Page 30 - Demo

Willingness to Engage in Sustained Training
Upon successful completion of a private pilot checkride, as the pilot is handed their temporary certificate, ex- aminers will often say, “this is a license to learn.” The inference being that even though you may now be legal to carry passengers, there remains vast amounts of knowledge, judgement and skill to acquire and retain. This is likely true in any endeavor that requires a combina- tion of intelligence, judgement, physical dexterity and coordination. Especially when operating a complex machine in an environment that, like the sea, is un- forgiving of any carelessness or neglect.
From student pilot to ATP, those of us that have flown for many hours can at-
“Complications” by Dr. Atul Gawande asserts that it’s practice, not talent that is the primary determinant of a surgeon’s ability.
test to the sometimes hair-raising truth and wisdom of that examiner’s decree. Our learning curve is unending due to changes in regulations, configuration of airframes and powerplants (whether by choice or by AD), advancements in elec- tronics and avionics. A pilot’s learning goes well beyond the first few hundred or even first few thousand hours. Con- scious learning becomes unconscious knowledge, then knowledge and prac- tice becomes ability, skill, judgement, competence and talent. The most im- portant talent we develop may in fact be having a tolerance for continuous and deliberate practice, or in other words, the willingness to engage in sustained training. We must acquiesce to being a lifelong student because once we have mastered the basic mechanics of flying an airplane, we are forever destined to experience many more learning curves in avionics, regulations, airspace man- agement and aircraft operating systems.
Having been placed resolutely onto the modern technology learning curve myself, I often feel like the new kid at school or one of Dr. Gawande’s surgical
interns. It started with upgrading the Duke’s 1970’s-era Collins/King suite to a modern WAAS/ LPV GPS and touch- screen ADS-B transponder. Followed by a forced move from the MD-80’s round-dial, wire and cable-driven pi- lot’s-plane, to the all glass, LNAV/VNAV, data-linked and HUD equipped 737-800. And most recently, a change from my 98’ bare-bones 4WD Ford Explorer (with 322,000 miles) to a brand-new, all-glass, Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk.
All that I really needed was some- thing with 4WD to move the Duke in and out of the hangar. But what I got commu- nicates with my phone, tablet, the Jeep systems monitoring center (and prob-
If only we had a self-aware “HAL” in our vehicles and aircraft.
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28 • TWIN & TURBINE
June 2018