Deal With Distractions

Wednesday, October 28, 2020 at 09:29 AM ET

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We all love our pets, but unless you know your pet will be well behaved and not present a distraction, it might be best left at home.

Key Takeaways:

Cockpit distractions are a critical safety hazard in aviation, having led to tragic accidents due to pilots losing focus on fundamental flight tasks.
Distractions can arise from various sources, including equipment malfunctions, complex ATC communications, or unexpectedly from passengers reacting to flight conditions.
Effective strategies to manage distractions include implementing "sterile cockpit" rules, thoroughly briefing passengers on IFR flight expectations and communication protocols, and prioritizing manual flight over diagnosing non-critical issues.
The fundamental principle for pilots is to always maintain focus and prioritize "flying the airplane," especially in challenging or instrument meteorological conditions.

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Many of life’s distractions are enjoyable, but cockpit distractions can have tragic consequences. For years, the NTSB has made “Eliminate Distractions” one of their Ten Most Wanted safety improvements.

In Ernest Gann’s Fate is the Hunter, he describes a night approach as a DC-2 First Officer while Captain Ross lit matches in front of Gann’s nose to distract him. Ross later made the famous statement, “Anyone can do this job when things are going right. In this business, we play for keeps.”