SOP

Academic Airmanship Paper

By Dave English

This week I read an interesting research article on airmanship in standardized airline cockpits. The lead author is Torgeir Haavik, a professor at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology with an engineering background in oil drilling, who more recently earned a PhD in the sociology of risk and safety. The paper is wildly — for an academic journal — titled: ‘Johnny was here: From airmanship to airlineship’. It was published by Applied Ergonomics journal in 2016. So: Who’s Johnny? What’s airlineship? And can pilots learn anything useful from the journal Applied Ergonomics? Read on, all will be revealed! “Airmanship belongs to a … Continue reading Academic Airmanship Paper

A superior pilot uses . . .

By Dave English

A superior pilot uses superior SOP to avoid situations which require the use of superior CRM.   I think this is true. If I’m disciplined, if I follow standard procedures, it certainly doesn’t solve everything — but it means I have less need to involve the whole team and get creative. Saves that for the really hard stuff, the really important stuff.   What do you think?   It’s a simple riff on the great line, “a superior pilot uses his superior judgment to avoid situations which require the use of his superior skill.” Sometimes attributed to astronaut Frank Borman.

New book for pilots heading to the airlines

By Dave English

After the rubbish book last week (The Pilot Factor: A fresh look into Crew Resource Management) it was a real pleasure to read something well thought out, nicely presented, and filling an otherwise unmet need. Pilots in Command (2014) by Kristofer Pierson is published by Aviation Supplies and Academics (ASA) who have a large range of pilot training products. It’s about all the non-flying parts of being a great airline pilot. “I wrote this book intending for it to become a guide for new or aspiring airline pilots, as much as for the experienced pilot who is looking ahead to upgrade” ~ Kristofer … Continue reading New book for pilots heading to the airlines