What’s in a Name?

Standardising terminology across aircraft manufacturers

Across the decades, aviation has continually sought to reduce the element of risk. When technology was the culprit, improvements were implemented and when the human element was seen as the weakness, new processes were created. ‘Human Factors’ became a specialty in its own right and the study of Crew Resource Management (CRM) became the norm. And just as we have sought to improve the physical interface between man and machine, so too have we sought to streamline procedures and eradicate ambiguity from the cockpit – but we may possibly still have a way to go.

A key component of crew co-ordination is the use of Standard Operating Procedures, or SOPs. These involve pilots employing both common language and methodology to ensure that their processes are concise and complementary, while also highlighting any deviation in procedures or behaviour. SOPs allow two pilots within a company, who have never before met, to operate together on the flight deck with confidence. Their shared ‘mental model’ of how the aircraft is to be operated is not limited to physical actions and a pre-determined order of events, but is drilled down to the precise words used in their operational language.