Piloting

Pointing and Calling

Adding Japanese “Shisa Kanko”
techniques to modern cockpits
BY JAMES ALBRIGHT [email protected]
e in the aviation world are quick to beg, borrow, and onboard the Central Japan Railway Company System — The

W steal procedural innovations in the name of safety.

When one operator innovates, other airlines and
flight departments are quick to follow suit. Pilots are
eager to share techniques, knowing one aviator’s idea can save
lives worldwide. We are, to say the least, selfless in the pur-
Shinkansen — since their operations began in 1964. They have
carried over 10 billion passengers in that time, operating in
densely populated cities, crisscrossing motor vehicle and pas-
senger routes, in a country famously known for its earthquakes.
The Shinkansen’s many competitors in Japan also have envi-
suit of safer skies. But are we casting our nets wide enough to able safety records but have been hard at work reducing their
capture every good idea out there? The next time you board a accident rates further, using a variety of techniques. The point-
train in Japan, you might notice a technique well suited for your ing and calling technique has been credited with reducing acci-
cockpit. Known by various names, including “Shisa Kanko,” the dent rates at these Japanese railway companies by 30 percent.
Japan Railway standard procedure can be translated to mean:
Pointing and Calling. All Aboard the Shinkansen
Why should we look at our Japanese rail-bound transporta-
tion partners when looking to improve airborne safety? Let the Many of the world’s top railways boast high-speed trains and
record speak for itself: there have been no fatalities or injuries the Shinkansen “Bullet Trains” are no exception; many have a

COURTESY TANSAI SUKETTI

54 Business & Commercial Aviation | July 2017 www.bcadigital.com

 Aichi Loop Railway, Tokyo, Japan, train driver
using “Shisa Kanko” Point-and-Call procedure

the same reason. In this case there was one death and 42 were
injured. Perhaps we can empathize with the engineer’s plight:
they must repeatedly read speed limit signs against a speed-
ometer despite hours of monotony. It is a problem common to
many vehicle operators, even airplane vehicle operators: how
do you stay mentally sharp hour after hour? Perhaps we can
borrow a technique from the Shinkansen.
The Pointing and Calling method combines looking at some-
thing, pointing at it, calling out the observation, and listening
to your own voice. When approaching a typical speed limit, for
example, the train driver points to the sign and says, “Limit 75,
Distance 500,” and then points to his or her cockpit speedom-
eter. Approaching a signal light, the driver points to the light
and announces its status. In both examples, there is no one to
hear or observe the engineer’s actions, they are meant to rein-
CHRISTOPH ROSER
force the information received and perceived to the engineer.
But other Pointing and Calling episodes do have a broader
audience.
When training, for example, it is much easier for the instruc-
tor to perceive the student’s thought process when each critical
step is shown physically and announced. Coordination at each
top speed of 200 mph. But outside of Japan these high-speed rail station is also made easier when the engineer and person-
trains have too often derailed when the train driver — often nel on the station platform see and hear each other’s signals.
called the engineer — forgot to slow down in time to take a Proponents of the method claim the act of pointing promotes
turn not rated for such speeds. In May of 2015, for example, an
Amtrak Northeast Regional did just that near Philadelphia, Shinkansen N700 and Mount Fuji
PA, killing 8 and injuring 200. Later that year a Train à Grande
Vitesse (TGV) derailed in Eckwersheim, Alsace, France for

