The Landing Paradigm

As pilots, we all take pride in our landings. Regardless of how successfully a flight was conducted, our passengers judge our competence by the quality of our landing. Yet, landing accidents and incidents are by far the most common events that result in crumpled airplanes. That makes sense because landings are arguably the maneuver that requires the highest level of pilot skill and proficiency.

The adage, “use it or lose it” applies to many aspects of the human body and the human mind. Physiologic disuse of our muscles leads to muscle atrophy. Disuse of our complex skills leads to skill atrophy. Landing an airplane, especially when conditions are not ideal, is certainly a complex skill relying on both physical and mental agility.

The decline of these skills in pilots is typically referred to as “skills fade.” The retention interval of skills naturally varies from person-to-person but other factors can reduce the rate of decay. The biggest factor is how well the skill was learned before a period of disuse or of reduced use. A thoroughly learned complex skill will have a longer retention interval than if the skill was learned only to a minimum standard. Also, competency in a thoroughly learned complex skill will be regained much more quickly and easily after a period of disuse or of reduced use.

Skills fade occurs in a continuous downward slide, initially quite rapidly, then more gradually as the more time has elapsed since initial training. Skill decline is fastest in the first few months after learning the skill and motor skills decline faster than knowledge skills. Refresher training can usually restore a skill quickly providing it was well-learned in the past. If the skill was weak when initially learned, refresher training can easily become remedial training and establish competency at a higher level than was initially attained.

Airline and business aviation pilots undergo recurrent training mainly to counter skills disuse. Many of the complex skills required of these pilots are not routinely used even though the pilots fly frequently. Engine failure during takeoff on the runway just below V1 and rapid decompression at altitude are just two examples.

Very few pilots of small, general aviation airplanes have the advantage of regularly scheduled recurrent training to refresh complex skills. Landing in a gusty, crosswind is one example of such a skill. How thoroughly did the pilot learn the complex skill required during initial training? How frequently has the pilot used that skill in the recent past? Was that skill refreshed during the most recent flight review? The flight review before that one? Even if a pilot has not encountered a gusty crosswind recently, refresher training can restore the skill or at least identify the weakness for correction by remedial training.

The required biennial flight review is not sufficient. Even if the flight review is conducted per the regulations and by a competent and conscientious instructor, all weaknesses in pilot performance may not be identified. Going back to our gusty crosswind example, the flight review may have been scheduled well in advance of the flight and occurred on a perfect flying day with light wind down the runway and clear skies. The conscientious instructor might conduct landings at an airport where a crosswind runway is available, but if the wind is very light and steady, the crosswind landing skill cannot be adequately evaluated.

Many, but not all, complex piloting skills can be evaluated and refreshed in a quality general aviation simulator. Our example skill involving the gusty crosswind landing is one that cannot. General aviation simulator manufacturers freely admit that their devices do not have the fidelity to accurately represent the last few feet of the descent to the touchdown.  Landings in general, and particularly the skill necessary to acquire and maintain proficiency in a gusty crosswind landing, are best learned, practiced, and evaluated the old-school way, in the airplane.

It is not easy to ensure continued competency in all the complex skills needed to safely fly as pilot-in-command. It can be costly and inconvenient when it comes to scheduling to fly in the necessary and desired conditions. We must recognize that all pilots do not have the resources or flexibility to accomplish that and that pilots will fly when they are not fully competent in all tasks. Pilots must not succumb to illusory superiority or optimism bias and recognize when some skills may have deteriorated due to lack of use. Though it is not ideal to fly when not all skills are at their peak, a realistic evaluation of anticipated flight conditions and planning to avoid any situation in which those skills might be required is a good step.

References:

https://skybrary.aero/articles/skill-fade

https://jmvh.org/article/skill-fade-in-military-medical-training-a-literature-review-of-supraglottic-airway-use-in-the-prehospital-environment/

Gene Benson has had a lifetime of aviation experience.  He has lived and breathed aviation from his first official flying lesson at the age of 14, to his first solo on his sixteenth birthday, to his 8,000 hours of flight instruction given. He has served as the Dean of Aeronautics for an aviation college, as an instructor for a major domestic airline, consultant to several foreign and domestic airlines, and to business aviation.  His academic background includes degrees in psychology, education, and business. His specialty now is the application of human factors to error reduction and safety in aviation and other industries. He is presently a FAASTeam Lead Representative and has recently served as a member of the NBAA Safety Committee. View Gene’s work at genebenson.com and https://www.vectorsforsafety.com/.

Clicking this link will take you to a website not affiliated with Avemco.  Your use of that website is subject to the privacy policy posted on that site.  Avemco assumes no responsibility for other entities’ privacy practices or your use of their websites.

We’d love to know what you think of this PIREP. Please email us at [email protected] and let us know.

Reprint by permission only. If you would like to obtain reprint requirements and request permission, please email us at [email protected].