GLIDING FEDERATION OF AUSTRALIA

Airmanship

 Good airmanship is that indefinable

something that separates the superior
pilot from the average.
 It is not a measure of skill or technique,
rather it is a measure of a person's
awareness of the aircraft and its
environment and of his own capabilities,
combined with wise decision making and
a high sense of self-discipline.
What does Airmanship involve?

 Pilot proficiency
 Flight discipline
 Knowledge of aircraft system and
airworthiness
 Skill in resource management
 Being fully cognisant of every situation
 Exercising sound judgement
Airmanship & Proficiency

 Airmanship is an integral part of

proficiency in aviation.
 Proficiency may be defined as the
combination of knowledge, skills and
attitude required to perform a task well –
or to operate the aircraft in all foreseeable
situations.
Airmanship is a Complex
interactive system
Physics Perception

Traffic

Weather Risk Stress

Attitude Discipline
Planning

 Of pilot, machine, practical physics,

traffic, weather elements and risk.
Airmanship is a Complex
interactive system
 When each and every flight is undertaken
the total environment – airframe, engine
(if a powered sailplane), pilot, atmosphere
and flight planning – should be fit for the
safe, successful conclusion of that
operation.
 Poor perception and poor discipline
create an incident prone pilot.
Risk Management

 About 70% of our pilots fly less than 50

hours per year.
 This is probably enough to maintain their
physical flying skills.
 It may not be enough to maintain a high
level of cognitive skills e.g. situational
awareness, judgement and action
formulation.
Managing Risk

 A risk or hazard is any situation, event, or

circumstance that may affect the safety of
flight:
 The effects of risk occur in the
future – so plan ahead
 Risks are not errors, but they
increase the potential for error
Managing Risk

 The process of managing risk involves: -

Risk • Identifying and classifying

Identify a risk
Avoid • Avoiding the risk or risk
Trap situations

Safe Flight
• Trapping the risk and
resolving or mitigating any
effects or consequences
Cultural Indicators for Increased
Risk
 Undisciplined behaviour
 Inadequate flight preparation
 Improper attention to detail
 Shortcuts in procedures
 Lack of pride and caring for resources
 Substandard proficiency
 Exceeding limitations (personal & aircraft)
 Pressure by peers to exceed limitations
 Lack of responsibility
 Poor judgement
Appropriate Risk Management

 Every flight should be conducted correctly

and precisely.
 Follow appropriate procedures.
 Do not take shortcuts.
 Do not push the margins.
 Understand the environment you are
operating in.
 Don’t let external pressures override
sound decision making.
Appropriate Risk Management

Agreed standards = low accident risk

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Situation Awareness

 Being situationally aware means:-

 Being fully cognisant of the big

picture at all times.
 Continually collecting and judging
information, from sources inside
and outside the cockpit.
Situation Awareness in Flight

 In flight a pilot has to be several minutes

ahead of the aircraft, not several seconds
behind it: –
 to perceive what's going on; and
 be able to impose sound
judgement on every change, from
a minor distraction to a major in-
flight emergency.
Situation Awareness –
Emergencies
 In an emergency situation stress may
build rapidly.
 The pilot will tend to unconsciously focus
on very few aspects of the situation
without noticing that other aspects are
degrading, e.g:
 Airspeed;
 Attitude;
 Unco-ordinated control inputs; etc.
Situation Awareness –
Emergencies
 Good handling of any unusual situation
provides a basis for confidence in
abilities.
 Poor handling of an emergency will
undermine confidence.
How to Improve Situation
Awareness
 Assimilate an adequate knowledge base
 Plan well in advance
 Continually monitor flight progress
 Use a scanning technique
 Project ahead
 Fly the glider at a safe airspeed and
within the performance limits
 Communicate as required
 Don't be distracted
How to Improve Situation
Awareness

Fl i
gh

OPT
Height

t pa
th

I ON S

Remember…Our options diminish as we get

closer to the ground!
Rules, Regulations and
Commonsense
 Not even the most experienced pilot,
flying maximum hours every year, can
judge the probability of all likely outcomes
in any situation, expected or unexpected,
and make the appropriate decisions.
 For this reason, among others, a system
of regulations, rules, conventions,
practices and standard procedures exists
for glider pilots – and all other aviation
communities – to follow.
Self Discipline

 Pilots who choose not to follow rules and

regulations abandon the inherent
protection provided by them.
 Such pilots thus ignore the trail of injury
and death that the rules were formulated
to prevent.
 Each conscious infraction of the rules
further dulls good judgement until crunch
time finally arrives.
 Such rogues often take others with them.
Self Discipline

 All pilots must occasionally ask

themselves the question: Am I
maintaining a fully disciplined approach to
all flight and pre-flight procedures? And if
not – why?
 Good airmanship cannot co-exist with
poor discipline; a self evident truth is that
a pilot lacking the appropriate self-
discipline is an accident waiting to
happen.
Self Discipline

 Discipline overrides panic and reinforces

the ability to maintain/regain control of the
aircraft when faced with a serious flight
situation.
Personal Operating Procedures

 While standard operating procedures are

included in the GFA Operations
Regulations, every glider pilot should
develop, and follow, their own set of
personal operating procedures and apply
them, where applicable, to each flight
operation.
Personal Operating Procedures

 For example:-
 a procedure to be followed if
unsure of position on a cross-
country flight;
 the turn-back criteria if you find
yourself flying toward unsuitable
terrain; or
 having the self-discipline to decide
whether you should take-off in the
first place!
The Proficient Pilot

 Flies accurately, using approved

technique, knowing the performance
characteristics of the aircraft being flown
and consistently maintains a safe
airspeed, attitude and heading.
 Knows the minimum safe speeds for
various angles of bank when turning and
at varying weights and c.g. positions.
The Proficient Pilot

 Knows the aircraft's glide performance

and will be continually monitoring the
ground for possible safe landing sites
should conditions deteriorate.
 Will have developed a set of tolerances
for personal performance assessment
e.g. airspeed consistently within 5 knots
or heading held within 5°.
 Aims to fly with style, making smooth,
timely and balanced transitions when
turning, cruising or leaving a thermal.
 Make Safety the Primary Goal in
all Decision-making

“ A superior pilot uses superior judgment

to avoid stressful situations which
might call for the use of superior skills.”
Christopher Thorpe
Chief Flying Instructor
Beaufort Gliding Club