To move the Mountain

- Denis, why do you need all this? You won't be able to move the mountain!

The First Officer whom I was checking today told me these words and I really got very excited. Our session has already finished, I'm doing a debriefing and trying to break another stone with my head.

The stone that lies there, where I could hardly imagine it even yesterday.




I spent last 10 minutes describing him that he could perform better. I'm sure he is a very talented guy. But he is wasting his talent just because he isn't serious.

He could have prepared better for the check but as he understands he is already above the average he doesn't make that efforts which I expect from him. He made some errors during the check and was very close to get faulted but it seems he doesn't care at all.

Some of the problems were due to lack of attention. His own and his today's Captain. Damn! He plays the "simulator", but not flies the aircraft! And of course he surely agrees with his mistakes but I see he doesn't care.

The Captain seems to be disappointed. Also, I expected more from him as he had been my first officer in my past... We used to fly in a fixed crew - I was the "green" Captain, he was my First Officer. A really good First Officer, I was very happy to fly with such guy! Of course we were friends and still we are, and I'm really very frustrated that he shows his attitudes like that one from a regular Captain.

But not that Captain, from whom I want to get the help of "moving the Mountain".

And not that FO, whose help I've already planned to rely on in near future.

--==(o)==--

Both of them have a high level of English wich helps to deal with the foreign aircraft. They know the SOPs and follow them precisely. Both have great natural flying skills and sharp minds. They do all that normals much better than most of the others, therefore that is the reason why do I want to see them as "New Russian School" pilots.

But I found out that both they don't create the scenarios. They don't lead themselves through the abnormals as far as I want from a special pilot.

They work brilliantly when the situation is more or less standard. They know non-normal checklists exactly - you surely will not wait for an answer if asked them a question "What should we do if /something/ fails?"

But if the situation goes outbounds of these "standard abnormals"... May be they don't really believe that "We'll start to think about it when it happens" but it's obvious that they didn't thought enough about the scenarios.

Not enough as I want from such pilots.



Develop your scenarios

What I think the good pilot should do is to raise his chances.

You "don't have another sim sessions ahead"? But you have the books, the brains and... me. Or others who have the ideas already.

The only requirement is to have your own desire to develop yourself, to prepare for such situations which could rarely happen.

What should you do if your engine flames, bangs and cuts just after airborn when your mass is close to maximum takeoff? Fly the aircraft, navigate, communicate, manage... Oh, I'm sure that you know that mantra.

But HOW would you :

1. Fly
2. Navigate
3. Communicate
4. Manage.

?

I'm almost sure you know the procedure. 

But, what words would you say to your REAL passengers but not the instructor in the sim? When would you say such words? What would happen behind your back if you were late with the words? Do you really believe that you may delay the information for 10 minutes and than just tell "we are going back due to the technical problem"? 

Hey, the crowd has already posted the photos of that problem. Now the crowd is waiting for the arguements against their panic. You are feeding the panic by delaying the information  and by such a brief announcement that you've given, as well.

What words would you report to the controller? When would you report  the controller? What would you want from the controller? Do you really think that the controller is happy to see the plane going towards Moscow unusually low and keeping silence just because the crew waited for 400 feet and then loaded himself with the memory checklist? The troubled plane is a king in the sky for sure, but what about those guys around who were lucky to left being normal? They really do not want to follow your trouble, as well as their passengers.

How would you fly the heavy bird? When would you extend your flaps and gear? How would you manage your speed, altitude and thrust? If you achieve the final altitude and initiate the extension to FLAPS 5 as usual - what would happen to the thrust requirements?

You needn't be a genious to guess that the thrust would be greater than usual. And do you really want to get into trouble with the controlability, as the speed is low but the thrust assymetry is ultra high? 

As I've seen today - you wanted. Because started to spoil your clean plane as you did usually, when the mass was ordinary. You lost your airspeed. The loss wasn't big? Yes, only ten knots with flaps 5. For a couple of minutes. Pretty acceptable for that "average guy".

But not for you, my friend. You could fly it better.

--==(o)==--

Hey, the Reader, maybe you also think that you can improve the skills only with phisical training? By moving the controls only?

These guys today have been trying to convince me that if they never trained an overweight single engine landing often - what performance could I demand from them?

YES. Of course. They are right.

