Are we eating our own?


Training is critical; not just training, but pertinent and specific evidenced-based instruction on how to carry out specific duties one may face on any given day. It is a monumental task to provide all the necessary hard and soft skills to a newly hired pilot who is entering the air medical arena.


Regardless of the amount of training, the ever-frustrating quandary hits us head on when both new and seasoned pilots commit procedural and operational mistakes that can be costly or worse.


And good pilots do make mistakes! Complacency and expectation bias will bite you in the butt in a millisecond.


Is it the quality or quantity of training, or both? The need for quality training is a given. Quantity has to be taken into consideration as well, as long as the quality is in check. Practice doesn’t necessarily make perfect, it makes “permanent.” The quality must count. However, simply delivering a designated and structured training program doesn’t complete the equation of overall success. If we hold the idea that training alone will solve all our problems, we’re not only


setting ourselves up for failure, we also are essentially eating our own by setting them up for less than ideal outcomes.


Field training has to be more than a few trips around the local area while pointing out obstacles. It must be structured and planned, and it must continue until a certain number of flights or hours are accumulated to the point of competence and proficiency. Adding well-structured debriefs on what went right and wrong after each flight can be worth its weight in precious metals.


rotorcraftpro.com


77


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84