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Beware of Aviation ‘Tribal Knowledge’

Shared understanding within a group is often institutional memory, lacks documentation, and is passed down by word of mouth.

Meg Godlewski

Tuesday, March 04, 2025 at 11:53 AM ET

Verified

Edited By: tccjeremy

Tribal knowledge, as a rule, is often institutional memory and lacks documentation. [Credit: Wayman Aviation]

Key Takeaways:

The article highlights the dangers of "tribal knowledge" in aviation, using the "teardrop entry" pattern as an example, where undocumented, word-of-mouth instructions lead to unsafe variations and a lack of standardization.
Tribal knowledge is defined as undocumented information shared within an in-group, perpetuated in flight training by factors like high CFI turnover, business priorities, and resistance to formal, written procedures.
The author advocates for the FAA to provide clear, written guidance, such as in the Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM), to standardize practices and replace inconsistent tribal knowledge for enhanced safety and effective pilot training.

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Recently, I had discussions with other CFIs about “teardrop entry into the pattern,” which can be controversial for VFR pilots. Some vilify the practice, or express a desire for the FAA to produce guidance.

At the risk of sounding alarmist, I will not be surprised if there is a midair attributed to the “teardrop entry.” There are too many pilot-imposed variations out there right now, many attributed to “tribal knowledge” of how to do the entry into the pattern.

Meg Godlewski

Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. Meg is a founding member of the Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA AirVenture and excels at the application of simulation technology to flatten the learning curve. Follow Meg on Twitter @2Lewski.