!personal!traits.!You!may!wish!to!separate!the!two!subjects!and!do!a!list!
for!each.!

Strengths! Weaknesses!

Loyal! Not!enough!Command!
experience!

LevelKheaded! Can!be!too!quiet!and!withdrawn!

Assess!the!situation!before! Not!assertive!enough!
deciding!

Honest! Command!leadership!skills!

Have!concern!for!other!people! Can!not!remember!peoples!
names!

Good!aircraft!technical! Procrastinate!
knowledge!

Good!flying!skills! Tend!to!waste!spare!time!

Accept!valid!criticism! Not!enough!time!spent!with!
family!

Easy!going!and!relaxed! Sloppy!dresser!

Easy!to!get!along!with! Low!aircraft!experience!on!new!
type!

Respected!by!peers! Expat!(overseas)!lifestyle!

Thrive!on!challenges! Away!from!extended!family!

Like!learning!new!things! Worry!continuously!about!job!
security!

Physically!fit! Low!seniority!in!Airline!

Good!attitude!towards!work! A!bit!blas!
!
Another!easy!exercise!is!to!write!"Who!Am!I"!at!the!top!of!a!sheet!of!paper.!
Then!write!"I!am"!15!or!20!times!down!the!page.!Once!again!as!quickly!as!
possible!and!without!pausing!to!think!too!much!about!the!response!complete!
the!"I!am"!sentence.!
!
There!are!no!right!or!wrong!answers!in!such!exercises,!however,!try!to!be!as!
honest!and!as!forthright!as!possible.!These!exercises!are!for!you!to!discover!
something!about!yourself!and!kidding!or!deluding!yourself!deceives!no!one!
except!you.!These!lists!are!not!for!others!to!peruse!and!should!be!destroyed!or!
safely!filed!away!after!you!have!finished!with!them.!
!
After!observing!or!making!a!flying!or!Command!decision!(especially!an!unusual!
or!demanding!situation),!try!to!pause!and!reflect!on!the!situation.!Did!that!go!
as!I!planned!it?!How!could!I!have!achieved!a!better!outcome?!Why!did!I!take!
that!course!of!action?!
!
This!type!of!selfKreflection!is!extremely!valuable!in!the!lead!up!to!commencing!
your!Command!Course.!When!observing!other!Captains!in!action!try!to!put!
yourself!in!their!place.!How!would!I!have!handled!that!situation!and!why!would!
I!have!chosen!that!way?!What!other!options!were!available!at!the!time?!
!
Other!People.!By!being!aware!and!observing!other!peoples!behaviours,!
actions!and!reactions!towards!you!can!reveal!certain!aspects!about!yourself.!
Try!to!see!yourself!as!other!people!see!you.!By!utilising!other!people!you!are!
increasing!both!your!Open!and!Hidden!Self.!
!
Actively!listen!to!and!observe!others.!During!any!conversation!the!other!
person!is!continuously!giving!you!feedback!about!yourself.!This!may!not!be!as!
overt!as!the!actual!words!they!are!using,!but!may!be!the!way!they!are!using!
the!words,!the!tone!or!volume!they!use.!It!may!even!be!the!nonKverbal!
messages!they!are!sending!you.!
!

!
!

!
Examples!of!this!are:!

You!know!you!are!a!bit!untidy!in!your!uniform!habits.!On!meeting!the!Senior!
Check!and!Training!Captain!you!are!to!fly!with,!you!introduce!yourself!and!
shake!hands.!While!shaking!hands!he!looks!you!up!and!down!and!sighs!with!a!
touch!of!disappointment!in!his!facial!expression.!No!words!were!exchanged!
but!the!message!was!conveyed!unambiguously!that!he!disapproves!of!your!
standard!of!dress.!

As!Captain!you!handle!an!unruly!passenger!with!tact!and!defuse!a!potentially!
troublesome!situation.!You!observe!the!First!Officer!out!of!the!corner!of!your!
eye!wryly!smiling!to!himself!and!nodding!his!head!slowly!in!agreement!with!
your!method!and!decision.!

You!can!also!actively!seek!information!and!question!other!people!about!
yourself.!You!do!not!have!to!be!blunt!and!ask!"What!do!you!think!of!me?"!You!
may!not!like!the!answer!!Ensure!you!are!not!continuously!asking!about!
yourself!!restrict!this!type!of!enquiry!to!a!few!well!chosen!questions!for!each!
person.!Choose!people!you!are!comfortable!with!to!seek!answers!about!
yourself.!Use!situations!that!occur!during!the!normal!course!of!events!to!
obtain!relevant!information!about!yourself.!
!
Use!your!current!Captains!experience.!Ask!him!such!things!as!"Do!you!think!I!
should!be!more!assertive!in!the!preKflight!briefing?",!"Am!I!too!withdrawn!and!
quiet!during!the!cruise?"!or!"How!could!I!have!managed!that!approach!
better?"!
!
As!I'll!continually!keep!saying!K!it!really!is!up!to!YOU.!Start!working!on!your!SelfK
Awareness!now!so!that!you!have!some!idea!of!what!sort!of!captain!you!will!
turn!out!like.!And!if!you!don't!like!it,!then!gradually!begin!to!change!who!you!
are.!

