[QUOTE=retired guy;10663442]
Originally Posted by
lcolman
Dear R Guy,
Thanks for that excellent reply..... Some good stuff there. May I comment on each for clarity?
Totally agree that task saturation is something for a flight crew to manage. I also agree that better training, better CRM and better planning will help mitigate the effects of this.
Agreed. That is why pilot training is paramount.
However, having said this; it is simply a reality that every human is different and has different levels of tolerance to task saturation including how they individually process excess tasks and information.
During pilot selection and the CPL course, those who do not have the tolerance for multi tasking and task saturation normally don't get through. Or should not. You have to be "the right stuff" much more than academic ability which is why airlines don't set a high academic bar for entrants. But a very high personal and emotional skill set.
You are also right in pointing out the incredible job that the BA9 crew did, but there were also 3 crew in the cockpit dealing with that.
Most crews world wide are 2 crew, if not all now. The new style of training reflects that and the procedures carefully devised so that each crew member works as a team. There was very little teamwork/CRM in some recent events which didn't end well. AF 447? Air Asia SFO? And more recent?
In a large number of emergencies, excellent crm or excess crew played a part in the positive outcome of said emergency.
Ii would say ALL are the result of excellent CRM.
The whole MCAS debacle really highlights this, the Lion air crew who encountered this first had 3 crew in the cockpit that day. This left someone free to troubleshoot while the other 2 controlled the aircraft and kept it within the flight envelope.
I agree if the Batik Airways guy hadn't been there it may have ended differently, but he seemed to know what to do. Training?
The next crew didnt have adequate CRM or capacity to deal with the issue and continue to fly.
Agreed. This is the problem. Boeing are now agreeing with what some on these forums have been saying for a year - training required!
My belief is that task saturation can happen to anyone and can be trained for, it just takes will and recognition that this can happen to anyone.
If you select the right sort of person after a rigorous selection procedure, and then train them thoroughly I agree with you . But not anyone can be trained. They have to have the right characteristics to be trained and emotionally stable. Which brings us to a growing problem. Airlines short of pilots starting their own Flight Academy!
Talk about marking your own homework.
Luckily in this case, the flight landed safely with some very minor injuries on the ground. Dont get me wrong, the best result would have been that no one was affected except for a delay, but this is an issue that we should recognise and train to recognise.
Yes. It is a bit of a storm in a teacup except for the massive litigation which will now ensue. Anyone within ten miles of the flight path will develop symptoms! In Ireland the whole country would. (You may not know that Ireland is the "combo" leader in the world.)
Safe skies!
R Guy
Can't agree more with what you're saying!
Wouldn't be surprised if ireland was affected by this event
