Team-buildingin the cockpit

During normal operations, this isn’t that big of a deal, but during an emergency, it can make the difference between life and death. Furthermore, it’s also possible that just a little prompting from another pilot or crewmember can prevent a minor issue from turning into a major one. If that other pilot doesn’t feel valued or feels intimidated, there is less assurance that he or she will speak up.

Today, CRM is an integral part of the aviation world. Inside the airplane, it has become a crucial part of training for multi-person crews; outside the airplane, it involves everyone from air traffic controllers and dispatchers to manufacturers’ representatives or pilots in other airplanes. So, what does CRM look like, especially in the single- pilot world?

Let’s start with what it doesn’t look like. When I was a full-time instructor, I had a client who flew a nicely equipped late-model Piper Arrow with an autopilot. He had relatively little time in type and asked me to fly with him as much as possible. We locked horns immediately over the use of the autopilot. Piper autopilots have never been known as stellar, but when they worked, and the user understood them, they could be great tools for reducing workload and fatigue. This client refused to use the autopilot, arguing that if he couldn’t manage everything without it, he was not a competent pilot. My argument was that being a competent pilot meant using all the working tools at his disposal, and the autopilot was a way to greatly enhance safety. This was in the era of paper charts, and he had more paper in the cockpit than my kids do after opening their Christmas presents.

There is nothing wrong with being able to do everything with “one hand on the wheel.” But why do it if you don’t have to? Even using a wing-leveler or a heading mode would have allowed him a minute or two to rearrange his charts and work two radios when he needed to get weather on one while talking to ATC on the other. The result was that he spent a lot of time chasing heading and altitude deviations, which increased his workload, increased his fatigue, and cost him fuel (even that argument didn’t work).

So, no surprise, the autopilot is a critical element in good CRM. Today autopilot proficiency is recognized as a vital element in running a safe flight—so much so that they are no-go items in jets certified for single-pilot operations, and in reduced vertical separation minimums airspace. Holding altitude when hand-flying in the thin air of the flight levels can be a near impossibility, what with the need for constant pitch inputs.

A second pilot in the right seat is another way to exercise good CRM, especially if he or she is type-rated in the airplane. In two-pilot operations, workload can be split. One pilot, for example, typically flies the airplane and is in charge of running the autopilot; handling the systems, power, and spoiler controls; and making the multifunction display setups. The pilot not flying reads checklists, handles radio communications, raises and lowers the landing gear and flaps, and makes flight plan entries and edits. Together, both crewmembers cross-check any inputs, and both are free to offer any observations and contribute to decision-making.

If you are the only pilot in your airplane, or the only one qualified in the type, how can you exercise CRM using passengers or other, less-experienced pilots? For starters, give them an in-depth and solid briefing. Even now, more than 20 years into my career, the captain starts each trip with a briefing about his expectations, some company-dictated procedures, and any individual quirks the right-seater needs to know. We fly for a living, and we still give and receive the same speech every day.

For nonpilots, explain and demonstrate how to use the radio in an emergency, and how to reset the transponder to 7700. Consider preparing a small briefing card for the passenger. If you want passengers to help or feel included, explain that you are going to have them read the checklists to you, which will have the added benefit of slowing you down when you want to rush. Establish your expectations clearly, and don’t expect anyone to read your mind. Don’t ask or expect a nonqualified pilot to do more than read the checklists or work the radios, but on the other hand, don’t tell someone that you expect help and then turn around and try to do everything yourself. Taking over (or even just appearing to) can isolate the one person who might be there to help. The accident record is filled with situations where captains made co-pilots feel that their help and input were unwelcome. Less-experienced pilots are more prone to this, so it is critical that you practice the inclusiveness that you will preach. Tell pilots or passengers that if they’re feeling in over their heads, they need to tell you.

Recognizing the CRM value that nonpilots can contribute, several organizations conduct Pinch-Hitter-style ground and flight training for front-seat passengers, such as spouses. Basic flying, autopilot usage, and radio communication skills are emphasized, but sometimes, as with the Citation Jet Pilots Association’s companion course, the trainee is given practice landing the airplane—a valuable skill in the event of a pilot’s incapacitation.

There are other ways that pilots flying single pilot can exercise good CRM. Many pilots are reluctant to ask ATC for help, but controllers also are essential as CRM resources. We’re taught to notify ATC in case of an emergency, but what if you’re facing an abnormal situation, such as a low hydraulic fluid level or a windshield heat outage? It’s worth letting ATC know in case those abnormalities escalate. You may need to prepare for a gear-up landing, or an iced-up windshield during a descent through cloud layers, for example. ATC can steer you toward a larger airport with longer runways and better emergency facilities if there’s a gear-extension problem, or help with vectors so you can make a descent around scattered or broken, ice-free clouds.

Too high to make a normal descent into the terminal area? Ask ATC if you can circle while losing altitude, or ask for vectors for the descent. Been given an early descent when safe fuel reserves would be challenged by flying those last hundred miles at lower altitudes? Speak up and voice your concern.

Perhaps the most basic rule of single-pilot CRM takes effect before the airplane takes flight. It’s this: Know your options, especially when it comes to diversions. Whether the diversion is because of unanticipated winds or an all-hands-on-deck emergency, it’s critical to always know where the best airport is, even if it’s behind you. It’s easy to forget that almost any problem can be solved faster and more safely on the ground than it can be in any phase of flight.AOPA

Chip wright of Hebron, Kentucky, is an airline pilot.