!
!

SEP'F'Somebody'Else's'Problem!'

The!Somebody!Else's!Problem!Field!(SEP!Field)!is!a!fictional!technology!from!
the"Hitchhikers!Guide!To!The!Galaxy"!trilogy!by!Douglas!Adams.!It!is!a!cheaper!
and!more!practical!alternative!to!an!invisibility!field.!
!
What!has!this!got!to!do!with!being!the!Captain!of!an!Airliner?!!
!
Well,!as!a!Captain!everyone!wants!a!piece!of!your!time...and!it!is!usually!right!
when!you!are!busiest.!I!wish!I!could!get!my!SEP!Field!up!and!running!
sometimes!and!fade!away!and!just!get!on!with!my!job!rather!than!getting!
involved!with!solving!other!peoples!problems.!
!
Unfortunately,!as!it!says!above,!the!SEP!Field!is!fictitious.!However!you!can!
utilise!the!essence!of!the!title!by!trying!to!make!problems,!hassles!and!
nuisances!Somebody!Elses!Problem.!This!sometimes!goes!by!the!name!
of!RESPONSIBILITY!and!sometimes!by!the!name!of!DELEGATION.!
!
As!the!Captain,!you!do!not!have!to!do!anyone!elses!job!for!them.!
!
Let's!look!a!typical!example;!

If!a!Ground!Staff!member!is!having!problems!with!a!suspected!intoxicated!
passenger!prior!to!boarding,!he!may!attempt!to!use!his!SEP!Field!and!come!and!
see!you!and!say,!"Captain,!we!are!having!a!bit!of!a!problem!with!one!of!the!
boarding!passengers.!He!looks!like!hes!drunk!and!is!being!very!loud.!What!do!
you!want!to!do?"!
!
Nice!try!buddy,!but!this!is!really!YOUR!problem,!so!engage!your!SEP!Field!to!
Warp!Factor!9!and!reply!"OK.!What!are!YOU!going!to!do!about!it?"!

This!is!really!the!Ground!Staffs!RESPONSIBILITY!and!most!Airlines!will!have!laid!
down!and!published!procedures!for!the!Ground!Staff!to!follow!in!this!situation.!
!
Exactly!the!same!sort!of!thing!happens!with!Ground!Engineers,!ATC,!Cabin!
Crew...the!list!can!be!endless.!People!will!want!you,!as!the!Chief!Cheese,!
Numero!Uno,!The!Big!Kahunha,!to!fix!their!problems.!
!
By!all!means!be!polite!and!helpful.!If!you!can!see!a!solution!to!their!problem!
(especially!if!youve!encountered!this!type!of!problem!before)!then!offer!it!as!a!
suggestion.!But,!you!dont!have!to!do!their!job!for!them.!It!is!their!
Responsibility.!Bounce!the!problem!back!at!them!by!asking!"Well,!what!are!you!
going!to!do!about!it?"!
!
The!other!side!of!the!coin!is!when!YOU!have!a!problem.!Try!to!offKload!your!
workload!as!much!as!possible.!Get!other!people!working!for!you!by!giving!
them!the!problem!to!solve!or!fix.!This!is!not!cheating...it!is!called!DELEGATION!
and!delegation!is!one!of!the!essential!skills!that!you!will!be!required!to!use!as!a!
Leader!and!Captain.!
!
An!example!of!this!might!be;!

You!get!a!last!minute!runway!change,!just!prior!to!taxi!(how!does!ATC!know!
when!to!swap!the!runways!at!the!exact!worst!moment?)!If!you!are!busy,!you!
can!offKload!some!of!your!work!to!the!First!Officer!(provided!he!has!some!
spare!capacity)!K!get!him!to!get!the!new!Take!Off!data,!or!get!the!new!STAR!
charts!out.!

Just!remember!though!that!YOU!also!have!certain!RESPONSIBILITIES!as!the!
Captain!and!most!of!the!major!ones!you!CANNOT!delegate.!You!are!at!all!times!
responsible!for!the!safe,!legal!and!efficient!operation!of!the!aircraft,!the!crew!
and!passengers!and!your!responsibilities!are!usually!laid!out!in!Black!and!White!
somewhere!in!you!Companys!Operations!Manuals.!
!
So!next!time!you!or!someone!else!is!having!a!little!problem,!engage!your!SEP!
Field!and!use!two!of!the!Foundation!skills!of!Leaders!and!Commanders!K!
RESPONSIBILITY!and!DELEGATION.!
!
May!the!Force!be!with!you!!

!
!

Stop!and!Think!!What!Triggers!You?!

