To Err is Human...
But to be alive is better...
The reason why we have our proficiency check/recurrent training every six months is basically to prepare us for any eventuality such as what happened to our colleagues in Tacloban. That's why we have the sim, to use it as a tool for learning in order to avoid committing stupid mistakes in the real world. We spend a gruelling 4 hrs/session inside the box handling all sorts of abnormalities, doing countless go arounds, etc. so that we may end up BETTER and SAFER PILOTS.
I am not here to castigate anyone. Nobody wants anybody to get hurt. And neither do I want to sound so judgmental nor condemnatory about the mistakes of others as I cannot claim to be perfect myself.
We are all aviators (real damn good ones!) and for most of our lives we spend hours for countless days and nights in a piece of machinery that is floating in mid-air without really knowing what's gonna happen next. Almost everyday of our lives we venture into the realm of uncertainties, each time always wishing to be back in the comfort of our homes and in the company of our loved ones. But we don't go up there leaving even the smallest rooms of mistakes to chance and doubting our abilities and skills to handle situations. We have in our shoulders the heavy burden of keeping hundreds of bodies intact whose souls have been entrusted to us. And so as pilots, we must always strive to be on the top of our game.
The only message that I am trying to get across here is - follow your SOPs and if it so happens that the situation requires you to apply what you've been taught and what you've learned - then DO IT! Like I said, never wait a few seconds far too long before making a decision, or you may not live long enough to regret what you've done.
Wishing you all a safe flight and good landings!
