Page 22 - March 2015 Volume 19 Number 3

Twin Proficiency: Promote Yourself to
Flying to Houston for business, my brother’s airline flight from Cleveland to Chicago was delayed and eventually diverted because of severe weather at O’Hare. After a ground-stop delay at Cleveland, the ERJ-145 crew flew some ATC-assigned delaying tactics before lining up for the approach, only to miss the approach from very near touchdown because a tornado was reported in the immediate vicinity. The crew diverted to Indianapolis, Indiana, where passengers and crew sat until the line of storms eventually blew through there as well.
The crew of that Regional Jet knew before they left Cleveland that the weather was probably going to be bad. They launched with the plan of beating it to O’Hare, but had an “out” if they needed it. As soon as the situation required a change in plan they were ready and willing to execute – no delay, no second- guessing, no regrets.
Although it’s possible the flight deck crew thought about passengers missing their connections, the hassles of landing at an airport not really prepared to accommodate them, and their own inevitable duty-day limitations growing ever nearer, in reality they probably didn’t care. And frankly, we don’t want them to. We want and expect
• • • •TWIN & TURBINE
our professional aircrews to get us where we’ve paid to be. But, even more importantly, we want them to be supremely proficient, and make safety-of-flight decisions without the distractions of considering the individual pressures and schedules passengers face. We expect nothing less of a professional flight crew, especially the person identified as the all-responsible captain.
In the Twin
No matter what you fly, when you act as pilot-in-command, you are the captain of your aircraft.
Your passengers, your family, your co-workers don’t know there’s a difference...they expect you to be as skilled, proficient and wise as the pilots who sit at the pointy end of an airliner. Prove them right.
At some point, as the time of your flight approaches, you stop being a spouse or a parent or a businessperson or a friend. You become the captain, with all responsibilities that go with it. Put on your virtual captain’s hat and wings and act like it. Your decisions must be made on the basis of safely arriving at your destination or, if the situation turns, making certain you and your passengers safely arrive at some destination – even if it’s back where you came from.
If, as a personal and business pilot, you choose to take on the mantle of Pilot-in-Command, you must commit to:
Training, done seriously, on the basics as well as advanced flying skills. Train at least as frequently as a commercial pilot – no less than every six months.
A self-driven course of continuing education, constantly reviewing the basics and the book work. Read and participate in online discussions. If you’re the most experienced pilot you know, get new friends – its good to pass along what you’ve learned, but it’s even more important to be learning new things all of the time.
Taking advantage of mentorship opportunities – fly with a variety of instructor pilots, not the same instructor all the time, to glean from a wide range of experiences and abilities. Take hops with more experienced pilots and airline/ military types who are familiar with your type of aircraft and operation.
Using the boundaries of the regulations as a minimum standard of safety, never to be violated. The limitations of your pilot certificates, ratings and currency, and the limitations of the aircraft you fly, are a personal Operations Specifications manual akin to that used by airline pilots. Strive to do “better than book” with your skills and professionalism.
Know what the airplane is...and isn’t. The airplane you’re flying may have extraordinary avionics and equipment, but it is not an airliner. It is a recreational and business tool. It has not been designed, tested, certificated or maintained to the same level as an air carrier aircraft. It doesn’t have the performance or redundancy of an airliner. It doesn’t have the support of a fulltime maintenance staff, or dispatchers, or professional handlers. Yet, it is very safe and very capable...if it’s flown within its limitations.
Know what you are...and aren’t. You are probably not an airline pilot.
Captain
by Thomas P. Turner
MARCH 2015