www.bcadigital.com Business & Commercial Aviation | July 2017 55

Piloting

focus and attention, while the act of calling out the action rein- Participants were then tested during 120 trials where
forces correct procedure. Combined, the two steps help avoid each event had an uncertain cue. They would, for example,
sloppiness and complacency. The Railway Technical Research be presented with a new board of two numbers and one of
Institute of Japan conducted a test of the Pointing and Calling the three possible cues. This would greatly complicate the
method in 1994. Their results showed work-related errors de- decision-making. Here again they each ran a set of trials with
creased to less than one-sixth. The pointing and calling method and without Pointing and Calling.
has a proven track record in the Japanese rail industry, but is Of 8,000 trials, the overall error rate was very low, just
there science behind the results? 2.5%. But when finger pointing and calling was required,
errors virtually disappeared. While this was expected, the
The Science Behind Pointing and Calling impact on reaction time was not. When required to not only
interpret two numbers but also the required cue, reaction
In 2011, the Osaka University set out to validate the method in time improved with and without Pointing and Calling, but
a study with the impossibly long title, “The effects of ‘finger more so with the technique than without.
pointing and calling’ on cognitive control processes in the task- The Osaka University study concludes that the Pointing
switching paradigm.” Their report notes that many modern and Calling technique facilitates the cognitive process, work-
work environments involve an enormous amount of information ing memory, and the subsequent response. In other words,
compiled by automated systems, all of which is funneled to a hu- Pointing and Calling improves your accuracy when having to
man being with relatively simple decisions to make. While these evaluate information prior to making distinct decisions based
decisions can be thought to be simple enough — i.e., apply the on that information.
brake in response to a speed limit sign — the cost of making a The Pointing and Calling technique has made a demonstra-
mistake can be catastrophic. These decisions can become much ble impact on the Japanese railway industry safety record. It
more stressful in a “task-switching paradigm,” that is when the

Osaka University Study Event Sequence The PM announces the altitude change while pointing to the
Altitude Selector
decision is based on more than a true/false option. They antici-
pated that finger pointing and calling would improve accuracy,
but they also believed it would slow down the process. (Pro-
ponents often argue that the method is especially important
where accuracy is more important than speed.)
Researchers constructed an experiment where subjects
were given a “ready” signal followed by two columns of boxes
and an instruction cue. The cue was one of three choices:
“digit,” “size,” or “position.” After a predetermined prepara-
tion time, two of the boxes would then be filled with different
numbers, possibly of different font sizes. If cued with “digit,”
the subject would respond with the larger of the two given
numbers. If cued with “size,” the correct response would be
which number was displayed in a larger font. And finally, if
cued with “position,” the answer would be the number that
James albright (2)

was physically higher.

Participants were tested during 90 trials where the pro-
vided cue would be consistent. They would, for example, al-
ways be cued with “digit” and simply had to respond with the
larger number. They each ran a set of trials with and without The PF repeats the altitude change while pointing to the selected
Pointing and Calling. altitude on the primary display

56 Business & Commercial Aviation | July 2017 www.bcadigital.com

has been scientifically proven to reduce error rates, improve
memory performance, and in some cases to increase the speed
at which accurate decisions are made. It is a technique that
would seem tailor-made for a modern aircraft cockpit.

An Aviator’s Pointing and Calling Primer

Many flight crews already use a variation of the Pointing and
Calling technique for some repetitive tasks where accuracy is
more important than speed. For example, pointing to the alti-
tude selector after receiving instructions to climb or descend,
and then verbalizing the instruction, is a widely-accepted
practice among most professional flight crews.

