Originally Posted by
Stuka Child
Because the pursuit of excellence is a cornerstone of this demanding profession and it is what the passengers expect of us (for those who fly passengers) and it is what we should expect of ourselves. You don't hear Formula 1 pilots saying "oh well I'll just cruise around because I'm nervous about turning corners at a high speed" or bridge workers saying "oh I don't like heights and I'm trying to avoid the greater mental demand of working strapped in a harness, so I'll not punch in these rivets. I'll let my robot colleague deal with it." Don't like the job, there are others clawing to take your spot. By all means step aside if it's not your cup of tea.
Sure if this is your xth sector today and the fatigue is creeping in and you don't trust yourself *at that moment*, give yourself some mental rest and take advantage of the automation which is at your disposal. But if this becomes a habit - or worse, a *limitation*, it will lead to nowhere good. Imagine telling a load of nervous flyers that their crew of professional, paid pilots are nervous about manually controlling their aircraft while flying an approach and that two of them find the combined workload overwhelming. Come on! Even Gordon Ramsay would be disappointed by that attitude, and he doesn't even fly.
We all have deep fears, we all have insecurities, weaknesses, lack of skill in certain areas, lack of mental resources after reaching the point of exhaustion, but we owe it to the people whose lives depend on us and to our basic human decency to WORK ON IT. Whenever possible, however possible, pilots should always strive to improve their skills, their understanding, their confidence, their precision and themselves as persons. Reach out to colleagues, reach out to anyone you can, but you must make an active effort. Settling into a nice little routine and making excuses is not the correct attitude and it will bite you in the ass on that day that I hope you never get to experience. If you are not constantly striving to become better, you don't belong up there.
Well said! In my airline (European legacy), pilots must be equally proficient in all levels of automation, including basic manual, and we are encouraged to practice manual, raw data flying regularly, when conditions permit. As a trainer, I find this to be an excellent way to hone skills on a regular basis, which may save your life one day.
This regular practice (WHEN CONDITIONS PERMIT), clearly shows in the simulator, where most of my colleagues display very good handling skills on a regular basis.
Unfortunately, many airlines around do not adhere to this, and having been on quite a few voluntary leave of absence over the years with other operators, I have seen the effects of so called aviators, who were plainly scared of disconnecting the automatics anywhere but fully configured at a 1000 ft in visual conditions.... Some of them so out of touch with flying an airplane that I would not dare to visit the toilet in cruise.
Rgds,