Nobody could demand from a man to show the master class on the first training.  And..., truthпfully, it wasn't the first time training. The training already have been done on the refresher session yesterday. The instructor said nothing special? You landed safely? Yes, today you also landed the bird. Somehow.

But you, guys, are those men from whom I want a greater performance.

Guys, what have you done to prepare for your training today? Have you thought on the approach scenario before? Or you've just gone to the SIM and waited for instructor's recommendations? For the "cheats" that would make the game easier?

And if he, the instructor, is such a guy who doesn't have the cheats? How long would you wait for that instructor who would tell you all the secrets of the game?

Maybe it is much easier to start thinking yourself? I wouldn't expect such a brain work from an "average guy", whose level of performance you've shown me today.

I want it from you.

--==(o)==--

You keep telling me that nobody except me cares  about such issues? Yes, I know. Thats why I'm looking for such pilots whom I could rely on.

I believe that I could build a team around the idea of "New Russian School" which would provide the best training where the "average guy" would recieve the best scenarios. And I expect you to develop them as I'm not able to do everything by myself! Because as you are moving the Mountain you find new issues which are more complicated than "an overweight deal", but if they wouldn't be solved  - they wouldn't let you move further.

I have already thought a lot about plenty of scenarios. I have never waited that somebody else would push me in the direction. I have looked for the challenges and tried to find the solutions which would be based not only on my belief "it is the right way to do", but on the manuals, rules and arguements of Good Judgement. Many of them have been somehow implemented in my Company - as SOPs or tips or good techniques, which are commonly used now instead of the previous methods of doing something.

But though I have lots of scenarios in my head and do my best to deliver them to others, I'm not phisically able to create all of them. I am not able to sit and invent all the procedures and write all the manuals, so the Mountaing still blocks the road and the "average guy" has to use the serpentine to get to the other side.

Moreover, the greatest deal is that the Mountain is not visible to "averages" and there are lots of reasons for it. I wouldn't describe them, I've already done it in my Russian blog. It is difficult to cooperate with those who don't see any problem. Who think that the situation is already good (it could be good, or not bad, but there is a road to get to a better results! Just clear it!) and there isn't any need for further growth.

It is a well-known problem for any innovation in any industry - the people, managers and workers often don't understand the needs for a change. So, if they don't understand the needs, than the changes aren't required.

It lies not only with "scenarios" but also with other aspects of a pilot's life, or an airline itself. Organizing the process of planning,  building the relationship between managers pilots and regular crew members and between departments. Increasing the quality of the training programs, growing the instructors...

All that things are the different types of stones wich mould the Mountain. And often they aren't visible to anybody but you. You could provide new ideas and implement the innovations which in the long run would make the buisines more safe, more flexible, more profitable - but you must remove the stones, and first off all - you need them to open the eyes. And it's  another stone - to provide the understaning of the needs.

--==(o)==--

I am already bored with that... "Do you want a revolution? We can't afford to do it". "We need the changes, but not all in one time! It would make a shock"

Yes. Of course. You should not.

If you have a bad tooth then you have two ways to remove it - by doing it quickly (1 second) or by removing it slightly, slightly, slightly... millimeter by millimeter... Which way would you prefer? The second one?

Therefore you're that guy who is always "against the revolutions".

Do I want to revolt?

NO.

I want the change. To make the steps. Each day - one step. Not less.You should move. If you stay, you freeze.

But if you meet with the "bad tooth" - you must remove it quicky. Do not do one hundred steps to remove the tooth, you'll kill the patient.

I know such people who "prevents the revolution" but never did a single step. Because they are living in one moment of the time, and this moment is moving with the time so they already got frozen though couldn't understand it.  They are also the stones, the icy stones. You should move such stones away, too...

Could all it be done by a single person? Surely not!

But you must begin or the Mountain will stay forever,

--==(o)==--

You need a Team, which would be able to help you moving all that stones. Some guys like described above are moving the stones even they do not realise they are doing it. And it would be your greatest success if you find such bulldozers which you could fully rely on.

So, I will start thinking about it and try to understand - what has gone wrong and what should I do next. How could I help those guys and others to become a bulldozers? Moreover, what should I tell them or what should I arrange to make them understand the need for a self-imrovement?

FLY SAFE!