Captain Jeremy Burfoot, author of The Secret Life of Flying
Legend has it that the evil witch Maleficent had needs like any other person, so she fired up the cauldron to cook herself a man who wasn’t just a mere mortal. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much on the shelf at the witch’s supply shop due to supply chain disruptions, so she took what she could get. Into the cauldron went four parts energy management specialist, four parts risk analysis specialist, two parts people manager and two parts communicator.
After a few hours, her first creation was cooked, and because it was her first, she called it her ‘pilot’ project. She put him in a suit, added some stripes on the arm for decorative purposes and made him wear a hat she had stolen from an ice cream salesman. It didn’t take long for Maleficent to become disillusioned with her creation, though, because, in those days, there were no aircraft to fly. So, all he did was give orders, push the call button, ask for coffee and spend most of the evening hours at the pub getting drunk and hitting on other people’s wives. Finally, after a couple of weeks, she turned him into a frog and filed the recipe in a safe place, where it stayed until it was discovered in the fine print on a Wheetbix box by the parents of the Wright brothers.
Since then, the recipe for a pilot has been fiddled with but not changed that much. Sometimes they add a pinch of maturity to reduce the bad behaviour, but only when it’s available.
And so, we get to the discussion about what makes a good pilot. The first thing to consider is that it’s a dangerous game if not taken seriously. This means a pilot’s primary job is risk analysis and management.
The consequences of a serious crash are extreme, so that’s not acceptable under any circumstances. A pilot’s job is to anticipate risky events before they arise and recognise them if they do occur. They then need to mitigate the risk until it isn’t a threat. The ability to do this is learned from training and experience. The more you have seen, the better you are at knowing what’s coming. This is why experience counts and why airlines and insurance companies have minimum hours requirements for young pilots to be employed.
There’s a saying in the pilot world: “If you are prepared for something, it will never happen, but if you aren’t prepared, the likelihood of it occurring goes way up.”
The next most important things for pilots after risk management is energy management. The pilot as an energy manager paradigm is underestimated. A flight is basically an exercise in energy management on a grand scale.
The ability to always be aware of the ‘big picture’ is critical too. Pilots who focus only on the moment are not doing their jobs. This means having a good overview of the whole operation.
Of course, the big picture also includes the economic operation of the aircraft. With a fuel load of 320,000 litres, 26 crew, and nearly 600 passengers, an A380 on a long international flight can have a $1 million budget every time it gets airborne. Decisions by the pilots can easily cost or save tens of thousands of dollars on each flight. A good captain will easily save his wage each year in operating costs.
Now having discussed a few of the main ingredients of the pilot recipe, we need to talk about the herbs and spices that should be added.
Pilots must be able to prioritise tasks effectively and push less critical tasks to the back of the queue.
In addition, they must use the automation capabilities of the aircraft to take a load off their minds and allow brain space for effective decision making.
They must have good hand-eye coordination.
They must have the self-discipline to turn up to work in good shape and with a clear head, no matter what is going on in their personal life and time off.
They must have good mental maths skills to crosscheck what the computers are telling them without grabbing a calculator.
They must have the ability to concentrate for long periods and stay focused even when exhausted.
They must be a good leader.
Finally, for effective crew management, they must try not to be a dickhead. I haven’t personally tried this yet, but I’ve heard it helps a lot.
Pilot personality types have been the subject of studies many times in the past. A common misconception is that we are all ‘type A’ personalities. That’s not correct. A ‘type A’ on its own may be dangerous. It’s more a combination of A and B that’s required.
Studies have concluded that a typical pilot would be low on the characteristics of: Anxiety, Vulnerability, Angry hostility, Impulsiveness and Depression.
They would have an excess of: Very conscientious, High in deliberation, Achievement striving, Competence and Dutifulness. Pilots also tend to be trusting and straightforward and have a high level of assertiveness. But don’t overthink this. Overthinking things is not a good characteristic for a pilot.
So, file that away in your recipe book, and if you use it, don’t stray too far off course, or you may create a monster.
I cover all of this in much more detail in my upcoming book, The Secret Life Of Flying.
The Secret Life of Flying by Captain Jeremy Burfoot
How does a plane stay up in the air?
Does the Mile-High Club actually exist?
When you flush the toilet, where does it all go?
Buckle up for some turbulence because nothing flies under the radar for Captain Jeremy Burfoot.
With more than 35 years of airline experience, the former Qantas pilot presents an Airbus-load of stories about unruly passengers and cockpit clashes, and expertly navigates the bizarre myths surrounding everyday air travel. He explains important details like why plane wings actually bend, which in-flight surfaces carry the most germs and how to make plane food taste better.
Jam-packed with hilarity, horror stories and honest insights, The Secret Life of Flying is part memoir and part guide to the skies – a razor-sharp and First Class read for anyone who has ever wondered who’s really flying the plane …
Get your copy here.