One of the managers of a large helicopter company employing over 500 pilots took me aside recently and told me with the dispassion of a process-server about several in-house mishaps that really irked him because of their absurdity.
One incident involved a heavy helicopter that was taxiing at an airport when it struck a large-diameter vertical column with such impact that it broke up the entire rotor system and many of the components above the cabin. Now, this was not the usual rotor-tip blade strike that occurs from time to time, but a serious, major event. And, lets face it: with two sets of knife-like blades spinning at high r.p.m., the pilot of this helicopter commanded a weapon lethal enough to defeat the fighting robots in the movie Real Steel.
In another incident, the pilot of a medium helicopter lifted up a carry-on bag from the cockpit floor, caught its strap under the collective, and ended up rolling the helicopter violently onto its side as the airframe was seriously out of trim. Obviously reaching down for that bag in flight had far greater implications than picking up the same item at home.
When reaching for anything in the air, a moment of reflection is needed to confirm that your action will align with your intentions. Every switch, breaker or ancillary control could have negative implications if activated or de-activated incorrectly.
We have all heard stories of pilots shutting down the good engine after the other one failed. Similarly, on a recent overnight flight from Miami, Fla., to London, U.K., airline passengers were terrified to hear a recording cautioning everyone to prepare for a ditching in the North Atlantic. A moments hesitation at that switch could have confirmed that it was not the one intended.
What were these pilots thinking? These serious breaches of both aircraft and passenger control cannot be dismissed or filed away as stuff happens.
Every flight has critical phases during which pilots should elevate their attention and concentration. For example, for helicopter pilots, you should be more alert during the transition from hovering to climbing flight, especially if your surroundings make your aircraft more vulnerable to obstacle contact. Even if they dont, the possibility of malfunction or other unexpected occurrence during this phase requires an immediate response. Heightened awareness gives you greater appreciation of the connection between the physical plane and the cognitive one.
Increased concentration, of course, cannot last indefinitely; the length of time before you become distracted is your attention span. Logging pilots, for one, work in shifts to spell each other off throughout the day and overcome waning attention spans. When concentration diminishes for long-line placement pilots, they often look away for a few moments or go around for another circuit to recharge their concentration.
An everyday perspective might also help us understand this topic better. When we drive a car, there is a big difference between the concentration required to motor along a freeway in moderate traffic, and negotiate a twisty mountain road where you not only need to keep your vehicle on the correct path, but must be ready for oncoming drivers whose attention and awareness may be parked in neutral.
Two stretches of roadway where increased concentration pays off are the Sea to Sky Highway from Vancouver to Whistler, B.C. and the San Marcos Pass Road northwest of Santa Barbara Calif. The accident rates there are much higher than on freeways in the surrounding areas. Law enforcement is quick to blame excessive speed, but I think better driving skills and heightened awareness and concentration would be of greater benefit. A sign posted along these roads with the illustration of a car going over a cliff and the message, Increase level of attention next 40 miles would probably help reduce the accident rate far more than just monitoring speed.
This driving analogy might seem far removed, but the same logic can be blue-skied over to helicopters. After all, flying a helicopter generally requires even more focused attention and concentration.
Remember, any helicopter is externally vulnerable, unstable and sensitive to upset. That is why we all must practice and why instructors must constantly reinforce the need for good airmanship, common-sense thinking and informed decision-making at all times during a flight. As pilot-in-command, you must mobilize an intense focus and concentration, particularly during critical phases, to safely manage the flight from beginning to end.
Could the incidents mentioned earlier be blamed on a loss of attention? Did the pilots have the heightened awareness needed to safely complete the tasks of hover taxiing, moving an object between the flight controls and preventing unwarranted despair amongst the passengers? My answer to first question is Definitely! and to the second, Probably not. And, that begs a third question: Will you maintain the focus and concentration required to not end up as one of these stories?