Lessons Learned and Relearned

Wisconsin winters offer many amusements, but short hours of sun and continuing cold demand a break. For several years I enjoyed a getaway of glider instructing in Arizona.

One morning a 16-year-old learner arrived at the gliderport with his mother. As he stood, seemingly asleep on his feet, she noted she would never again schedule a lesson when he had played in two sports events the prior day. When I asked him whether he wanted to take his lesson, he shrugged and said that as the instructor I could decide. I explained that flying is a go or no-go decision pilots need to make for every flight and suggested that we work on the decision together. So, we did. I made coffee, and while sipping it, he was introduced to the IMSAFE (illness, medication, stress, alcohol, fatigue, emotion) checklist, also including eating/hydration. We went through it as a team. He considered every item, asked thoughtful questions, and learned how to find regulatory references. We talked about the impact of each element and discussed how it could affect his mental and physical performance. It was heartening to see him awaken and engage. I was thrilled to observe progress through the rote memorization, understanding, application, and correlation levels of learning. He learned the IMSAFE acronym, understood each of the elements, and applied them to that day’s go/no-go decision. Then correlation lightbulbs went on and he talked enthusiastically about how the same checklist would apply equally well to other activities such as his new driving qualifications and sports. He analyzed his prior-day decisions, identified the elements he hadn’t considered, and recognized their impact. The sleepy teen morphed into an attentive learner before my eyes. The go/no-go decision ultimately became his, and he suggested that we take one glider flight together and then assess whether his reactions and thought processes were good enough to continue flying that day. I applauded his excellent decision. He clearly understood that fatigue was a risk factor and the ways it could impact his performance.

The next day his parents stopped in. They wanted to share appreciation of their son’s new maturity. The changes they had seen really occurred over time but became more visible the prior day. Just as it does for almost everyone, the process of becoming a pilot in command affects us in positive ways. By thoughtfully applying our aviation lessons in a broader context we gain self-awareness, counter hazardous attitudes, become more safety conscious, employ careful planning, improve situational awareness, accept responsibility, deal effectively with unexpected circumstances, set priorities, and display courtesy. It is gratifying to be part of a pilot’s learning process and feel there is a positive impact on their future decisions regarding safety. However, a CFI isn’t needed to personally review the IMSAFE checklist, carefully consider each item, and honestly assess our own utilization.  It’s easy to state that we are committed to considering IMSAFE prior to every flight, but sometimes things are easier said than done.

As daylight hours increase, our flying time tends to lengthen. I’ve often wondered why it seems more difficult to end the day during summer. In northern states, delightful warmth arrives as days get longer and night hours shorten. Perhaps it is the memory of long-ago childhood summer evenings spent outdoors, the tingling excitement of deep shadows and later, as a teen, laughter and shenanigans in the dark. The early bedtime of winter school days wasn’t required in summertime. Warm evenings meant freedom from the pressure of a blaring alarm the next morning. Those in warmer climates may enjoy the cooling that comes with sundown and therefore linger outside long after dark.

Late night cross-country flights, fly-in invitations, the delight of warm breezes and comfortable pre-flights, along with other factors combine as a temptation to push our limits. Sometimes we need reminders of what we teach. I relearned a lesson that will not be forgotten again. Plans were to fly a friend’s high-performance aircraft cross-country on a delivery mission. Another pilot friend jumped at the opportunity to fly right seat. Although the accompanying aviator was not trained in the aircraft, he was an accomplished IFR pilot, had flown with me previously in the plane, and could competently manage communications, including the busy Class B where we would be landing. Anticipating how the second pilot would simplify operations, I stayed up late the night before the flight answering emails. We encountered a stronger-than-anticipated headwind that stretched the flight to 5.1 hours and, as experienced aviators tend to do on long flights, limited our hydration to the minimum, in this case to nothing. While congratulating ourselves on not needing to make a stop, we encountered light turbulence during the latter portion of the flight. I had discovered during preflight that the always-present cans of oxygen in the aircraft were absent. Although the aircraft was pressurized, a small boost of oxygen helps increase alertness prior to arrival. As usual at that Class B airport, the arrival became complex due to ATC changes. While safety wasn’t at risk, I could tell that my comprehension and reactions were slower than usual, a distinctly uncomfortable sensation.

Thinking through the arrival sequence later, clarity struck on how numerous factors — in particular, fatigue and dehydration — had combined to affect our situational awareness. While several things were done well such as crew resource management via role planning and implementation, anticipating complexity, and briefing arrival scenarios, there certainly were lessons learned and relearned. I was lulled into complacency by having a backup for some duties. In the future, the same rest guidelines will be applied whether single or dual pilot operations. Anticipating that another party had stocked cans of oxygen was a bad assumption, particularly since I planned to use it. Bringing my own is the new mantra. Dehydration and turbulence-induced fatigue are insidious. They cloud judgment at the same time good judgment is needed. Adequate hydration was lacking. Preflight planning to identify en route airport options in the vicinity of regularly scheduled situational checks will help to alleviate continuation bias and the fuel/bladder/fatigue battle.

As you enjoy this summer’s flying, please review and model IMSAFE. Have a delightful season.

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Karen Kalishek serves as chair of the National Association of Flight Instructors. She is a Designated Pilot Examiner, four-time NAFI Master Instructor, CFI, CFII, MEI, CFI-G, AGI, IGI, FAA Gold Seal Instructor, FAASTeam Lead Representative, and WINGSPro. In 2019, Karen was honored to receive the National FAASTeam Representative of the Year award.  She holds an ATP certificate and has ASES and Glider Commercial privileges. and enjoys quality time with her RV-6.  Karen has held officer positions and is actively involved with several aviation organizations. She is passionate about aviation safety and serves on the GAJSC, FAA Surface Safety Group, Runway Safety Council, and Angle of Attack Working Group, among others. She also writes a weekly column and makes aviation safety and instructional presentations throughout the year.  Karen is a Major in the Civil Air Patrol, serving as a CAP volunteer flight instructor, Safety Officer, check pilot, examiner, mission pilot, and cadet orientation pilot. Prior to aviation, Karen was a banking executive, taught graduate school, and also traveled the world for twenty years as president of her own international consulting company.