Flying Discipline

by Darren Smith, CFII/MEI

Pocket Learning, June 2005

"I learned the discipline of flying in order to have the  freedom of flight....Discipline prevents crashes." 
— Captain John Cook, British Airways, Concorde Pilot

Freud says humans by nature "avoid pain and seek pleasure."  It hints at taking instant gratification
rather than doing the hard work required to be successful.  This fundament human concept is
incompatible with tasks required to be a safe pilot.  When you read the next accident summary, you
will invariably read the statement, "accident caused by pilot's failure to...."    In your mind, if you can
insert the following phrase, you'll have a whole different view of aviation safety:  "accident caused by
pilot's lack of discipline related to...."

In case you ever wondered, the pilot is one of the most critical parts of a flight. How a pilot flies is an
advertisement to all aboard about his character, his discipline, and his attitude towards safety.  If he
controls every aspect of the flight and with skill, good choices, and discipline, the flight is successful. 
This is the essence of airmanship.  Without these three elements operating together, a tremendous
amount of potential talent is wasted.  Right about now you should be wondering what kinds of things
strengthen flying discipline as well as destroy it.

" Man is still responsible. He must turn the alloy of modern experience into the
steel of mastery and character. His success lies not with the stars, but with
himself.  He must carry on the fight of self-correction and discipline."
— Frank Curtis Williams

Things that destroy flying discipline

1.  Justification.   It's easy for us to justify an act which is not up to specifications when the results of
the act are successful.  I had a student who had a habit of taking off without aux fuel pumps on.  No
matter how often I reminded him of  the possible consequences, Paul had it stuck in his mind that it
had worked 735 other times without the aux pumps.  Logic dictates that the next time would also be
successful.  Paul had found a way to justify the shortcuts he was taking in his pre-takeoff checklist. 
Unfortunately, this was a lesson learned the hard way when Paul lost power one bright morning and
landed on the highway adjoining the airport.  His engine driven fuel pump had finally failed him. 
Luckily there wasn't much damage, and he was able to get the airplane back to the airport before
rush-hour and News 6 found out what he had done.

2.  Lack of Confidence.  If we're not practiced in a skill, its easy for everything to fall apart under
pressure.  This pressure could come in the form of a checkride and sometimes even passengers
watching your every move.   Under pressure, those things not permanently etched upon us disappear. 
A former student told me about an experience on a checkride in which he failed.  He indicated that he
had failed to use and follow the aircraft's checklist on three occasions.  When I explained that the
pressure had gotten to him and that he reverted to a primal state under the pressure of a checkride, he
understood.  He asked, "How do I fix that?"  I told him two things he had to attack.  First was the self-
discipline to  always use a checklist when the circumstances called for it.  Second was the confidence
in his own abilities.  When its crunch time, he has to be sure in his mind and heart that everything is
within his capabilities.

3.  Hazardous Attitudes.  The FAA has long taught us the 5 hazardous attitudes:
     A. Antiauthority ("Don't tell me!")  - Don't like anyone telling him/her what to do.   Resentful of rules
& regulations.
     B. Impulsivity ("Do something - do it now!") - Need to do something, anything, quickly.  Don't stop to
think about better alternatives.
     C. Invulnerability ("It won't happen to me.")  - Accidents happen to other people, not to me.
Therefore,   I can take chances.
     D. Macho ("I can do it.") - Always trying to prove themselves better than others.  Take risks and try
to impress others. 
     E. Resignation ("What's the use?") - I really can't make a difference.  It's going to happen anyway,
why bother?  Leave it to others.
Each of these has an antidote which should be used if these attitudes affect your flying discipline.

Things that boost flying discipline

1.  Recurrent Training.  Sometimes its hard for a 5000 hour pilot to want to take additional training. 
He has determined by point in his flying career that he's seen it all, so why subject himself to the same
old stuff.  As a Flight Instructor, I do not find it hard to keep myself current.  I easily get 6 approaches,
holding, and interception and tracking courses.  In spite of this, I subject myself to a yearly proficiency
check by one of the local examiners.  It has not failed me yet.  I have learned something new each and
every time, and it was worth the couple hundred dollars because its a new skill I can take to my
students. 

2.  New Learning.  Subscribing to publications which suit your flying interests is a way to enhance
your skills and flying discipline.  It improves your self-worth, your thinking process, and your habits. 
Learning is a way to alter a mindset which if applied as soon as possible, can result in changes in
patterns of behaviour and increased flying discipline.  Entrepreneurs know that success comes from
non-stop evolution by constant learning and adapting.  Successful pilots do the same by seeking out
new opportunities to learn and finding a learning experience on every flight.

3.  Practicing Good Habits.  The human mind is amazing in its ability to change its own chemistry
and wiring.  Our habits and preferences are neurally wired and its the reason why we always revert
back to those comfortable patterns in our life.  Any time we want to change, it seems to be an uphill
battle because we feel like we are "working against the grain."  Indeed we are, the grain of the wood,
much like our head is hard to change.  There's hope for those that want to over come this trauma of
their existence.  Through practice of good habits, using good flying discipline, the neural connections
of a new behaviour are strengthened.  In time, the new habit becomes the preferred method of
operation over the bad habits of the past.  Its all about repetition.

4.  Affirmations.  Positive affirmations are statements which boost flying discipline by directly
attacking illogical thinking.  Its a form of brainwashing that starts you on the path of success.  Its a
creative visualization that allows you to see yourself in the result rather than experiencing anxiety
about the process.  The following statements boost your skill by making you resistant to poor decisions
and lack of flying discipline:
  I can do this.
 I am confident this is within my capabilities.
 People depend on me to fly safely.
 I am a safe pilot, I don't take shortcuts.
 I have good situational awareness.
 Fly the airplane.

5.  Make safe choices.  Making safe choices puts you in the position of controlling the flying
environment.  Such discipline allows you to chose the outcome of a flight rather than being a slave to
coincidence.   As a result of making safe choices, you'll feel more confident as a pilot, more
situationally aware, and more satisfied.

Next week we explore the topic of making safe choices.