Premium on Safety - Issue 40, 2021 - 10

SAFETY SPOTLIGHT
When reading, if your pilot ego stands up and silently proclaims,
" I'd never do that, " sit it down immediately. No one is immune
from making a bad decision, so put yourself in the pilot's place,
and imagine the circumstances that would put you in the same or
similar situation.
EXPAND THE GO/NO-GO OR GO-NO-FURTHER ENVELOPE
Aeronautical decision making's Five P review constructs the
fundamental Go/No-Go or Go-No-Further framework. Pilots must
provide the substance applicable to the flight they are Planning,
the Plane they will fly, the Pilot who will fly it, the Passengers who
will occupy the other seats, and the proper Programming of the
technology that supports the flight's goals.
The Ps are presented individually, but they often overlap. If you settle
into the cockpit and notice a new box in the avionics stack, this tickles
the Plane, Pilot, and Programming Ps. Your operational knowledge
of the new box should be the first Go/No-Go decision. If you cannot
expediently configure it for the tasks needed to make the planned
flight safely Go-No-Further until you have mastered this. So you don't
need to demonstrate this ability in actual conditions, demonstrate
them in-flight over a known landscape or operational environment.
Because it is a new box, prudent preparation should prepare for its
failure. This is a rare occurrence, but fate is the hunter. Chat with

an avionics technician familiar with the new equipment about what
might cause a failure, and what you can do about it. If there is no
in-flight remedy, what is your backup plan if the box goes dark?
A similar conversation with a maintenance technician would be
a wise investment if the airplane has recently returned to service
after any form of maintenance. For that matter, is checking the
aircraft maintenance records part of your preflight preparations? If
not, Go-No-Further.
The pilot P recommends the I'M SAFE checklist, and a thorough
Go/No-Go or Go-No-Further protocol would extend this
examination to any crewmembers and passengers within reach
of the pilot in command. Why? How well could you concentrate
on operational tasks, like lowering the landing gear, after an
ill youngster just splashed his lunch on the back of your neck.
And how are you going to calm the other now stressed out and
emotional youngsters in the plane?
And what's your Go/No-Go plan when someone onboard stops
breathing because of some interaction between alcohol and some
prescribed or over-the-counter medication or herbal supplement?
And how might stress and/or fatigue affect this individual's
situation? As pilot in command, you are responsible, and making
up solutions on the fly, with no prior knowledge, thought, or
planning often doesn't end well.

Photo credit: SM Spangler

Learning about the aircraft's recent maintenance prepares
pilots for potential problems.

10

If the avionics stack sports a new box, Go-No-Further until the pilot
in command can expediently configure it for needed tasks.
Premium on Safety - Issue 40, 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Premium on Safety - Issue 40, 2021
