Peninsula Aero Club

Training and Perception

Perception is the reception and interpretation of messages or events, good or bad.  How you perceive something depends on your past experience (your formal and informal education) which then becomes your personal "frame of reference".

During the planning and execution of a flight we are bombarded with a mass of messages and "events".

Take the example of a twin engine aeroplane with a pilot, two adult passengers, a 6 year old child and 9 month old child.  One of the adults is a mature male, slightly intoxicated and very relaxed (not drunk), and the other an anxious mother with the two young children who have never flown before.  The flight is from A to B on a clear, calm day.  Halfway along an engine fails with a small pop, some little vibration, a puff of smoke and a small short lived flame out of the exhaust pipe.  The pilot completes his drills, feathers the motor and lands with a minimum of fuss at the nearest suitable airport (albeit not the original destination).

Let us look at the various possible perceptions.  To the 9 month child, it would be a complete non-event unless the nervous mother transferred her anxiety in some way.  To the 6 year old, it could be just exciting.  "Ooh look Mum, flames!"  To the already nervous mother, it may seem like the end is not too far away.  To the slightly intoxicated male, events may be somewhat blurry, but the pilot seems to be in control so why worry.  What will be, will be!  To the pilot, he simply has a problem to attend to, which his training and discipline should cover comfortably.

All of these people witnessed and received the same event, but their individual interpretation was quite different.  What was the correct perception?

In fact each was correct within their current frame of reference.  With the exception of the pilot, they had no choice because their past experience (formal and informal education) did not cover the experience of an engine failure.  Clearly the best perception is made by a person with relevant past experience (ie training), in this case the pilot.

So the point is, the better the training, (and the more disciplined an individual is), the better the perception will be and therefore the better the decisions will be.  Training really is the first step to sound perception and decisions.  Make sure you do all the training for a particular licence or rating and ensure you fully understand all the Instructors are saying.  If you don't understand something or are confused by some aspect, say so and get clarification.  The instructors are always willing to help!

Have a happy festive season.

Sandy