OK, this might be a bit of a ‘one weird trick nobody knows’ clickbait avgeek troll headline — but this is a real paper on real research in a real journal. It’s in Safety Science, titled ‘An analysis of a pilot’s adherence to their personal weather minimums’, written by Professor Scott Winter et al.. Full citation at the end of …
Tag: discipline
Just Row
The siren birds look cool, flying around free in the sky. Odysseus is the hero we hear about tied to the mast, getting to listen to their siren song. But better to be the oarsmen. Heads down, doing the work, no distractions. Sometimes we have to ignore the sights and sounds out the window, or in our head, and just …
Inside the Tunnel
Three-time US National Aerobatic Champion Patty Wagstaff clearly explaining the inner game: Quote and original movie still from the 2004 documentary America’s Heart & Soul.
Dear Prudence
The sun is up, the sky is blue,it’s beautiful and so are you.Dear Prudence, won’t you come out to play? This song first appeared on The Beatles famous White Album, the lyrics by John Lennon are about actress Mia Farrow’s sister, Prudence Farrow, who became obsessive about meditating while practising with Maharishi Mahesh in Rishikesh, India. She’d stay in her room meditating all the …
A Superior Pilot Uses . . .
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 …
I Never Mount My Machine Until
“Only a cautious person, man or woman, should fly. I never mount my machine until every wire and screw has been tested.” Harriet Quimby. First woman to gain a pilot’s license in the United States and first woman to fly across the English Channel. Good Housekeeping Magazine, September 1912. SaveSave SaveSaveSaveSave SaveSaveSaveSave SaveSave
I’m Not an Adrenaline Junky
Paul Bonhomme was Red Bull Air Race World Champion. Three times. He still flys aerobatics, and the 747 as a British Airways captain. Quote from How to Win the Red Bull Air Race in the British GQ magazine. SaveSave
Zero/Zero, Charles D. Svovoda
“At last I understood what true professionalism is. Being a pilot isn’t all seat-of-the-pants flying and glory. It’s self-discipline, practice, study, analysis and preparation. It’s precision. If you can’t keep the gauges where you want them with everything free and easy, how can you keep them there when everything goes wrong?” Charles D. Svoboda Flying magazine, November 1976. Old editions …
Surgical Checklists
Checklists save lives! A major new study in the journal Annals of Surgery shows a 22% reduction in post-surgical deaths when a simple WHO 19-item checklist was used. It wasn’t a true random experiment, but the clear results are still impressive. “Safety checklists are not a piece of paper that somehow magically protect patients, but rather they are a tool to help change …
You Must Set Yourself on Fire
“You must set yourself on fire.” It’s not easy, it’s not fun, and it will hurt at times. But fuel the fire. It’s worth it.