The greatest threat to safety in single-pilot operation is distraction. Without a second pilot on board to monitor the pilot flying and to help manage workload, the single pilot operator’s best strategies are those that minimize distractions.
Most pilot deviations, Loss of Control Inflight (LOC-I) and other aircraft mishaps have at their core an element of pilot distraction. Distraction and deviation are most common when the pilot is in a transitory phase of flight: climbing out from the departure airport, transitioning from climb to level (whether in an intermediate “step climb” or at the final cruise altitude), leveling out of a descent, and in the approach and landing environment. These transition phases are easily defined in terms of altitude, as what I call Altitude Critical Areas (ACAs).
If distraction is the hazard in an ACA, then workload reduction is the mitigation. A very helpful workload reduction tool makes active use of the ACA concept. The idea for the ACA comes from the airline industry and most notably past NTSB chairman Robert Sumwalt, who in a 1990s National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) article coined the term to describe the final portion of an instrument approach. I’ve adopted Sumwalt’s term to expand on the concept for single-pilot resource management (SPRM).
Defining ACA
I define an Altitude Critical Area as any range of altitude:
- within 2,000 feet of the ground and/or
- within 1,000 feet of a level-off altitude (whether on climb or descent) until established and trimmed on that altitude.
You may wish to increase the range of altitudes you use to define an ACA but do not decrease them. Altitude changes can happen rapidly in twin and turbine aircraft. The physical task of changing the phase-of-flight state and trimming the airplane (or monitoring the autopilot closely while it does so), then confirming your actions with the applicable checklist, takes time and requires your attention. The ACA technique helps you budget that time and sharpen that focus.
Using ACAs
Now that we’ve defined ACA airspace, what do you do when you’re in it? The idea is to reduce workload by limiting nonessential tasks when you are in an ACA. The best way to do this is to invoke the Sterile Cockpit Rule.
The Sterile Cockpit Rule is an FAA regulation that applies to multi-pilot crews flying in scheduled airline service (Part 121) and crewed or single-pilot operations in an on-demand air carrier (charter) operation (Part 135). This regulation was enacted after the widespread introduction of Cockpit Voice Recorders (CVRs) in airliners, which allowed investigators to learn that many air carrier deviations and crashes occur while the cockpit crew is distracted by off-topic conversations or performing extraneous tasks.
14 CFR 135.100 spells out the Sterile Cockpit Rule for charter pilots. I’ve excerpted parts that might describe the way you fly your single-pilot aircraft and added emphasis to the most relevant parts.
No…flight crewmember perform any duties during a critical phase of flight except those duties required for the safe operation of the aircraft. Duties such as [radio] calls made for…nonsafety related purposes…, eating meals, engaging in nonessential conversations…and reading publications not related to the proper conduct of the flight are not required for the safe operation of the aircraft…critical phases of flight include ground operations involving taxi, takeoff and landing….
Although these regulations do not apply to Part 91 operators, the technique is valid – at least with a little translation.
Techniques
So how can you glean the advantages of ACAs and the Sterile Cockpit Rule in your single-pilot cockpit?
- Brief your passengers. Let your passengers know there are certain times when you need to be fully focused on flying the airplane. These times include any time the airplane is moving on the ground, during takeoff and the first few minutes of climb, as you’re leveling off on the way up and on the way down, and for about the last 15 minutes of your flight as you near the airport – in other words, when in an ACA. If you have nervous passengers and think this will somehow make them doubt your ability as a pilot, blame it on the radio: “You’ll notice it’s sometimes hard to understand what the controllers and other pilots are saying on the radio. At certain times of the flight, I’ll need to be listening for them. During those times, I’ll ask you to refrain from talking to me so I can hear them better.”