▶ Altitude Changes
As of this writing, there have been 342 recorded midair col-
lisions of airplanes, according to the Aviation Safety Database
of the Flight Safety Foundation. Misheard clearances and
miss-set altitude selectors continue to plague pilots, accord- PM points to the “Activate” prompt prior to a navigation course
ing to the Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS). While change
the number of reports of an altitude overshoot or undershoot
resulting in an air traffic controller’s correction fell from a ▶ Course Changes
high of 276 in 2000 to a low of 20 reports in 2013, the years You might think pilots flying on an Instrument Flight Rules
since have shown a rebound to as high as 61 in 2015. This is a (IFR) flight plan pay greater attention to detail and the need to
problem that still bedevils us. navigate precisely. While this might be true, these instrument-
Many pilots long ago adopted an altitude change technique rated pilots are still capable of critical mistakes. The ASRS
whereby the pilot monitoring (PM) dials in a newly assigned database shows over 1,100 incidents in the last ten years where
altitude into a flight director and leaves his or hand on the air traffic control had to issue an alert to IFR aircraft deviating
altitude selector until the pilot flying (PF) acknowledges. But from track or heading. Pilots can often find themselves heading
there are repeated instances where this method has failed. in the wrong direction after mishearing a clearance, mishan-
The PM may have dialed in the wrong altitude and the PF dling navigation computers, or making an automation error.
didn’t notice. The PM may have gotten busy and removed the Even a two-pilot crew is vulnerable, as one pilot can assume the
reminder hand. Or the PF may have misheard the instruc- other pilot is on top of the game and fails to catch any errors.
tion or forgot to follow through by making the appropriate Pointing and calling enhances crew resource management by
autopilot inputs. No matter the cause, the technique occa- stimulating extra senses cross cockpit.
sionally fails. When making an FMS entry, for example, the pilot should
We can improve on our less than perfect technique by dou- announce the actions taken. “We are now going direct to a
bling up on the Pointing and Calling in a two-pilot cockpit: new point, JFK, which I have inserted before Hartford,” for
1) The PM acknowledges the altitude assignment on the example. If the navigation software allows a preview of the
radio while dialing in the new altitude (the “point”). While changes on the FMS or display units, both pilots can confirm
leaving a finger on the altitude selector is desirable, there are the results are correct. But even without this preview, both
times when the PM has other immediate tasks. pilots should point to the resulting course changes to confirm
2) The PM then announces the new altitude cross-cockpit their validity.
(the “call”). Repeating the altitude between pilots reinforces Pointing and calling out these changes gives both pilots
the correct altitude in the PM’s mind. added chances to catch errors that may have gone unnoticed
3) The PF points to the primary flight display if that shows by simply looking at the results. The verbal and tactile senses
the primary flight guidance altitude, or to the altitude selec- will enhance the visual. Many crews will consider these to be
tor if that is primary to the avionics installation (the “point”). unnecessary because “we almost never make these errors.”
In some aircraft, the altitude selector may not accurately An honest self-assessment will have to admit the error rate is
reflect the commanded altitude during metric altitude opera- “almost” never, and that should be motivation enough to add
tions, for example. the pointing and calling technique.
4) The PF verbalizes the new altitude assignment (the
“call”). While having the PF also announce the altitude can ▶ Taxi Instructions and the Taxi Route
seem to be more cockpit chatter than many crews would like, We practice most of our flight maneuvers repeatedly and
it gives both pilots another chance to mentally assimilate the tend to be in our comfort zones from takeoff to landing. Unfa-
instruction. It could, for example, cue the PM that something miliar Standard Instrument Departures (SIDs) or Standard
“isn’t right.” Terminal Arrival Routes (STARs) can be studied beforehand
Even a pilot flying without a copilot can benefit from the and even flown expertly by modern avionics. Some avionics
technique, much as the engineer on the Shinkansen reduces suites have converted many non-precision approaches into
error rates with the technique. After the single pilot acknowl- Continuous Descent Final Approaches (CDFA) that mimic a
edges the new altitude assignment, pointing to the applicable plain, vanilla Instrument Landing System (ILS) approach. Fly-
instrument and verbalizing the change can help the pilot de- ing, in many respects, has become easy. But you must get off
tect a self-initiated error. the ground first. At some airports, the biggest challenge facing

