AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2021 - 24

PROFICIENT PILOT
Unable
A lesson from the left seat
BY BARRY SCHIFF
AN ADVANTAGE TO being a first officer for an airline is that he
or she becomes exposed to the experience and wisdom (usually)
demonstrated by their captains. There is so much to learn, especially
with respect to exercising command authority, a skill that
is at least as important as knowing how to maneuver the airplane.
Co-pilots upgrading to captain rarely fail because of difficulty they
might have in performing the required maneuvers. Instead, failing
to graduate into the left seat often is the result of not assessing
problems in a timely manner and taking appropriate action.
Years of apprenticeship in the right seat teach by example and
osmosis the concept of command authority and exercising responsibility
for the safety of a flight. I received a most memorable lesson
as a fledgling co-pilot during an otherwise routine flight from L.A.
to New York in May 1966. Humongous thunderstorms had mushroomed
above the sultry Kansas prairie, and a cluster of them on
the nose seemingly conspired to block our way.
I reached for the microphone and glanced toward Capt.
Charlie " Black Dog " Davis. He nodded approval and motioned
toward the south. " Kansas City Center, this is TWA Eight
requesting deviation south of course account weather. "
" Roger, TWA Eight. Unable account parallel traffic to
your right. "
Black Dog shrugged and casually motioned toward the north.
" Roger, Center. How about a turn to the left? "
" Negative, TWA. That's a hot restricted area. "
I was about to reply with increased urgency when Black Dog
picked up his mic with one hand and raised his other to indicate
he was taking over.
" Center, this is TWA Eight. " He stretched out the words,
uttering them with emphasized calm and deliberation, wrapping
each in his thick, Midwestern drawl.
" Go ahead, TWA, " came the reply.
" Roger, Center. You now have a problem. "
" Say again, TWA.... Hey, I show you turning right. "
" Correct. There's no way we're going through that weather. "
For the next several minutes, we heard the controller vectoring
other aircraft out of our way and finally restoring order along the
airway. Black Dog sat back and grinned, enjoying smooth air and a
cup of coffee as our Boeing 707 banked gracefully around the cells.
This encounter with weather and an unsympathetic controller
24
AOPA PILOT / September 2021
became uneventful because Captain Davis did what he had to do-
using his words-to avoid whitecaps from forming in his coffee cup
(even though some might criticize his methodology).
Taking positive action to eliminate a threat is called " aggressive
safety, " a term coined by TWA's training department. In other
words, safety does not just happen. Flights must be conducted
with that concept in mind. But the general aviation pilot, with little
opportunity to receive such training, is expected to understand
and exercise command authority beginning with his first flight as a
private pilot. After all, the captain of a Cessna is just as responsible
for his one passenger as the captain of a widebody is for hundreds.
Consider the low-time pilot cleared for an immediate takeoff
at a time when he might not be quite ready to go. The faceless
voice booming through his headset sounds like a commandment
from Mount Sinai to be obeyed without hesitation. Eager to comply,
the pilot discovers at liftoff that-in his haste to cooperate-he
had failed to secure the door or turn on the auxiliary fuel pump.
Pilots might comply with a problematic clearance because
they are not trained to understand that they have options. They
might not realize that a pilot in command is under no obligation
to do anything he perceives as hazardous. At such a time, a pilot
has the option and perhaps the obligation to refuse a clearance or
instruction simply by saying, " unable, " one of the most powerful
and effective words in his vocabulary.
Most controllers are not pilots. Their job is to keep separated
those who are. Even a student knows more about his limitations
and those of his aircraft than a controller does. A pilot, therefore,
is usually in a better position to determine if he can safely comply
with a clearance or instruction.
Furthermore, a pilot is authorized to do whatever he perceives
as necessary-including the violation of a regulation-to resolve a
hazardous condition that requires immediate action. Many pilots,
though, are reluctant to take such action for fear of FAA repercussions
when there rarely are any. FAR 91.3 authorizes pilots to violate
whatever regulation they deem necessary to protect their aircraft
and passengers from hazard. As a matter of fact, there are occasions
when it could be a violation of
the regulations not to violate a
regulation. Think about that.
BarrySchiff.com
BARRY SCHIFF flew
for TWA for 34 years,
30 as captain.
http://www.BarrySchiff.com
AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2021
