Real Men don't go around - a fatal cultural flaw.
On TV Channel Nine this morning (Sunday 1st April) the reporter interviewed the Indonesian chief aircraft accident investigator about the recent Garuda Boeing 737 accident where the aircraft landed long and fast and over-ran the runway with resulting loss of lives. The questions were about the CVR readings and the statement made that the first officer had suggested to the captain that a go-around should be made.
While the chief investigator chose his words very carefully the reporter in summing up the interview was startlingly blunt. She said that in Indonesia, it was considered "shameful" if the pilot elected to go-around. Clearly she had done her homework - perhaps having sought opinions from aviation professionals who are aware of the loss of face syndrome in Asian culture.
Despite extensive accent by many major airlines on the principles of CRM or Threat and Error Management (whichever), it is an expensive waste of time if local ethnic culture is so powerful in the crew member's mind that lives are put at risk because of cultural mores.
Asian cadet pilots are now a normal feature of several Australian flying schools where flying training to CPL standard is conducted before the cadets return to their country as qualified pilots ready to go into jet training and ultimately first officers on passenger jets.
While the training in Australia will of course include the usual theory subjects of navigation, meteorology and other allied subjects to ATPL standard, I wonder if there should be included in the syllabus accent on cultural issues. By these I mean blowing out of the water the insidious "real men don't go around" syndrome. It is all too easy for flying instructors to advise their Asian students that when in doubt go-around - after all this is taught as good airmanship in all flying schools.
But there needs to be more than just a few words of casual advice to overseas students who, on their return home to their native country, will quickly be pressured by their culture to disregard the norms of sound airmanship practices. Australian flying school instructors from the most junior grade 3 to the CFI, can have a powerful influence on their Asian students but in turn the flying school management must not fall in the trap of political correctness just to keep the dollars flowing in.
There is a need to approach the cultural problem associated with go-around philosophy in strong terms. The perceived shame of a go-around in Asian pilot's minds is nothing to laugh about over coffee in the crew room. It is a lethal problem that needs to be addressed all through the flying training of cadets who are trained in Australia.