There is a group of pilots that will define their airmanship as stick and rudder skills. Their ability to execute accelerated turns, complex maneuvers, take off and land an airplane in adverse conditions, and push through weather where others may turn back.
True airmanship is so much more and often at odds with the caricature of Joe Pilot and his Cowboy Up mentality. For the professional pilot understanding the broader scope of airmanship is essential in avoiding and mitigating pitfalls, deviations, incidents, and accidents.
Revised Definition
“Airmanship is the consistent use of good judgment and well-developed skills to accomplish flight objectives. This consistency is founded on a cornerstone of uncompromising flight discipline and is developed through systematic skill acquisition and proficiency. A high state of situational awareness completes the airmanship picture and is obtained through knowledge of one’s self, aircraft, environment, team and risk.” (Redefining Airmanship. Tony Kern. 1996.)
The key to airmanship is molding the gray matter between one’s ears in such a way that there is a decision tree for any give situation that accurately balances risk and efficiency.
The Foundations of Airmanship
The four categories that comprise airmanship are: knowledge, skills, attitudes, and continued learning:
- Knowledge of the aircraft, the environment, and associated risks.
- Skills to go beyond the physical aspects of operating the aircraft safely from A to B, including: managing information, avoiding the pitfalls of automation, organizing knowledge so that it is accessible when needed, developing one’s character to self-regulate against the 5 Hazardous Attitudes, and cultivating discipline and excellence that guard against complacency and mediocrity.
- Attitudes that mitigate pitfalls specific to the individual and common to all aviators. This includes implementing the antidotes to the 5 Hazardous Attitudes into daily operations.
| Hazardous Attitude | Antidote |
|---|---|
| Anti-Authority: “The regulations are for someone else” | “Follow the rules. They are that way for a reason.” |
| Impulsivity: “I must act now, there’s no time” | “Not so fast. Think first” |
| Invulnerability: “It won’t happen to me” | “It could happen to me” |
| Macho: “I’ll show you. I can do it” | “Taking chances is foolish” |
| Resignation: “What’s the use?” | “Never give up. There is always something I can do” |
- Continued learning that improves and expands one’s processes and capabilities: replacing the old with the new, the good with the better, and the better with the best.