If you are a pilot, congratulations! All that work to acquire the skill, knowledge and judgement is quite an accomplishment. But for everyone that holds that role there is an ongoing responsibility to keep learning and improving. Being a pilot is not a static “one off” achievement but involves a continuing mandate to improve. To be safe in aviation we must work every day to improve our skills and awareness. And a lot of that learning is about ourselves, how we react to situations and what we can do to be better; the pursuit of excellence. We manage risks with every decision we make, and the consequences may be huge for even very small choices.
The recent Watsonville mid-air collision is an example of how two pilots can die horribly by small choices they make. In this August accident, just before #OSH22, both pilots were aware of the other’s position and intentions, and they still ran into each other! How many times are accidents like this *avoided* by simple pilot actions? Every little choice we make as pilots may determine life and death; that awareness is the key to safety. We need to practice and disseminate better risk-management skills; decision-making. Please watch this excellent AOPA production.
For flight instructors reading this, please share and teach these lessons.”What ifs” and other’s misfortunes inform our learning and improvement. Terrible outcomes like this can often be easily avoided by simple choices. The overall awareness that terrible consequences are possible and close at hand is part of this lesson too. As a recent blog pointed out we pilots operate in a “high consequence environment” but often are unaware of the risks. Awareness and small choices tilt the balance toward safety and a much better outcome. Fly safely out there (and often)!
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