Situational Awareness
Editorial
By Ed Downs
Let's talk aviation safety. Sure, same old sermon, right? Well, maybe, but let’s put some meat on the lecture with specific recommendations. This writer teaches many FAA courses for almost all flight ratings. A common factor in virtually every FAA written exam (officially known as a Knowledge Test) is the stress of Aeronautical Decision Making (ADM)... the psychology of making good flying decisions.
ADM started out with NASA studies in the late 1970's and evolved into the airline use of Crew Resource Management (CRM) concepts. All a good thing. With the advent of advanced technology airplanes in general aviation and the ability to retrofit all kinds of technology into old airplanes, it was realized that Single Pilot Resource Management (SRM) was a good idea, as GA airplanes were becoming as complex as many two-pilot airliners. Regrettably, a lot of aviation pros were sucked into the conclusion that such technology would make flying infinitely safer, lessening the need for old-fashioned stick and rudder training. Being the clever species that we are, all too many pilots have managed to overcome technology and continue to brake perfectly good airplanes. The FAA finally concluded that the key to accident prevention lies with the pilot, thereby agreeing with the commonsense conclusion that has been with us since Orville and Wilber. It is the “lose nut behind the wheel" that is most often the problem. This is where ADM of today came from.
ADM is now a major part of training, specifically included in all written exams and a major part of the new Airman Certification Standards (ACS). Bottom line fail to know the "magic words" of ADM, and you fail the test. One aspect of ADM that is particularly stressed is that of situational awareness. To most of us old-time aviators, the concept of being "situationally aware" is pretty simple. Taking the low road in explaining situational awareness, it is simply "get "got your head out of your hiney and pay attention to what is going on around you." Pretty simple eh? Well, not to the FAA and the shrinks who came up with ADM. Given a written exam, or maybe the oral when taking a check ride (officially called the Practical Test), the following is the official definition of situational awareness, as taught in Flight Instructor Refresher Clinics (FIRC's):
"The perception of elements in the environment within a volume of time and space, the comprehension of their meaning, and the projection of their status in the near future.”
I am not making that up. It is copied (via computer magic) right off a training slide mandated by the FAA. Is that definition a sentence or a paragraph? Is it anywhere close to correct English? The fact is situational awareness is probably at the top of the list for flying behaviors that result in safety, it is a shame that the FAA/ADM program does not explain situational awareness in a manner that resonates with us simple folk.
Fortunately, here is a branch of our Federal Government that is very good at training "simple folk" in complex and exceedingly dangerous task. I give you the U.S. Military and many excellent law enforcement agencies. But, in recognition that military and law enforcement trainees may never have had to exercise the levels of situational awareness that combat (or the streets of Chicago) may require, they keep it simple. Most readers have probably heard of the "DEFCON" (Defense Condition) system of military awareness and preparedness.
Divided into five levels of readiness, DEFCON 1 might be a bunch of soldiers watching football on TV and scarfing down tacos. DEFCON 5 would be these same solders saddled up and heading out for nuclear war. The in-between numbers represent an escalating scale of aware-ness and preparedness. This simple, but effective system means that all involved understand the severity of a situation and know what to do at each level. It is no wonder then, that it was a military gent, Col. Jeff Cooper, who adapted this concept of awareness to another discipline that requires as much initial training, recurrent training and safety training as does flying the use of firearms. This writer is an Air Force Veteran, longtime member of the NRA and has had a special relationship with law enforcement. I came to realize that many situational awareness techniques and training philosophies originated in military training provide a remarkably practical and effective way of quantifying one's own situational awareness in everyday life...to include flying an airplane. This instructor has adapted Col. Cooper's system to flying and now offers the following to all my students.
Col. Cooper came up with a color-coded system of awareness... no... not like the nonsense used by Homeland Security. With only four colors to remember, white, yellow, orange, and red, it is pretty easy to categorize your level of situational awareness. Let's simply change a few words from the original version of Col. Cooper's system and turn this into aviation situational awareness.
WHITE — Perhaps like that guy watching football and scarfing tacos. Totally unaware of what is going on in the rest of the house. A car could crash into the living room and he would just yell at the dog. Are you walking down the street, texting and engaged in social media? Watch out for that manhole! AFIRC attendee, former Air Force pilot and guardian of the Washington D.C. ADIZ, told of intercepting a Cessna 310that had penetrated the ADIZ airspace. The 310 pilot was observed to be reading a newspaper and never saw the armed jet alongside him. Apparently on autopilot, this idiot traversed the restricted airspace without a clue as to what was going on...am not making this up! The 310's 'N' number was recorded and acted upon. How about you, with the GPS programed, autopilot engaged, music playing in your headsets and Candy Crush at play in your hands, are you situationally aware? This is the White zone good luck! You are situationally unaware.
YELLOW — If walking down the street, you know who is near you. If shopping, you keep an eye on the shop-ping basket and are alert to activity in the box store parking lot. You are not walking and texting. As a pilot, your head is up and out, scanning regularly and checking the gauges for normal indications. If in a busy traffic pattern, you are flying three airplanes, yours, the plane in front of you and the plane behind you, plus the tower. You are not just flying in the weather environment, but aware of what the future holds for the weather. If any doubt comes into your mind, you act to clarify that doubt. You are using flight following, not listening to music and your smart phone is nowhere to be seen. Don’t confuse this state of awareness with paranoia, it is simply a state in which all of your senses are in play, allowing full enjoyment of the adventure of flight. This is the YELLOW zone...have fun. You are situational aware.
ORANGE — You have identified a specific threat. The first indication of a threat may be intuition ... go with your gut — it is seldom wrong. A threat is not going to hurt you, it is a warning that you must prepare to act. Responding to a threat can lead to avoiding a hazard. While taking a walk in a small Nevada town this writer noted another person on the other side of the street, apparently “keeping an eye on me." I sensed a threat. A decision needed to be made to avoid the threat or confront it. If flying, a sudden change in oil pressure or perhaps EGT could be the indication of a threat. You need to start planning for action. What are your alternatives. Perhaps select "nearest airport" on your GPS, "just in case." What if an expected ceiling is lower than forecasted? Maybe you can still complete the flight but consider diverting to an alternate airport to reduce the threat. This is the ORANGE zone ... Start planning. You have recognized a potential bad situation.
RED — You must act. It is now time to implement your Orange plan. This writer went "red" regarding being followed by entering a store and asking staff to call the police (no cell towers). The suspect was apprehended and was up to no good. The "action" was to avoid confrontation. What about that lowering cloud deck, continuing is an option, but that is confrontation? An action that results in avoidance is preferable, so act by heading for that alternate airport selected while still in the Orange zone. The need to act brings other problems with it. Fear, anxiety, high workload, concern for your passengers, can all add to what might be an already overwhelming workload.
Consider including "RedZone planning" into every flight. Have alternate airports already selected, carry extra fuel, keep informed of the weather through regular communication with FSS, plan the safest route over roads and cities. Don't just hit "direct to" and let the GPS make all of your decisions. Good planning and flying in the YELLOW can keep the RED zone at bay. Remember, there is a reg that says, “you must have all available information." That does not apply to just pre-flight planning, but to the entire flight. The preceding still boils down to just a few words: keep your head out of your hiney and know what is going on. Pretty simple ? eh?
