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available either. If there is any question regarding terrain clearance (or winds- hear), apply the appropriate recovery procedure (in most cases this involves disconnecting the autopilot, applying maximum power and pitching for an appropriate airspeed). Traffic alerts may be inhibited by a malfunctioning radio altimeter as well. See and avoid has become nearly an afterthought in the modern world of aviation. It may be a good time to brush up on some old skills.
The 5G dilemma is a microcosm of technological complacency. The rapid advance of technology has un- doubtedly increased efficiency and safety, yet it has also produced hidden dangers. For better than a decade, the NTSB and FAA have been con- cerned about trends indicating tech- nological dependency among pilots. One example of this is the fact that visual approaches in sophisticated aircraft have suddenly caused logjams in flight training. I have seen more
than one applicant become captivated by a desire to “drive the autopilot” towards the runway. It can be easy to forget how much more responsive an aircraft is when managed through the old school of stick-and-rudder. If you ever want to butch up a visual approach, try guiding the servos to the touchdown zone through heading and vertical speed. It is an imprecise technique at best.
Humans are not very good at spon- taneously adapting to an unexpected threat. Training helps to improve re- sponses, but it can take a great deal of time for a pilot to react when startled by an unforeseen event. Technology improves safety margins when it is forward-looking, but response times vary significantly depending upon whether the pilot is aware of a threat or surprised by it. Studies have shown that alerts given within 5 seconds of encountering a risk are essentially worthless. It almost always takes a pilot longer to respond to a sudden
event. Indeed, it took Sullenberger 30 seconds to fully react to his dual engine failure in 2009. I’ve done the “Miracle on the Hudson” scenario in a simulator. When you have an idea that it is coming, it is easy to make the turn back to LaGuardia for a safe land- ing. With a heavy dose of surprise, it is nearly impossible. It is difficult to overemphasize the advantage of antic- ipating a threat versus reacting to one. Forethought is central to a safe flight. If anyone hits a flock of geese over the East River again, you can bet that they will be much quicker to make a turn towards an airport. A whole generation of multi-engine pilots has been exposed to the possibility of a dual-engine failure. Forethought is the supreme weapon against surprise. Technology can either assist or hinder that effort. The difference depends on the relationship that a pilot has with their gizmos.
EGPWS, for one, has done yeo- man’s work at separating metal from
6 • TWIN & TURBINE / August 2022
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