Hours of Boredom........

This is my 50^th post on Flying The Backside.  That’s not much of an accomplishment for a real writer, but for a pilot like me it is quite a milestone.

In its brief few years the blog has evolved, but the objective hasn’t changed.  From the outset I wanted to initiate a dialog among aviation professionals.  I hoped that my statements, questions and opinions would lead readers to make comments both in agreement and opposition.  I endeavored to have an online facilitation of topics relevant to human factors in aviation.

I would like to thank everyone who has spent their valuable time reading and considering my thoughts.  Also, special gratitude goes to those who felt comfortable making comments.

The origins of this quote cannot be verified, but it is well known and often used to described aviation.  “Hours and hours of boredom punctuated by moments of sheer terror.”  Moments of “sheer terror” might be hyperbole, but it makes the point.  Because during the moments of “sheer terror” it is difficult for aircrews to immediately react with effective plans unless those scenarios have been considered in advance.  Checklists and procedural guidance can help, but the most effective technique crews can use is to consider these emergency and non-normal scenarios in advance.  For the same reasons recurrent training events are more suited to practicing and reinforcing potential strategies than an opportunity to begin considering these events.

My hope is still that Flying The Backside would initiate discussions involving the human factors that influence aviation safety.  As a community we have a vast amount of knowledge and experience.  Informally sharing this information and related topics can only have a positive effect on aviation safety.

Thank you and I look forward to your thoughts and insights.