www.bcadigital.com Business & Commercial Aviation | July 2017 57

 Light System (RWSL) airports, such as Dallas-Fort Worth
International Airport (KDFW) have introduced a new layer
of complexity. Have you ever heard, “Behind the Airbus on fi-
nal, line up behind” while waiting for takeoff clearance? These
conditional clearances found at some international locations
can further confuse two pilots still thinking “cleared into po-
sition and hold” is a better idea.
Here again, pointing and calling, can help pilots detect
mistakes before they become dangerous. In 2006, a Comair
Canadair Regional Jet intended to takeoff from Runway 22 at
Lexington-Blue Grass Airport, Kentucky (KLEX), but mis-
takenly used the much shorter Runway 26. The taxi route had
been recently changed and it was dark. Even after one pilot
commented on the fact the runway was unlit, the crew com-
menced the takeoff roll but were unable to takeoff because
the runway was far too short. All but one of the 50 persons on
Pilot identifies (the point) and announces (the call) the next board were killed.
taxiway sign A best practices technique would be to have the pilot in
control of the aircraft point to a runway sign, announce the
a crew is getting from the gate to the runway. intended action, and call out the correct runway heading once
There have been nearly 2,200 taxi incidents reported to in position. The other pilot verifies each action. At Lexington,
ASRS; events that required ATC intervention to prevent a for example, the pilot would look for the correct runway sign
runway incursion or other taxi routing mistake. Many mod- or number on the pavement. “We are cleared to takeoff on
ern aircraft provide an Electronic Flight Bag Class 3 capa- Runway 22,” pointing to the sign. “I also see Runway 22,” the
bility to show an aircraft’s position on an airfield diagram, other pilot would confirm. Once aligned with the runway, both
greatly enhancing a pilot’s situational awareness. But even pilots point to their heading systems and verify, “Runway
with this technological innovation, the pilot must still trans- heading 226 verified.”
late controller instructions into a route with very little time These extra steps may seem to be a nuisance, especially
to become really situationally aware. Pointing and calling at a familiar airport. But consistent repetition contributes to
can give a pilot an extra tool to prevent taxi mistakes. habit, and that habit can be a life saver.
When issued a taxi instruction, the best course of action
may be to write it down. With or without this step, the next
step should be to trace the route on the taxi diagram with
More. But Not Too Much!
your finger while repeating the instruction. This will help ce- There is no doubt we in the business of flying airplanes can
ment the directions into your memory. But the pointing and learn from our peers driving the Shinkansen. But just as
calling doesn’t end there. some Japanese companies can take a good thing too far,
Have you ever sat in the right seat, trying to pay attention so must we be wary of pushing the technique to the point
just prior to an action point (a turn or a hold short restric- where it becomes bur-
tion)? While you trust the pilot wants to comply with the densome. Some Japanese
taxi instructions, you aren’t certain he or she understood companies, for example,
them as you did. There are times the pilot driving the air- require their employees
craft can place the aircraft into harm’s way before you can to look and point before
react quickly enough. Pointing and calling gives both pilots a crossing the road. But an
chance to avoid the mistake before it threatens your license observation of the Toyota
(at the least) or aircraft (at the worst). Headquarters revealed
If you adopt the habit of pointing to an action point before fewer than 5% of its em-
you get to it, you can double your chances that both pilots ploye e s fol lowe d t h i s
will have had a chance to verify the action agrees with the rule. As with many rules
clearance. Before making a turn onto an adjoining taxiway, in life, once you start to
for example, the pilot steering the aircraft points to the sign ignore one, the others be-
and announces the action. “I see taxiway alpha,” the pilot come easier to disregard
says while pointing to the “A” sign, “I will be turning left.” as well.
The other pilot points to the same sign, “I see alpha, it is a At the very least,
left turn.” we should consider the
Christoph roser

Sh isa K a n ko Poi nti ng

▶ Runway Entry and Calling techniques
The same problem and consequences of mistaking taxi for altitude changes, taxi
instructions are present for runway entries, only more so! pr o ce du r e s , a nd r u n -
These problems are made more complicated by new technol- way entries. The Shink- Japanese crossing guards
ogy and procedures. The Takeoff Hold Lights (THLs), Run- ansen’s zero-point-zero
way Entrance Lights (RELs), and Final Approach Runway accident rate is worth striving for, their Shisa Kanko tech-
Occupancy Signals (FAROSs) found at some Runway Status nique may help us get there. BCA

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