Risk management: CFIs, students, and safety

Flying on a scheduled U.S. air carrier is extremely safe—we have about twice the likelihood of winning the lottery as we do perishing in a U.S. airline accident—but we are placing our fate in the hands of a crew that we never met and would not recognize if we saw them in a crowd. We probably know little about the airline other than its reputation, and the airliner’s complexity is far beyond our experience. Traveling in our own car, even if we are the world’s safest driver, exposes us to the skill and temperament of the driver in the adjacent lane. In 2019 there were nearly 40,000 auto deaths on U.S. roads, and many of those tragedies involved “the other guy.” Mid-road collisions kill many drivers each year. Midair collisions, on the other hand, are few—about 10 annually—and half of those mishaps involve non-fatal contact.

When we pilot an aircraft, safety is under our control. We select the vehicle we fly. We advance the throttle or power levers to the takeoff setting and launch into the sky. We select the course to be flown and when to proceed or divert. We, as pilots, have the opportunity to mitigate the risks we perceive and are likely to encounter.

Only the pilot causes an aircraft to venture skyward; and once aloft, only the pilot can affect a safe return to earth. Rarely is the risk of an accident dependent upon someone other than the pilot in command. The federal aviation regulations support the proposition that safety rests with the person who takes his or her aircraft aloft; per FAR 91.3, The pilot in command of an aircraft is directly responsible for, and is the final authority as to, the operation of that aircraft. Fully embracing the meaning of that FAR goes a long way toward achieving personal safety in flight.

No other form of meaningful transportation provides an operator with a greater means of control over one’s personal safety. Accepting that perspective, pilots can substantially reduce GA fatal accidents. Teaching that concept, CFIs can substantially contribute to reducing GA accidents.

Realistic opportunities: Changes in GA—some profound, others subtle—facilitate a pilot’s control over safety. Pilots mitigate aviation’s most significant risks when they “plan their flight and fly their plan.” Using today’s technology coupled with good training, even the recently certificated private pilot can plan thoroughly and perform successfully.

The Internet, handheld communication devices, aviation apps, and onboard avionics provide a wealth of information and planning tools that are comprehensive and easy to use. Relatively low-cost software such as ForeFlight and other planning aids provide capabilities that were available only to airline operation centers and corporate flight departments less than a decade earlier. Consider the impact of weather on safety: While loss of control (LOC) and controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) are numbers one and two on the NTSB’s list of leading causes of fatal GA accidents, weather plays a significant role in both those areas. Weather also is a contributing factor in number seven—unintended flight into IMC—on the NTSB’s top 10 list. But a well-prepared pilot, trained in perceiving risks and processing weather data, can significantly reduce the likelihood of a mishap because of unexpected flight conditions.

As pilots, have we ever been caught in bad weather? Doubtful. Rather, we fly into bad weather. The environment in which we fly can be one of only three things—as forecast, better than forecast, or worse than forecast. Processing information available from today’s weather tools and monitoring actual conditions en route, such as requesting METARs and detecting ceiling changes along with observed visibility while proceeding cross-country, a pilot is highly unlikely to be “caught” in bad weather.

Pilots also have profound influence over fuel-related accidents, number four on the NTSB’s top 10 list. GPS all but assures that becoming lost or outflying one’s fuel supply is unlikely for the pilot who uses available resources in today’s technology-enabled world of aviation.

Similarly, systems component and engine failures without any warning—while possible—are rare, accounting for about 8 percent of all GA fatal accidents. Backup instrumentation is now available via installed standby systems as well as low-cost attitude and heading reference systems on handheld devices. Avionics systems monitor engine behavior and enable a pilot to locate the nearest airport when problems arise. Technology provides many add-on options that did not exist when most GA aircraft flying today were manufactured

Good instruction: Pilots are the most important element in GA safety, accounting for about three-quarters of all fatal accidents. It is in precisely this area—piloting—that CFIs provide aviators with the greatest opportunity to control safety of flight. With good flight instruction and continuing education in areas of knowledge, piloting skills, and risk management, today’s GA pilot has the opportunity to maximize personal safety and significantly reduce fatal accidents within the GA community.

Most significant, CFIs have the opportunity—indeed, the obligation—to provide students with the tools to fly safely and to instill within their students the sense of personal responsibility to apply those tools consistently. Safety is the foundation of all aviation; teaching safety is the foundation of all flight instruction. FT

John W. Olcott was president of NBAA for 11 years and is publisher of AvBuyer.