WORDS MATTER

Mother Nature finally won. The pilot had fought his way deeper and deeper into worsening conditions. He was hopeful that if he could just ‘punch through’ this last bit of bad weather he would be fine. That last bit of weather has been the demise of far too many pilots. Fortunately for this pilot, before he managed to make a fatal error, he spotted a sufficiently open area to land the helicopter. The landing was quick, as the approach began from 300’ and 60 knots.

After securing the helicopter, but before making any further decisions, the pilot used his cell phone to call his superior and explain the situation. The ensuing conversation will be critical to how the pilot is likely to behave in the future.                                                                                       

The vast majority of aviation professions wish to do the right thing. We desire to be supportive and helpful. But often our words may have the opposite effect.

As the pilot describes the circumstances surrounding the precautionary landing, his superior listens intently. He too has found himself in similar situations but managed to make it through the weather and ultimately to his destination unscathed. So naturally, he imparts his wisdom and advice upon the pilot calling in from the field. If you listen, you can almost hear his words: ”did you try to…”, “what about flying over to such-and-such pass and then…”, “how come you did not…”, “did you think about…”. The platitudes go on and on. And if we are honest with ourselves, we have all likely offered and/or received similar advice.

The person offering the “advice” usually has the best intentions. Unfortunately, the information which he is providing will likely be received (perhaps unconsciously) by the pilot in another way. The message the pilot is actually receiving, is that he did not try hard enough, or that he lacks sufficient knowledge and/or experience. But now armed with this additional knowledge (“sage advice?”) he believes will be able to navigate such weather in the future and avoid unnecessary precautionary landings. He will not make such an embarrassing and unnecessary mistake again; next time he will try a little harder! Obviously, this is NOT the message we wish to communicate!

Be aware that you need not be someone’s superior to offer a similarly misguided message. Any person who respects you, will likely interpret your “helpful advice” in a like manner. So, we must all be careful in our communication.

So, how should the conversation have transpired? I believe it should have sounded something like this: Pilot: I found myself in worsening weather conditions and elected to make a precautionary landing. Boss: Thank you for making the safe decision! I know that it was tempting for you to try and continue. Now, what can I do for you? Will you need a hotel, ground transportation, security for the helicopter…what can I do to help you? Resist the desire to coach; the pilot and ship are safe on deck, be happy! You can discuss the details of the event later. The most important message to send is “good job for not pressing on”!

Please take care that the message you intend to send is the one which will be received, nothing more, or less!