Most of us will agree that anything that makes any job or task easier is a benefit. That's true - to a point. It is possible to get so wrapped up in the gee-whiz toy of the moment that you forget the basics. And too many gadgets and toys can generate information overload. If you experience information overload when something is working, you can suffer the exact opposite when you lose the use of part or all of your technology. Simply put, you can freeze up. You can freeze up just as surely even if "conventional" radios and standard flight instruments are all you have.
So, what do you do when something goes wrong? Most pilots have at least some understanding of cockpit resource management. CRM is really a fairly basic concept that evolved back in the days when an airline captain was considered all-knowing, an individual whose word was never to be questioned. The rest of his crew merely ran checklists and kept seats warm. United Airlines brought CRM to the forefront when its Flight 232, a DC-10, crashed in Sioux City, Iowa, in 1989. Capt. Al Haynes took advantage of all his crew, another pilot aboard the flight as a passenger, and mechanical experts on the ground as they struggled with a catastrophic engine failure that resulted in the loss of all hydraulic control - a situation that had not been addressed in any checklists, operating procedures, or training. As a result, 174 of 285 passengers and 10 of the 11 crewmembers aboard the ill-fated plane survived the crash.
Essentially, CRM means that the entire crew is free to offer suggestions when it comes to solving a problem. While the captain retains full responsibility to make the final decision, he does not do so until he has sought the input and options provided by any and all appropriate resources. The key concept is "all appropriate resources." Airlines consider some of those resources to be flight deck crewmembers, flight attendants, on-board medical personnel (if necessary), ATC (route coordination, finding an alternate airport with minimal congestion and delay), company dispatchers (weather and related information), mechanics, and occasionally even passengers. CRM was developed because too many accidents occurred that might have been prevented had the full benefit of multiple crewmembers been realized.
You may not have such fancy titles at your disposal when you are boring holes in the sky in your Cessna or Piper, but you do indeed have such services available if you know where to look - even when you're flying solo.
The flight dispatcher at the airlines is responsible for providing the crew with all appropriate weather and performance data. In general aviation, you may be responsible for gathering your own weather and planning your flight, but once airborne, you have a plethora of resources from which to update your information. You can listen to hazardous in-flight weather advisories (HIWAS) and transcribed weather broadcasts (TWEB). Flight Service Stations track notams, airmets, and sigmets as well as current weather observations and forecasts. Flight Watch (122.0 MHz) is a special frequency that deals strictly in weather, and often you can get all the information you need just by listening - what the briefer provides to other pilots may answer your questions, too.
What happens if you have a mechanical problem, like flaps or landing gear not working properly? Airline pilots can radio a full maintenance department that specializes in the specific airplane model; it, in turn, often can arrange phone patches with the manufacturer and the pilot training department, and all parties can troubleshoot together as a group.
The set-up may not be as fancy if you're flying a Cessna 172 or a Piper Arrow, but the resources are most assuredly there. Just about every general aviation field with a maintenance facility has mechanics who are familiar with the majority of the planes that we fly - they work on Cessnas, Pipers, Beechcraft, and Mooneys all the time.
What about crewmembers? Obviously, we don't need to have two pilots on board to fly our two- and four-seat airplanes. But we will often fly with nonpilot passengers. These fine folks can be an incredible help, as they can help to navigate, read checklists, check circuit breakers, or simply hold the present attitude of the aircraft while you attend briefly to another necessary task. Another "crew" member could be a pilot in another airplane, for example to verify the position of your landing gear or the existence of a fluid leak. This type of close flying, however, is not accomplished without a lot of risk, and you should never attempt true formation flight if you have not received specific training. You're better off to make a low pass along the runway, if possible, while your newfound friends on the ground provide the extra eyes.
CRM means more than just dealing with a problem in flight. CRM for single-pilot operations means flying an organized airplane. Having your charts organized in your flight bag in the order that you will need them before you take off, setting up your navigation radios before takeoff, and making efficient use of your flight log should be standard practice. One of the most difficult tasks in aviation is to listen to two radios simultaneously. There can be too much information at once, and you risk missing a call from a controller. If you are approaching a busy airport and you need to get the ATIS information before checking in with approach control, then take the time to listen to nothing but the ATIS frequency first, before you call the controller. Even if you have been talking to a controller who has handed you off to another approach sector or the tower, listen to the ATIS first before checking in on your new frequency - you will be able to hear the ATIS in full on the first try, the next controller is not going to notice the extra few seconds, and he will have your full attention - which is what counts. This also avoids the problem of multiple transmissions that make you sound less than proficient.
