Sep 20, 2011 - A professional in any activity, whether golf or flying or sports, is one who can predictably deliver a top notch performance every time. Maybe not perfect, but routinely very good. It seems that we can learn about safe flying by seeing what the flying professionals do and, in general, emulating their actions. It’s easy to compare what the professional would do in a number of circumstances and estimate their success with their approach. After speaking with and observing some flying professionals—airline, military, air show and corporate pilots—I gathered some of their habits and techniques. Let’s compare those practices to what we may have seen from lesser trained or undisciplined pilots, or done ourselves.

1. Use of the Checklist

PROFESSIONAL: He or she always uses the checklist. If interrupted, the pilot begins again and confirms (with himself if single pilot or with the other crew member if two pilots) the checklist is complete. Even though they can recite the list from memory they still refer to it and complete it methodically.

AMATEUR: The casual or amateur pilot probably has a checklist, has used it, but is not fanatic about referring to it on every phase of every flight. They may fly the same airplane, one that they may own, all the time and are comfortable going through the same start, taxi, takeoff, landing and taxi back checks in their head. After all, no one else flew the airplane since they flew it; so it should be safe, right? Maybe, maybe not.

If any event distracts the pilot for an instant switches and levers somehow end up in positions that may be unexpected. Gauges that tell us quantities and pressures and temperatures are almost always in the same position. The one time they are not and the checklist items are skipped is a formula for an emergency. Even in emergencies pilots are trained to use the checklist to confirm that all the prescribed actions are performed.

Is your checklist dog-eared and worn or safely tucked away and unused? Take it out if it is stored and use it regularly. I laminate mine to make them last. Compared to the risk of not using one, they are cheap to replace.

2. Fuel Loads

PROFESSIONAL: Every flight has an amount of fuel needed to complete the flight; plus every flight has risk factors associated with it that would dictate additional fuel to meet contingencies that may occur. Despite only a one percent (or less) chance of such contingencies—deteriorating weather, unforecast headwinds or crosswinds, field closed for aircraft incidents—professionals know what amount of fuel it would take to increase their margin of safety to cover reasonable risks of changes in flight and airfield conditions, not every possible risk that could exist, but the reasonably expected ones.

AMATEUR: Only take the fuel you need for the flight and FAA dictated minimums. Extra fuel costs money and you burn more fuel carrying the extra load. If you have a 45-minute flight, day VFR rules say you only need 30 minutes more fuel at cruise flight. That’s plenty. I have flown this route several times before and had no problems.

As long as there are no changes in weather, winds or any of numerous potential hazards, the amateur will live to fly again. In the event anything changes they are without the margin of safety the professional enjoys—to say nothing of the peace of mind enjoyed while flying, knowing you have the vast majority of contingencies covered. Besides, that 30 minutes of fuel reserve at cruise doesn’t last long at low altitudes, diverting to another field.

In many years of flying jets and reciprocating warbirds, I have seen unforecast 100-knot headwinds at cruise altitude, two aircraft land damaged and close runways, unpredicted 30-knot crosswinds, detours for military operations, requiring a route 40-50 miles out of the way, and a handful of other unexpected events where I was fortunate enough to have sufficient fuel. And I enjoyed the peace of mind associated with the safety margin. Every incident encourages me to recalculate my fuel in future flights.

3. Go/No Go Decisions

PROFESSIONAL: It is relatively easy for the professional pilot to make the go or no go decision, not just because they have experienced numerous flights, often to the same destination at the same time of year with the same weather. It’s easy for them because they have specific standards, usually company, and more importantly, personal, that they rely on to help with the decision. They know the odds, so to speak, of facing some unpleasant or downright risky situation that could exceed their skill and comfort level or that of the equipment they are flying.

AMATEUR: Permitting external factors to influence your decision to fly, when the decision would compromise normal safety standards, is the mark of an amateur. Not that there isn’t pressure, from family, relatives, customers, even passengers, but those factors are not part of the decision to fly when the weather looks unacceptable, winds are outside landing limits or other flight limitations are present. Speak with any one who has had an incident or been scared due to a decision to go in marginal conditions; they’ll confirm the resulting horror from a poor decision.
I know a senior airline captain who shared with me the exact RVR (visibility) and amount of standing water on a runway when he will go and where he draws the line. Personal minimums. I like the idea.

It seems like the more experience I get the higher the standard for going in a marginal circumstance. I stand down now when I may have flown in the same situation when I was younger.

We are not launching military missions. I know of no flight in a classic jet that is critical to national security. So we need to examine the go or no go decision objectively. Even the military will not launch a flight (that may be important to national security) when it is clearly unsafe.

4. Aircraft Condition

PROFESSIONAL: An airplane is either airworthy or it is not. Beyond the regulations governing mechanical condition there are signs of problems—call them grey areas. Professionals know that if you bend your standards often enough you will have a serious problem that threatens the safety of flight. Similar to weather minimums, they have a clear line drawn between what they will accept and what they will not. They know their aircraft and they will accept a less than perfect aircraft, if it is within regulatory limits and their standards.

AMATEUR: Encountering a new maintenance issue—the classics are leaking hydraulic fluid and leaking fuel—they conduct a cursory investigation. They may rationalize that it’s occasionally “normal” for such leaks to occur. Usually, it’s not normal. If they want to fly (especially to a maintenance shop) they want it to be “minor” or “normal” when there is uncertainty.

Most of the time they will survive, but leaks are usually a clue to greater problems to come. Here is where knowing the aircraft systems in detail can help. Professionals really know their aircraft; the more we know the better decisions we can make.

Check the aircraft before you fly and set your standard for flying it.

5. Flight Profiles

PROFESSIONAL: Every single flight has a specific purpose, whether it is for passenger transport for revenue, for ordnance dropping, flight training or maintenance flight test. Only after flights are briefed and the mission described does the flight launch. Standards exist for all aspects of the flight.

AMATEUR: Going for a joy ride: “Let’s go fly; we will figure out what we are going to do in the air. . . ” may be common. No plan for duration, waypoints or altitudes.

Allowing the excitement of flying the jet overtake planning can be a safety hazard.

It’s perfectly OK and can be very safe to fly out on a sunny day to see the snow on the mountains, the desert flowers (not too close) or to have lunch at another airport restaurant. They key is to determine what you are going to do, then fly it as planned. Winging the planning seems to reduce safety margins. It’s fun to fly, even with looking at scenery as the goal. However, specifically selecting altitudes, routes, checking weather and NOTAMS will increase the margin of safety for the flight.

The guideline goes double for formation flights. They must be briefed and planned, then flown as briefed.

Learn From The Pros.

You can see that pilots who fly a substantial amount of flights every year apply standards to their flying. It’s no less fun, but it will keep us safe.

Douglas Gilliss, CFII, ATP