In a slightly modified version of the age-old aviation “ABC – Airspeed, Best field, Checklist” mantra for what to do in emergencies in an aircraft, I have three general rules of flying that I personally fly by and teach my students.
1. Maintain control of the aircraft.
2. Use control of the aircraft to not hit stuff.
3. Do everything else after these have been accomplished.
It’s simple, but the first rule makes sure you are in control, still have “flying speed” (haven’t ended up in a stall-spin), and can make decisions on what to do with that control.
The second is where that control kicks in. Use it to not hit stuff. Other planes, the ground, airspace, clouds, trees, etc. Put the plane somewhere safe where you have time to do other stuff next.
Which is rule three. If you have successfully done rules 1 and 2, you can do the rest of the things. Checklists, diversions, whatever you need to make your flight as safe as possible.
But I now add two more rules into the mix. I stole some of this from a friend in the boating industry who teaches people to drive their boats, adapted and modified it for the aviation training and proficiency sector.
Rule 4: Think Turtle.
Rule 5: Don’t Go Octopus.
Ok, let me explain.
If you have followed rules 1, 2, and 3, start doing things methodically and slowly if needed, to make sure you don’t miss things.
You now have time to make decisions on the actions you will take next. Don’t just grab stuff. Make conscious choices.
Think Turtle means don’t rush what you are doing, even in an emergency. But it is especially true for setting up maneuvers, planning for landings, or programming flight routes into navigation systems.
Just because you want, or need, to do something doesn’t mean it has to be done at the fastest possible pace. That leads to incorrect inputs.
Most of the old captains will tell you the old joke, “What’s the first thing to do in an emergency in an airliner?” The answer to the question is, “Take a drink of coffee.”
It exemplifies the need to take your time and not rush your reaction. That will allow you to fully evaluate what is actually happening and plan an appropriate response.
Don’t Go Octopus means make your actions purposeful. Don’t just start grabbing levers or pushing buttons without thinking about what doing that is going to do. If you don’t know what something is going to do, figure it out first instead of just grabbing stuff or hoping.
I stole this, as I alluded to above, from a friend in the boating instruction realm. Many boats have two throttles, two gear levers, and a steering wheel.
As humans, we have two hands. And we can’t grab all those things at once.
But people try. They just start grabbing levers and the wheel and get the boats going all kinds of ways they probably don’t want to. Especially when trying to dock. Even worse if it is windy.
We have lots more levers and buttons in our flight decks than most boats, and the lesson applies here also. Think about what you want to do, engage that lever or button, and generate the outcome you need to happen. Don’t just start grabbing and moving a bunch of stuff at once.
This may all sound kind of silly, but the point here is to be methodical and systematic in our flight operations. Especially in emergency scenarios.
Yes, there are memory items and rote responses we need for some things, but as we do those, and then proceed into emergency, or just maneuvers, checklists and procedures, doing so methodically and systematically ensures we don’t miss things or have incorrect inputs that make situations worse, or fail to improve the situation in emergencies.
Something as simple as rushing through a checklist, or trying to do it from memory, might let a pilot miss a fuel tank switch from an auxiliary tank to a main tank after the auxiliary tank has gone empty, causing an engine power loss when the main tank was still full of fuel. I use that specific example because it happened to someone I did a checkride for later on in their flight career. It was a completely avoidable accident, a forced landing in a field.
I have actually begun putting little stuffed turtles on the dash of some of my students to remind them to slow down during training and proficiency practice. It is a visual reminder for them when they start to feel the “rush” to get something done in training or testing.
There are times when just taking that breath, slowing ourselves down, and doing things like a turtle and not going octopus in our flight decks is just what we need to ensure a better outcome or performance.
