Premium on Safety - Issue 39, 2020 - 8

ASI
MESSAGE
LESSONS
LEARNED

See Something? Say Something?
Check your gut: if the flying seems unsafe; it may very well be unsafe
A friend and I were standing
on the edge of the grass
runway at Johnson Creek,
Idaho, admiring the scenery.
We noticed a Cessna 182 on
final. It dropped low, then
accelerated in a high-speed,
low-altitude fly-by northbound up the runway.
We looked at each other with raised eyebrows. The act was
so clearly out of place-and potentially dangerous-in that
peaceful backcountry. My friend Andrew Simmons asked,
" Should we say something? "
We briefly discussed doing so as we watched the pilot pitch
up to downwind, land, and taxi up to his waiting family. But
we decided against it, justifying that we didn't want to be
confrontational-we didn't want to embarrass the pilot. Mostly,
I think, we didn't want to disrupt the pleasurable atmosphere of
an enjoyable, sunny day out flying.
I regret our inaction. We had an opportunity to strengthen the GA
culture, and we let it slip by. As general aviation pilots, we own our
culture. It's a rich culture that has developed through decades of
camaraderie, passion, and mutual support. We are better, safer
pilots than we were decades ago, in part because of this culture.
Through the years, I've benefited from pilots who took time to ask
a probing question, offer a suggestion, or deliver a private rebuke
when appropriate.
These kinds of conversations can help pilots, yet having them can
be awkward, requiring careful consideration beforehand. I've had to
ask myself, is the time right? Is the pilot receptive? Am I confident in
broaching the subject? Knowing when to have a dialog is tricky since
we rarely understand all the facts in a situation. Often there are gray
areas; there may not be a clear right or wrong.
That day, the pilot of the 182 did nothing illegal, but the fly-by was
misguided and out of place in that backcountry setting. As a rule,
if something looks odd, feels wrong, or just seems strange, it's
probably worth a conversation. A lot of times, the assessment of
another pilot is helpful in determining whether a situation warrants
discussion. Our simultaneous raised eyebrows confirmed our
personal instincts.
How you approach a fellow pilot can result in making a positive
influence or making an enemy. In the U.S. Air Force fighter
community, we used a blunt-force, direct frontal assault method. We
could. Flying was our job. We were forced together day in and day
out in a military setting. There was no option to " disengage. " This
style is inappropriate for most GA operations, especially in situations
where we fly part-time and for recreation. We can separate from

8

people or situations we find unpleasant. As humans, we typically
respond to confrontation in a fight-or-flight manner. Handled poorly,
we can expect a fellow pilot to respond with hostility, or to politely
shut down and walk away.
Having difficult conversations is an art. Know that your
perspective isn't the only or " right " perspective. Approach the
situation with an expectation that you may very well be the one
who is enlightened by the exchange. Start with a question and
continue a series of questions, seeking to understand thoroughly.
Author Stephen R. Covey said, " Seek first to understand, then
to be understood. " These conversations are typically better held

If you find yourself with the opportunity
to strengthen the GA culture, take it.
one on one. By engaging in a series of questions to understand
the situation and the pilot's thinking, you help them think out
loud, and they end up admonishing themselves. Being criticized is
unpleasant, yet people yearn to improve and get better. It's more
effective when people reason themselves to a correction, rather
than have one thrust upon them.
Andrew and I have always regretted that we missed an
opportunity to help a pilot look at a situation differently, and
perhaps enhance safety.
A few years ago, the AOPA Air Safety Institute was asked to hold
a safety session for a community that experienced an inordinate
number of mishaps and then a tragic accident. The disappointing
finding during our visit was that several in the community witnessed
the accident pilot perform misguided, unsafe actions in the past-yet
no one ever confronted him. The community now deeply regrets
their inaction.
I'm not advocating that we become a collection of critical and
confrontational pilots, constantly on the prowl for someone to
correct, like a Dwight Schrute (from the TV series The Office) of the
airport-paranoid, narrow-minded, poised to critique and correct. I'm
talking about addressing the dangerous or inappropriate behavior
we occasionally see. The manner in which we say something to
fellow pilots about their flying and how to do it can be an art-an art
worth developing. We own the GA culture. The actions of each pilot
reflect on all of us.
Go fly.

RICHARD G. MCSPADDEN, JR.

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, AOPA AIR
SAFETY INSTITUTE
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