A lesson shared

As with any endeavour, knowledge is powerful and can dispel unfounded fears. Nothing haunts the mind like an unanswered question and when the imagination is given a free rein stress levels can skyrocket. Allowing the public to view a tragedy, understand the processes involved in the investigation and hear of the changes that have been implemented offers a degree of both confidence and closure.

The interest also exists for pilots past and present. While the television show is a relatively new addition, official accident reports and safety digests are long established forms of media on the subject. For decades pilots have pored over such reports in detail to discover the root causes of ill-fated flights with a blend of professional curiosity and a determination to learn from the lessons of others.

Such learning is a core concept in aviation. Even as a trainee pilot in those fledgling hours of flight, the best instructors are those that allow tolerable errors to occur. Embarrassment and self-deprecation burn the mistake into the student’s memory in a way that can only be achieved through real experience. Premature intervention and correction often prevents the student from really appreciating the error of their ways. And mistakes are just a part of learning.

These hard-learned lessons are never allowed to render the aircraft in an unsafe state or in contravention of a clearance, but they nudge the edge of the comfort zone to make a point. For lessons beyond those bounds, other avenues of enquiry must be sought and frequently they are through the reports that details other pilots’ experiences.

From the earliest days, ‘hangar flying’ became both a pastime and a tool for pilots. At aero clubs around the world pilots have traditionally shared their stories of magical sunsets and near misses in a balanced ratio. Amidst waving hands and wide eyes, experiences are related with some technical knowledge, a dose of fear and a fair share of good humour – the lattermainly because the safety of earth has been regained.

The gathered group will then recount their stories and all the while the pool of gathered knowledge grows exponentially. When combined with online forums and the global reach of the internet, hangar flying has reached an entirely new level. Experiences can be tweeted within minutes of the event with Go-Pro footage posted on YouTube shortly thereafter. And even though ill-informed comments and unfounded criticism may surface from online trolls, if a single viewing has stirred constructive thought in a single pilot somewhere a benefit has been gained.

In airline operations the process can be far more formal. Training teaches crews to recognise and manage threats and errors in advance, while safety reporting systems facilitate statistical measurement and subsequent corrective action. Databases are shared, reports are written, but still face-to-face interactions maintain a vital presence. One cannot underestimate the importance of a few brief words as one crew hands over an aircraft to another, or a small gathered group in a briefing room discussing an aspect of operations at the beginning of the day. The truth is hangar flying remains with pilots throughout their careers and only the the size of the aeroplane and the quality of the accommodation really changes.

Regardless of the means of distribution, the sharing of information remains vital to air safety. Equally, learning from the unfortunate circumstances that have confronted others continues to add to the aviation pool of knowledge. It is not a place for sitting in harsh judgement, but an opportunity to be thankful that one’s own career has not been subjected to such a chain of events. There is far less stress in an armchair than a flightdeck.

For pilots, like the travelling public, knowledge dispels fear. Being forewarned and forearmed offers the ability to minimise the ‘startle factor’ when presented with an undesirable situation and allows the brain to override the adrenal gland. At that moment as checklists are being recalled, the crew’s mind will also draw upon their own near-misses, the tales from the hangar floor and the reports of those who have been down this road before.

Combined, a mental picture and a management plan can emerge to address the situation that now confronts the crew. As with the ditching on the Hudson River or QF32, sometimes those situations can step well beyond the rigid constraints of a conventional checklist. At these times pilots are thankful for the honesty of other pilots and the forensic analysis of previous tragedies. For when the chips are down and the altimeter is winding off, success may well come down to the simplicity of a lesson shared.