Author: Dave English

Flight controls free and correct?

By Dave English

You have a religion that says if I want to live, I’m going to run the checklist. Robert Hulse Last week the NTSB released lots of details on a fatal accident that will keep lawyers and human factors academics busy for years. It involves rich high-profile (newspaper publisher) passengers, an iconic Gulfstream IV jet, the failure of a basic airplane safety system and the repeated failure of basic airmanship. Maybe the best account of this two-factor crash is the online piece Deadly Failure On The Runway by McCoy and Purcell of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Fascinating reading. (The NTSB press release … Continue reading Flight controls free and correct?

It’s Not About Split-Second Skills

By Dave English

You never know when it will happen. It could be your first solo. It could be after 42 years of flying. As Captain Gann titled a book: Fate is the Hunter. Best be ready. BA Captain Chris Henkey was. The press has praised his ‘split-second’ skills in aborting the takeoff on the runway. But I think the more praiseworthy airmanship is measured in long seconds not fractional millisomethings. All airline pilots practice rejecting takeoffs, and there is little decision making ‘process’ when an engine quits. Good stick and (lots of) rudder skills to decelerate straight ahead. But what was telling … Continue reading It’s Not About Split-Second Skills

No perfect flight

By Dave English

I’ve spent six months in airliner jumpseats observing flight crews, recording their threat and error management behavior during three separate Line Operations Safety Assessments (LOSA). And I never saw a perfect flight. There is no such thing. I watched some master aviators come close, but we all can do more, do better. I’ve become resigned to the idea that I’m not perfect. In reviewing these hundreds of hours aloft by high-time professional crews, it’s clear that no one ever has a perfect flight. I just found a great explanation of not only that idea, but the bigger idea that expecting … Continue reading No perfect flight

Love the one you’re with

By Dave English

“If you can’t be with the one you love … love the one you’re with.” While ‘make your passion your work’ is a good idea, it’s a little simplistic. And sometimes unrealistic. Thankfully, an article in yesterday’s New York Times titled Rethinking Work, shows us a better way — we can put some passion into our work. Work that is adequately compensated is an important social good. But so is work that is worth doing. Half of our waking lives is a terrible thing to waste. My bringing mindful attention to our jobs, our flying, we end up happier. By putting … Continue reading Love the one you’re with