Safety
by J. Heffernan
When Helicopter Pilots Sneeze…
I n a hover, the helicopter does not
move. That is pretty impressive,
especially in a three dimensional
checklist: what do you do instinctively
if you are interrupted? If you are
smart you start over, if you do not start
If you tell yourself that you can
change the plan, you can adapt.
But if you have got it handled and
skill, four dimensional if you count over, how much time do you spend you cannot or do not adapt, you
time. But you do not fall off a bicycle thinking, “What did I miss? might not survive. Fortunately if you
if you sneeze, you do not drown if Now you are saying, “But I do overestimate your ability slightly, you
you sneeze while you are swimming, not need a checklist,” and I say, might have one last ace up your sleeve,
and most people do not your survival instinct.
do a serious amount of Personal survival is
damage if they sneeze among the strongest of
while they are driving. All all human instincts; it is
of the above are learned the emergency throttle of
skills; you can do them your senses and can find
without thinking because you a way out when by
you concentrated hard on all rights you should be
them as you were learning out of altitude, airspeed,
the skill. Now the skill is and ideas simultaneously.
so ingrained that you can But there is a serious
make accommodations warning attached. It is a
and add degrees of straight brain to task link.
difficulty to the task with It may not be influenced
very little or no effort. by facts, greater danger,
Photo by david osborne, hai
That is what your or common sense;
personal safety program remember crossing the
has to be, so well learned that you “Good, can I hold your watch, or your street in Europe, it could take you
react instinctively when confronted Corvette keys, or your dog, or your there and you could get hit by a bus
with a safety challenge. You do not job?” Checklists are not to keep you while you are looking in the wrong
have to think, in fact thinking would from forgetting anything; they are to direction.
probably slow down your reaction. remind you to do the important things, How do you protect yourself?
You are already trained that way, you the same way every time. Change your mind earlier. Waiting
just do not realize it. Cross the street; What are you looking for when until the hair on the back of your
what happens before you even lift you check the weather? How nice the neck stands up is too late, even if
your foot? That is right, your head weather was yesterday, or how nice you reverse direction at that point
turned to the left and then to the right. it is going to be this weekend? No, you might not get back. Make your
Why? Because crossing the street is you want to know what it is like right decisions early enough that they have
a learned safety skill. Every time you now and what it will be like until you time to positively affect the situation
cross the street, it is an involuntary need to land again, the rest of it is rather than aggravate it. If you are
action that works every time (except in decoration. reading this magazine you have a
Europe where an amazing number of What is the hardest learned safety good idea where the edge of your
Americans get hit by cars because they skill? It is changing your mind. When skill resides. Do not go there! Teach
neglect to adjust this safety skill and things are not going like they should, yourself this simple safety behavior. Be
look in the wrong direction). when all of your well-thought-out honest about when you have learned
When did I start putting on a plans begin to crumble, when all the it, do not learn it halfway.
seatbelt every time I got into my wishing in the world is not changing And that way you can keep amazing
vehicle? When I realized that I never anything, when you have to make a people with the fact that when you
got into an aircraft without doing new plan on the spur of the moment, sneeze in a hover, the aircraft does not
it. I do not remember who taught that is difficult. You have to practice move.
me, but I cannot start the checklist that skill a great deal because it
(remember that word, there may be a involves honesty. You have to be J. Heffernan is Director of Safety
quiz) without putting it on. About the honest with yourself. for HAI.
6
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