Must Read Books for Pilots: Part 2
In a recent blog post I went over some great reference and technical books that I felt every pilot should have in their library. Today, I have another list. These books don’t necessarily look like traditional aviation reference material on the cover – but they have incredible implications for what we do as pilots, flight instructors, and managers.
If I had my way, the first three would be mandatory reading forevery student pilot. The next two wouldbe mandatory for every commercial pilot; and the final two would find theirplace in the instructor rating groundschool program.
Highest Duty by Sully Sullenberger. We all know Sully was in the left seat when he glided his stricken A320 onto the Hudson River in 2009. But how many of us have actually read his book? It’s more than the tale of what happened that day (and a good lesson in how to manage an emergency). He also focuses on a pilots “highest duty” - what it means to be responsible for the lives of passengers. This is a great book to give perspective and meaning to the job student pilots sign up to do.
QF32 by Richard DeCrespigny. Captain DeCrespigny was at the helm of an A380 when it suffered an uncontained engine failure damaging electrical, hydraulic, and flight control systems - causing 120+ ECAM alerts, with 43 of those being in the first 60 seconds. "I put on my best poker face in front of the passengers and tried not to look too alarmed, and to tell everyone it was okay. But shit, it really wasn't." There was a team of five in the flight deck that day, and the book reads like a clinic in CRM and PDM. DeCrespigny also covers the huge responsibility of the PIC, what goes into a good pilot, and taking charge of an aircraft that was designed for computers to fly - when the computers could not be trusted. “It's an awesome responsibility, and it comes with absolute authority.”
Willful Blindness by Margaret Heffernan. Why do we ignore the obvious at our own peril? Though not aviation specific, Heffernan delves into why humans do what we do. After accidents and incidents often times people say they saw it coming, but nothing was done to stop it ahead of time. Working with psychologists, neuroscientists, and other experts from a wide spectrum of industries Heffernan provides guidance and tools that can help you improve your risk management and pilot decision making abilities.
Organizational Accidents by James Reason. We all know the “swiss cheese model of aviation accidents”. We may even know that Reason developed this model. But have you ever read this book where he describes the model, the background issues, and how to use it effectively? Another book which is beyond "just" flying, Reason goes into many different industries to highlight organizational causes of accidents – and we can do about them before one takes place.
Just Culture: Balancing Safety and Accountability by Sidney Dekker. Dekker dives into the trend of criminalization of accidents in a variety of industries. If an accident is by definition non-intentional, why do those at the “pointy end of the system” often get blamed and charged with a criminal offence? If the answer is “to hold people accountable”, how can a public prosecutor make that determination when they lack the industry specific technical skills to do so? Dekker looks at what truth and trust mean in the system, the difference between “just” and “justice”, types of errors, and how non-punitive reporting and legal systems try to strike a balance but are based to two separate sets of criteria – the process versus the results.
Redefining Airmanship by Tony Kern. Alas, this book is out of print but you may be able to come across a copy. Kern is a USAF pilot, instructor, and examiner who was also Chief of the USAF CRM program. In this book, he explains the incorporation of critical “soft skills” from the beginning of pilot training. This integration creates pilots that are more competent in areas such as flight discipline, CRM/PDM/SA, and judgement. As a bonus, there is also a discussion on how to evaluate airmanship as training progresses.
Brain Rules by John Medina. The Flight Instructor Guide from Transport Canada has some good instructional techniques. But did you ever wonder where they came from? Molecular Biologist John Medina dives into how the Brain learns new material and provides practical methods a flight instructor can use to help improve student understanding and knowledge retention – all in a fun and entertaining manner.
What do you think? Shouldwe be including this type of material in our pilot training programs? Do you have other books you think would be agood fit? Let us know in the commentsbelow!