This!article!should!be!read!in!conjuction!
with!RED!FLAGS!as!they!are!intimately!linked.!
!
What!gets!your!attention,!pushes!your!buttons!or!triggers!you!into!
thinking"Hang!on...let's!think!about!this!a!bit!more?"!
!
One!of!the!hardest!techniques!that!I!have!been!trying!to!develop!lately!is!to!
catch!myself!when!something!unusual!or!odd!happens!and!force!myself!toStop!
and!Think.!
!
It's!not!as!easy!as!you!would!think!either.!As!pilots!we!are!trained!and!coached!
into!being!very!task!oriented!right!from!our!first!flight.!This!is!further!instilled!
into!us!when!in!an!Airline!job!as!the!Company!expects!us!to!get!from!A!to!B!on!
time.!Pretty!clear!goals!eh?!
!
But!being!so!focussed!on!completing!tasks!can!sometimes!be!our!undoing.!By!
not!stopping!and!thinking!things!through!clearly!we!can!sometimes!end!up!
making!poor!or!bad!decisions!or!even!NO!decision!at!all!!
!
I've!been!trying!hard!to!hone!this!Stop!and!Think!skill,!but!it's!been!hard!work!
as!I!sometimes!continue!to!make!snap!decisions!as!that!is!what!I!was!taught!to!
do!and!have!been!doing!for!many!years.!I've!been!trying!to!refine!this!skill!and!
work!out!how!I!can!improve!it.!It!wasn't!until!I!was!recently!training!a!
Command!Trainee!that!I!had!a!deeper!period!of!cognition!(I'm!trying!not!to!use!
the!word!think!too!much!here!)!
!
We!were!coming!back!from!a!regional!trip!in!SE!Asia!when!the!Trainee!got!
some!updated!weather!via!ACARS.!It!had!3,500!metres!visibility!and!Overcast!
at!300'!hidden!within!the!METAR.!He!had!a!look!at!the!METAR!and!passed!it!to!
me!without!comment.!I!had!a!look!at!it!and!started!doing!some!mental!LWMO!
and!diversion!planning!(but!I!kept!that!to!myself).!When!we!arrived!at!our!
destination,!the!weather!was!pretty!much!as!forecast.!We!got!vectors!for!the!
ILS!and!the!Trainee!was!a!bit!surprised!and!taken!aback!when!we!broke!visual!
less!than!100'!above!the!CAT!1!minima.!
!
He!focussed!on!the!3,500!metres!visibility!and!assessed!that!the!arrival!would!
present!no!problems.!I!spotted!the!Overcast!at!300'!and!thought!to!
myself!"This!could!be!interesting!K!we!may!get!visual!really!late!due!to!the!low!
cloud!base."!
!
I!realised!later!that!the!Overcast!at!300'!was!a!Trigger!or!RED!FLAG!that!got!my!
attention.!It's!what!made!me!Stop!and!Think!about!the!consequences!of!that!
weather,!such!as!LWMO,!Missed!Approach,!late!disconnection!of!AP,!diversion,!
holding!(where,!fuel!and!time).!
!
Now!that!I've!thought!about!it!more!I!actively!seek!out!those!attention!Triggers!
or!RED!FLAGS,!so!that!I!can!Stop!and!Think!about!the!actions!or!consequences!
in!that!situation.!In!other!words!be!proactive,!rather!than!reactive.!
!
Some!other!triggers!or!RED!FLAGS!that!I!have!recently!used!are;!

Missing!ATC!transmissions!or!giving!incorrect!Readbacks!K!why!am!I!doing!this,!
am!I!getting!overloaded!or!bogged!down?!
Poor!weather!in!Forecast!or!METARS!(e.g.!low!cloud!base,!poor!visibility,!strong!
crosswind,!windshear)!K!better!start!planning!for!Missed!Approaches,!LWMO,!
holding,!increasing!VApp,!may!be!using!Manual!Thrust!etc.!

MEL!items!K!am!I!(and!the!rest!of!the!crew)!happy!to!get!airborne!with!this!
malfunction!(and!how!will!it!affect!this!flight)!or!should!I!get!the!Ground!
Engineer!to!check!it!out!first?!

Anything!unusual!occurs!below!MSA!K!will!it!kill!me!now?!If!not!let's!wait!until!
above!MSA!then!we'll!sort!it!out.!

Anytime!I!feel!uncomfortable!(gut!feeling)!K!why!am!I!uncomfortable?!What!
have!I!forgotten,!am!I!getting!pushed!for!time!and!starting!to!rush!things?!If!so!
slow!down!!

There!are!not!too!many!things!that!happen!during!a!flight!that!can't!wait!for!a!
few!seconds!so!that!you!Stop!and!Think!about!them.!
!
Start!to!train!yourself!to!recognise!the!Triggers!or!RED!FLAGS!that!should!cause!
you!to!pause!and!Stop!&!Think!about!the!situation.!Now!you!can!be!proactive!
and!make!high!quality!decisions.!You!start!making!those!kind!of!decisions!and!
your!Command!Training!will!be!so!much!easier.!