Brief passengers before you board the aircraft that you’ll let them know when it’s okay for them to talk to you, and when you need them to halt conversation as you near a new phase of flight. Advise them you may use the Pilot Isolation feature of your intercom so they can still talk among themselves during these times but you cannot hear them. Tailor this briefing to the level of pilot isolation you’ll use and the way you’ll notify your passengers. - Get everything set and briefed before takeoff. Don’t think you can plug in the flight plan once you’re airborne – you’ll probably be too busy for that until you’re well on your way. Complete all your checklists and briefings before you call the tower or take the active to depart. Don’t enter an ACA until all actions are complete.
- Delay anything that’s not immediately necessary until you exit the ACA. Don’t pull out or call up approach charts while in an ACA. Don’t call ahead for a fuel order, to confirm a rental car, or answer an FBO’s questions about how long you’ll park or if you have passengers waiting while you’re in an ACA-defined high-workload area. If it’s not immediately necessary to the outcome of the flight, defer it until you exit the ACA.
Into Practice
Say you’ve been cleared to 12,000 feet MSL. You’re nearing 11,000 feet and climbing – you’re entering the Level-Off ACA that begins 1,000 feet below level-off. Reach up and activate the Pilot Isolation switch on your intercom – you’re removing distractions from your passengers’ conservation and questions. Set your iPad or other charts aside and focus solely on flying the airplane, with or without the autopilot – you’re removing visual distractions and directing attention to what you really need to do at that moment. Reduce your climb rate to 500 feet per minute to begin accelerating on course and to spread out the big trim change between climb and cruise speeds – you’re limiting distractions by moderating the pace of level-off.
If ATC calls with a re-route or wants you to change squawks or some other task, respond, “Stand by, I’ll call when I’m ready.” Hand-fly or closely monitor the autopilot’s level-off and, using practiced cockpit flow checks, reconfigure the airplane for cruise. Once established and trimmed in level flight, with reconfiguring complete and the mixture leaned, run the Cruise checklist to ensure you’ve not missed anything. After you’re satisfied the transition is complete, you’re no longer in the Level-Off ACA. Respond to any ATC requests, pull the iPad back out for your en route charts or weather, and turn off the Pilot Isolation feature and say hello to your passengers until you enter the next ACA.
Each time you enter an ACA do the same thing: remove distractions, focus on the transition, confirm your actions with the checklist, then resume non-ACA operations.
One More Thing
The concept of the Altitude Critical Area helps you respond to abnormal and emergency situations as well. If you experience a systems failure or other problem while you’re in an ACA, perform any “bold print” Emergency checklist memory steps that are necessary. Once that’s complete, or if no bold print steps are required, exit the ACA if at all possible before you attempt to troubleshoot the failure or perform any printed Abnormal or Emergency checklist actions. Get away from the ground (continue initial climb after takeoff, or break off an approach and climb away from a landing), and when you’re out of the ACA then deal with the condition. If you’re in a Level-Off ACA, whether climbing or descending, complete the level-off, then handle the abnormality.
Do you see an abnormality or get an annunciator light? Will the landing gear not go down? Then don’t enter the ACA. On the runway when you detect a problem? Abort the takeoff and figure it out after you’ve come to a stop. If you’re airborne in an ACA, get out – climb if needed, and level off well away from the ground. Only after you’re established in level flight outside an ACA should you identify the problem and make remedial actions. There you can begin troubleshooting and using any Abnormal or Emergency checklists. Whether taking off or descending, unless the airplane is incapable of doing so, don’t fly into high-workload airspace with an unresolved indication or discrepancy.
Of course, some situations may not give you this luxury. But if what you’re facing today does, take advantage of the operational pause provided by avoiding or getting out of the high-workload ACA and dealing with the problem in lower-workload airspace. Old-time pilots used to say the first thing you should do in an emergency is to wind the clock on the instrument panel. This is another way of saying “take your time and do things right.” In the modern world, exiting or avoiding an ACA is another way of winding the clock.
Pilot workload is high enough on takeoff, on approach and landing, and during intermediate and final level-offs, without adding the distractions of passenger conversation and extraneous, non-time-sensitive tasks. Use the concept of the Altitude Critical Area and Sterile Cockpit techniques to better command your flight.
