The flying public is often lulled into a perception that the pilots flying the planes they ride in are well trained and very safe. For the most part, that is true. Recent events, however, make one question airline safety and how pilots are being trained and do they really know how to operate the planes they fly.

The landing accident a few weeks ago at SFO will take many months of inspection and research to figure out exactly what happened. There has been much speculation in the media and many experts have offered their views. Early reports indicate the instrument landing system for the runway they were using was out of service.

Many years ago, pilots were trained to fly by what they saw outside of the plane. Basic stick and rudder skills were honed on each flight and the pilot could easily tell if the plane was on the proper glide path to land. Over the years, new systems of automation have taken over the cockpit and many times all the flight crew has to do is sit back and monitor the systems. Some planes can even land themselves.

The FAA has observed that pilots have become too dependent on the automated systems onboard the aircraft they are flying and earlier this year recommended that pilots start weaning themselves off of these automated systems and start hand flying the plane more often.  Below is a link to the FAA release discussing manual flight operations.

FAA Safety Alert For Operators: SAFO13002

Would this accident have happened if the pilots had been more familiar with hand flying, especially visual approaches?

While there is just no substitution for basic flying skills, being able to operate an aircraft with very sophisticated systems requires a lot of training and experience. Our pilots are trained to fly the plane . . . using all the tools and systems available to insure a safe flight. Hand flying a visual approach on a clear day is nothing unusual, but if an instrument approach is available, it will be set up to give the pilot additional information to confirm what he sees outside the plane is correct.

In the end, there will likely be recommendations or mandates given to the aviation industry to adjust or change how pilots are trained and how they operate their aircraft. The perception of safety will then be in balance again.

 

Steve Wiley

VP Aviation Accounts