Airmanship

[shumway76]

How would an instructor describe to a new student the term "Airmanship"?

Is 'radio failure procedure' a part of airmanship since EFATO & overshoot is categorised as airmanship...

[galaxy flyer]

Airmanship goes beyond any specific procedures, assuming a professional knows his procedures and regulations and applies them. Airmanship is about knowing how an airplane flies, what to expect at all times, going beyond memorized procedure. An airman knows about aerobatics, understands risk, anticipates weather, doesn't react to it. It's about being at home in the sky.

GF

[Whopity]

Airmanship is not defined in many English dictionaries however it clearly has its origins in "Seamanship" which is defined:skill in and knowledge of the work of navigating, maintaining, and operating a vesselLooking a little deeper:Seamanship is the art of operating a ship or boat.

It involves a knowledge of a variety of topics and development of specialized skills including: navigation and international maritime law; weather, meteorology and forecasting; watch standing; ship-handling and small boat handling; operation of deck equipment, anchors and cables; rope work and line handling; communications; sailing; engines; execution of evolutions such as towing; cargo handling equipment, dangerous cargoes and cargo storage; dealing with emergencies; survival at sea and search and rescue; fire fighting. Substitute aircraft for vessel or boat and you have a fairly good definition.

[Stan Evil]

Remember that, with the coming of EASA, all instructors should be proficient in the teaching of Threat and Error Management in which airmanship plays a significant part. There are an increasing number of articles appearing on TEM as it applies to single-pilot operations.

[Mimpe]

Being prepared, being situationally and self-aware, flying at your best as often as possible, and contributing to this occuring in those around you.... but thats a more generalised version.

I've seen so many things attributed to good airmanship... good flight planning, leaving the seatbelts done up, fueling the aircraft after use...the list goes on. Quality radio work is always an indicator.

Everyone has seen examples of poor airmanship..the most dangerous ones I see regularly in GA are instances of anger and frustration in a busy circuit, with aircraft not demonstrating courtesy and consideration in the interests of safety.

[Whopity]

all instructors should be proficient in the teaching of Threat and Error Management in which airmanship plays a significant part.
Could it be that TEM, originally pioneered by Lt Col Robert Smith-Barry in 1917 has actually been known as Airmanship for the past 93 years?
During the early stages of the war the casualty rates at training centres worldwide was remarkably high with more pilots lost during training than actually in combat. Smith-Barry secured the agreement of Sir Hugh Trenchard, the British pioneer responsible for British military aviation, to return to Britain and re-organise training at a new school at Gosport in August 1917.

The curriculum at Gosport was based upon a combination of academic classroom training and dual flight instruction. He was clear in stressing that students were not to be led away from potentially dangerous manoeuvres (Threats) but were instead to be exposed to them in a controlled environment in order that the student could learn to recover (Management) from errors of judgement (Errors).
Smith-Barry's methods were so successful as to gain worldwide renown and his approach was rapidly adopted among most combatant nations with a major air force.

Smith-Barry, who served once again at Upavon during the Second World War, died in 1949. He was regarded by Trenchard as "the man who taught the air forces of the world how to fly".

[Malcom]

It's about being at home in the sky.

AND on the ground.

In simplistic terms, its about not pi**ing anybody else off.:D

To spell it out a bit, its about situational awareness and not filling the nearest open hangar with all the flotsam & jetsam you can gather with your propwash.

[Evilbob]

I would suggest that good airmanship is all about planning the flight and operating the aircraft in such a way as to minimise risk to yourself, other airspace users and people/property on the ground.

I would point out to the student that airmanship requires knowledge, effort, forethought, awareness and a healthy dose of common sense.

Quality radio work is always an indicator

A fair judgement, but (in my experience) you can just as easily get such indications by spending a bit of time in the clubhouse.

Generally the better pilots (don't believe they really are) are constantly asking questions, refreshing knowledge and analysing the various (normally not eventful) situations they have found themselves in.

The other breed think they are gods gift to aviation, spend their time boasting about how great they are, where they have been and what they have done. When questioned about any of their exploits they often feel the need to retort: "I am a safe pilot", rather than analyse the situation.

If I had to sum it up, I would say airmanship is all about having the right attitude.

[fireflybob]

Safety?

Whatever we do we want to remain safe at all times wrt aircraft operation etc.

Why rename it TEM when Airmanship has worked for decades perfectly well?

[Pull what]

Airmanship is to take the safest most effective course of action in a given set of circumstances.

Jesus-if you cannot even define it, how can you teach it?

[Genghis the Engineer]

Judgment of the right things to do in any given circumstances, built on experience - your own, or better still, others you listened to.

G

[kenguan]

It sounds 'crude', but what about Airmanship = Common Sense?

[Genghis the Engineer]

It sounds 'crude', but what about Airmanship = Common Sense?

Because it's not - airmanship is built on knowledge and experience, and requires continuous analysis of that.

Here's an example - I'd consider it good airmanship not to plan a very early morning flight, in a homebuilt, on a Sunday morning from Leicester to Popham when there's been a high over the south of england for a few days.

Why? Because I know that on a Sunday morning I can't get a Boscombe TAF, that in that neck of the woods a morning fog after a couple of days high is quite likely (and that the Met Office has apparently never noticed this), and that my obvious diversions are likely to be fogged in as well, and that as I'm in a VFR only aeroplane that can't take an instrument approach.

This is not "common sense", this is deduction built upon trained knowledge and hard-won experience.


Common sense is stuff that should be obvious to a reasonably bright adult if they stop and think (okay, maybe a reasonably bright adult who just got their PPL) - that is true only up to a point. Past that point is the reason why 10,000hr pilots have a lot less accidents each than 100 hr pilots - they're as bright, but their airmanship is built upon vastly more experience.

G

[Whopity]

Common sense is stuff that should be obvious to a reasonably bright adultI don't think being "bright" has anything to do with it. I have encountered many people who would not be described as "bright" with oodles more common sense, than some of the brighter people I have encountered. Common sense is good sense and sound judgement in practical matters (the basic level of practical knowledge and judgement that we all need to help us live in a reasonable and safe way). I once had a very bright neighbour with 3 Engineering degrees, who asked me to drive him 30 miles because his wife had locked herself out of the car and the engine was still running. I told he to tell her to stick a potato up the exhaust. He couldn't work out why!