We are all taught in flying that we do not need to rush. Stories abound about grizzled veterans of yore who received a warning that something was seriously wrong, and then started their timer for 45 seconds or even a minute before doing anything. That time was utilized to analyze what was really wrong and then to decide just what the appropriate course of action was. More than one multiengine pilot has rushed to do something - anything - only to inadvertently shut down the wrong engine after one has failed. Ever been in a twin with no power at all available? Such a plane does not glide; it falls. Such a course of events is undesirable. Be not in a hurry, but be methodical. Don't let anyone, including controllers, rush you.
Most important, never stop flying the airplane. If the problem is so severe that you will not be able to do much about it (for instance, the prop has liberated itself from the plane, or the engine has come out of the mounts), do what you can over that which you can control, such as shutting off the fuel valve; maintain the best gliding airspeed, fly the airplane to a controlled and stabilized landing (even if you're forced to land off-airport), and let the insurance company take care of the rest. Making a sound decision is not that hard, but not second-guessing yourself is, so don't let it happen.
Cockpit resource management means utilizing everything at your disposal in the most efficient manner. Whether it is normal operations or an emergency, CRM means prioritizing your tasks. In normal operations, don't be in a hurry to talk to ATC for the sake of talking. Remember the old mantra of aviating first, navigating second, and then communicating. If an emergency appears to be developing, make sure that it really exists. Warnings can be false or misinterpreted. And when it appears that all your new technological wizardry is going on strike, be prepared to diagnose what is right and what isn't, and calmly revert to the tried-and-true handheld radio, your sectional chart, and an E6B (the whiz-wheel version, not the electronic one with dead batteries). CRM is an easy habit to learn and practice. It also means that you must adhere to rule number one at all times: Fly the airplane.
In the post-September 11 era, preflight planning has taken on a new level of importance, primarily because of temporary flight restrictions (TFRs). The FAA is not trying to make your life impossible when it implements TFRs somewhere in the country. Often, the location and timing of the TFRs are determined by other government agencies, most notably the Transportation Security Administration and the Secret Service, which is responsible for protecting the president. Regardless of how you perceive the necessity of such restrictions, the fact is that they do exist, and even the most current panel-mounted or handheld GPS is not going to display them.
It is critical that you use whatever resources you have before flying to verify the existence of TFRs along your route of flight, and then draw them on your sectional (make them bigger than they need to be in order to give yourself some cushion) or print a copy of a pictorial representation of TFRs from the Internet before departure. Verify with Flight Service the location and waypoints of the TFR so that there is a record of the information you obtained - telephone briefings are recorded. If the TFR is going to be along the route of your planned flight, work out several deviation plans before departure so that you'll have options. If a TFR is off your actual route, make sure that any deviations for weather or traffic keep you well clear. If you have any reason to suspect that the TFR is subject to change, find out in flight by asking air traffic control or Flight Service.
If you are not familiar with communicating using a VOR, try it sometime. All you need to do is transmit on the frequency depicted above the VOR box on your sectional. To listen, or receive, dial in the appropriate VOR frequency, turn up the volume on the nav radio, and if your aircraft has an audio panel make sure it's configured for you to hear the nav radio in your headsets (or the aircraft speaker, if you prefer). Advise the Flight Service specialist which VOR you are using, and she will talk to you over that VOR frequency. This is one of the most underutilized tools available to pilots, and one of the niftiest. If possible, try it the first time on the ground somewhere with your flight instructor so that you don't have to worry about flying the plane and looking for traffic. This technique greatly increases the range of your communication capabilities, especially when you are on the ground and need to talk to FSS, or on busy days when the normal FSS frequencies are full.
As a pilot, and especially if you fly single-pilot, you need to be aware of all the tools at your disposal. Then, when you need one, you can choose the tool most appropriate for your situation.
Chip Wright is a 5,500-hour airline transport pilot and a captain for Comair. He is a flight instructor with instrument and multiengine ratings. In his spare time, he is building a Vans RV-8 kit airplane.
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