Tech Log & Grumpy Old Man problem with Weasel Words
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Australia
Posts: 1,186
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Tech Log & Grumpy Old Man problem with Weasel Words
Maybe this is the wrong forum for a gripe of this nature. If so, Mods move it along.
There is this magazine called Civil Aviation Training (CAT for short) and it is mainly about flight simulators. It is the equivalent of one of those glossy mags like Vogue Living and Professional Golfer that are found in typical medical clinics for customers (clients?) to while away the hours waiting to be fixed up. Except CAT is commonly found in flight simulator provider management offices, having been tossed there after a casual scan through. I can now understand why real pilots rarely read it. The language found in CAT mag is predominantly corporate-speak. Australian author Don Watson called it `Weasel Words`that makes no sense to outsiders, and confounds even those who use it. Now read on...
The latest CAT tells about an `ICAO Appointment Signals More Proactive Approach to Human Performance Risk Mitigation` and it introduces a Dr Michelle Miller who has been appointed to ICAO as Technical Officer (Human factors).
Drum roll as Dr Miller says: "Loss of Control Inflight (LOCI) is a complex issue with many contributing and interacting factors....we now recognise many more elements that relate to LOCI causes and outcomes including design philosophies, engineering solutions, management interfaces, training, testing, spatial disorienation and human reaction to jet upset - among others.
With modern aviation characterised by a more dynamic human-machine interface environment, many changes are occurring in the cockpit and the cabin, the air traffic control tower, to ATM systems infrastructure and on the shop floor.. Miller stressed that ICAO recognises that today's more complex safety and efficiency challenges require approaches and mitigations that have human performance considerations embedded in them...the more collaborative and systemic nature of today's safety improvement and air navigation modernisation initiatives has placed increased focus on risk-management and technology-derived progress", - noted Millar. "These are important areas, critical quite frankly to the objectives aviation is now seeking to achieve, but they can also distract us from the fact that optimisation of human performance continues to be an essential component driving success in either domain."
Jeez! And all the time I thought it was about how to recover from unusual attitudes...
There is this magazine called Civil Aviation Training (CAT for short) and it is mainly about flight simulators. It is the equivalent of one of those glossy mags like Vogue Living and Professional Golfer that are found in typical medical clinics for customers (clients?) to while away the hours waiting to be fixed up. Except CAT is commonly found in flight simulator provider management offices, having been tossed there after a casual scan through. I can now understand why real pilots rarely read it. The language found in CAT mag is predominantly corporate-speak. Australian author Don Watson called it `Weasel Words`that makes no sense to outsiders, and confounds even those who use it. Now read on...
The latest CAT tells about an `ICAO Appointment Signals More Proactive Approach to Human Performance Risk Mitigation` and it introduces a Dr Michelle Miller who has been appointed to ICAO as Technical Officer (Human factors).
Drum roll as Dr Miller says: "Loss of Control Inflight (LOCI) is a complex issue with many contributing and interacting factors....we now recognise many more elements that relate to LOCI causes and outcomes including design philosophies, engineering solutions, management interfaces, training, testing, spatial disorienation and human reaction to jet upset - among others.
With modern aviation characterised by a more dynamic human-machine interface environment, many changes are occurring in the cockpit and the cabin, the air traffic control tower, to ATM systems infrastructure and on the shop floor.. Miller stressed that ICAO recognises that today's more complex safety and efficiency challenges require approaches and mitigations that have human performance considerations embedded in them...the more collaborative and systemic nature of today's safety improvement and air navigation modernisation initiatives has placed increased focus on risk-management and technology-derived progress", - noted Millar. "These are important areas, critical quite frankly to the objectives aviation is now seeking to achieve, but they can also distract us from the fact that optimisation of human performance continues to be an essential component driving success in either domain."
Jeez! And all the time I thought it was about how to recover from unusual attitudes...
Last edited by Tee Emm; 19th Sep 2012 at 11:43.
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Australia
Posts: 889
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I have a responsibility to ensure that I, just me, can minimise the risks of CFIT.
ICAO has the responsibility to ensure that the aviation system as a whole minimises the risks of CFIT.
Different focus, different responsibility. So far I don't see the "weasel words". She just has a different area for improvement than us pointy-end types.
ICAO has the responsibility to ensure that the aviation system as a whole minimises the risks of CFIT.
Different focus, different responsibility. So far I don't see the "weasel words". She just has a different area for improvement than us pointy-end types.
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Vienna
Age: 50
Posts: 359
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Grumpy old man arguably has more insight let alone firsthand experience, but shouldn't recovering from unusual attitudes merely be a last resort? Granted, far better than not recovering but less ideal than not getting into an unsual attitude in the first place. And to gain better insight into factors that contribute to that risk of getting into an UA (and derive effective prevention measures), it pays to look beyond the captain's ability of getting a plane back to straight and level flight.
(Agree that the bull**** bingo hit rate in the abovecited phrase would be high, though.)
(Agree that the bull**** bingo hit rate in the abovecited phrase would be high, though.)
