Hello again! Here we are in October of 2022, with a lot to talk about. First off, thanks for reading this post! If you’ve found my website after listening to my interview on the “Push to Talk” podcast with Bruce Webb, thanks for looking me up! If you haven’t listened to Bruce’s podcast yet, check it out! I am featured on episode 3, but I highly encourage you to listen to the other episodes as well. There’s a link at the end of this post. I am encouraged as I meet more people with a similar approach to training, safety, and day to day aviation operations. I think we are starting to move the needle in the right direction.
I have more to say about the concept of moving the needle, but first I’d like to bring everyone up to speed on what’s new at Palisade Aviation. When I posted last, I had recently been featured on a HAI@Work Webinar, written an article about IIMC for Rotor Magazine, and collaborated on the learning content for the USHST’s “56 Seconds to Live” training course. Since then, I joined Jim Viola, Chris Hill, and Bruce Webb on an Air Venture (OshKosh) Forum stage in the summer of 2021 to discuss “56 seconds”. To continue that project, I will be presenting part of the “56 Seconds to Live” Rotor Safety Challenge course at Heli Expo 2023 in Atlanta next spring. I was also just recently featured on another HAI Webinar, this time about the importance of a good pre-flight inspection and walkaround. Perhaps the most exciting project I am working on, though, is helping Mike Varney and Salient Aero bring Evidence Based Training (EBT) to helicopter operators. I will be presenting a Rotor Safety Challenge course on EBT in Atlanta as well.
Recently, I have heard a LOT of corporate buzz words and catch phrases in the various meetings and working groups I participate in. My newest favorite phrase to hate is some variation on, “Let’s do something to move the needle”. I suppose over-used phrases and boardroom jargon are used so much because they are effective, but they still annoy me. Let’s table that one for another post, though. Groan. It’s tempting to throw our best efforts behind a solution that gets the most immediate response, but I don’t think this is always the best long-term solution. When I wrote the IIMC article for ROTOR, it was titled “A 360-degree approach…” because there is no silver bullet, and a solution to that problem must be multifaceted. The solutions to most complex problems require a thorough look at all aspects of the issue. A more comprehensive solution, or 360-degree approach, to a problem takes more time, but often brings a more effective and longer lasting solution. The second “S” in SMS, in fact, stands for “System”. (Safety Management System for those of you still unfamiliar with the acronym) An effective SMS is a top-down approach to identifying, categorizing, mitigating, and monitoring hazards and risks. To do this, there are MANY parts of the system, including data collection, safety reporting, observations of daily operations, etc. None of those components mean much if the information and insights gained are not disseminated to the pilots, crewmembers and mechanics doing the front line work every day. We can identify a potentially hazardous practice through safety reporting and/or observations, and then simply direct the training department to train people to avoid that practice. Alternatively, we can dig a little deeper into the root of the problem, determine what basic area of competency was lacking, and then train our team members to be stronger in that area of competency. This is the basic idea behind Evidence Based Training. While we can’t train for every possible thing that could go wrong, we can focus on a set of competencies, that will provid the tools needed to handle most every situation. There are nine core competencies that make up the heart of Evidence Based Training. These are, in no particular order: Application of Procedures, Knowledge, Workload Management, Problem Solving/Decision Making, Situational Awareness, Flight Path Management (Manual), Flight Path Management (Automation), Communication and Leadership/Teamwork. The rest of the world has already started to adopt these concepts at the highest levels of aviation training. While it will take time to implement these ideas in helicopter training, I believe this is one way to truly “move the needle” in a meaningful way.