“Physical” Memory
Habits are addictive, literally. That’s what makes them habitual, you do them over and over, the same way every time, because that’s the way you’ve always done them. They can be helpful and beneficial, or they can be awkward and painful, and they do have a tendency to stick. They are hard to break and sometimes impossible to modify even if you want to. No different than life at large, flying is chock full of them. When you are learning to fly, it’s best to form good ones… Here’s how.
There are three ways to form good habits in aviation and they all revolve around something I call “physical” memory. Physical memory is doing things the same way every time, to the extent that’s reasonable. Oftentimes, it requires doing much more than the minimum actions required to safely accomplish the current activity. From that vantage point, it seems wasteful, but capturing ALL of the pertinent actions EVERY time means fewer errors of omission that could hamper or prevent a safe outcome. The three techniques are: 1) the use of flows, 2) checklist review and 3) what I call “prepping for success.”
Most major airlines and military fliers use “flows” to accomplish checks. Normally this involves starting in one physical location of the cockpit and observing, touching and sometimes verbalizing the positions of control switches in a pattern that covers all of the panel real estate from one end to the other. Many times, just the relative positions of a bank of switches (the three bottom switches on the pictured bleed air and air conditioning control panel are almost never in the depicted 3-in-a-row configuration) will tell you it is “normal” or “abnormal.” Usually, the same switch or set of switches must always be moved during the flow event. The pattern of movement of your eyes and arms as you observe and alter switch positions becomes habitual, a sort of physical memory. These flows help capture errors when circumstances break the regular routine. For example, when aborting a takeoff and clearing the runway, airline crews accomplish their normal after landing flow as if they are returning to the gate, even though they plan to take off again just as soon as they taxi to the departure runway. They then accomplish all of their normal before takeoff flows and checks before taking the runway for departure. If these flows are complete (meaning they encompass all the items that might be needful), then switch errors can be virtually eliminated. The beauty of these flows is that they are consistent and familiar to the pilots, even if the circumstances aren’t.
The next technique is checklist review. Flows are a time-efficient means of accomplishing multiple checks with minimal errors. Unfortunately, the truth is that people accomplish these flows, so sometimes they miss stuff. A checklist review after the flow double-checks the most critical switches to ensure they are in the correct position. Part of the before takeoff flow (the last action in fact) is pulling the Before Takeoff Checklist out to review. The vast lion’s share of the time, the checklist review results in no additional action, but every once in a while, it catches a switch error. The physical memory of grabbing that checklist after each flow helps reassure the pilot that everything is set and will shortly be double-checked.
The last technique revolves around the things you do or don’t do that set you up for success or failure. For example, I teach my students to always secure the airplane like it was out on the ramp, even if it’s in the hangar. We always install the control locks, close the air vents, and latch the canopy closed and chock the tires. Those things aren’t necessarily needful in the hangar, but why not set up habit patterns that will serve the student well during their first cross country. It’s also why I always brief the Missed Approach Procedure when flying an Instrument Approach, even when there’s not a cloud in the sky. It’s the physical memory of doing it, every time, that ensures it happens on the night when you’ll have to fly to minimums. One of the least executed maneuvers in the airlines is a “go-around.” Literally thousands of flights a day and less than 1% ever go around. For some crews, the surprise of having to do one and the lack of recency can make the procedure rather daunting. So I brief the go-around and actually touch the controls in the order I would actuate them with the accompanying verbiage on every visual approach. It’s the habit of doing, EVERY time, the things that might only rarely be needful that prepares you for success in the time of crisis.
As a flier, you have already begun forming or have formed habits. Is it your habit to just do what you did last time, fix errors as you make them (oops, left those mags on again), or wing it and hope you didn’t miss something? OR have you developed specific patterns of behavior you KNOW will support you when things aren’t “usual?” The good news is that it’s not too late to (re-)train your physical memory through determined, conscious effort which will eventually give way to helpful, habitual action. Start now.
If you have any comments about this or any other aviation subject, write me at Fly@AmericanMadeAviation.com.