Page 26 - July22T

From the Flight Deck
by Kevin R. Dingman
Memory Joggers
When I was younger, I could remember anything; whether it happened or not.
Iused to be able to remember four or five parts of a long ATC transmission: “Citation N797VS, right to zero-six-zero intercept the localizer, maintain four till established,
cleared the ILS-PRM-Yankee one-zero right, maintain 170 knots till KVENN, tower at GOOZY 133.0.” Now, because of years of listening to ATC, my readback is mostly knowing the order of the information presented and simply filling in the blanks rather than remembering the whole string of information from scratch; similar to the order of data on the ATIS or the initial route clearance from clearance delivery. Another example would be the format of holding instructions: “Duke N7510D cleared direct WATSN, hold East as published except 10-mile legs, maintain one four thousand, expect further clearance at 1435 Zulu, time now 1410.” Other transmissions from ATC are similarly predictable: taxi instructions with hold short or cleared to cross, and a takeoff clearance with the winds, a heading or climb via the SID, and cleared for takeoff. But many of the things we must remember to fly the airplane require good old-fashioned memorization.
Memory! Memory! My kingdom for better memory!
– William Shakespeare (modified)
Memory is the retention of information over time, even if only for a short time – such as in the above ATC examples. According to the Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER – that’s an initialism, not a mnemonic), these seven things can help in retaining information:
1. Include physical activity in your daily routine.
Physical activity increases blood flow to our brain. This can be problematic for a professional pilot due to sched- ules and living on the road.
– Mark Twain
2. Stay mentally active.
Mentally stimulating activities help keep the brain in shape. I think we pilots have this one covered.
3. Socialize regularly.
Social interaction will help decrease depression and stress. Many of us interact with passengers, FBO’s and fellow aviators, so we probably have this one covered too.
4. Get organized.
If your home is cluttered and your notes are in disarray, confusion and frustration can result. Pilots are pretty organized – often to the point of being called control freaks. Those living with us, maybe not so much.
5. Sleep well.
Sleep plays an important role in consolidating memories. Once accustomed to living on the road, this is manageable.
6. Eat a healthy diet.
Diet is likely as good for your brain as it is for your heart. Traversing multiple time zones and finding healthy food on the road is likely our most challenging impediment to healthy living.
7. Manage chronic conditions.
Depression, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabe- tes, obesity and hearing loss should be properly managed. The need to maintain our First, Second or Third class physical forces us to comply with this recommendation.
Youth is wasted on the young.
– George Bernard Shaw
Whether you fly wearing a suit and tie, jeans and Docksid- ers or tights and a red cape, aviation demands both mental and physical proficiency. And it’s our job to minimize mis- takes and the times in which we skip or forget things or
24 • TWIN & TURBINE / July 2022