Tem-Work In Tampa

ppreidecker

Thursday, July 22, 2021 at 11:34 AM ET

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Key Takeaways:

Threat and Error Management (TEM) is an aviation safety discipline designed to help pilots recognize and manage external threats (e.g., weather, equipment malfunctions) and internal pilot errors.
TEM teaches pilots to anticipate, identify, and "trap" potential errors or threats at the earliest possible point to prevent them from escalating into an undesired aircraft state.
Effective TEM relies on strategies such as vigilance, solid systems knowledge, thorough pre-flight planning, consistent use of checklists, and employing countermeasures to maintain safety margins and mitigate risks.

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The Lear 35 medical-transport flight on which I was the captain had just departed Tampa International (KTPA) for Portland, ME (KPWM) carrying an elderly patient and his wife. It was a busy departure as we were already looking for deviations around the typical Florida summertime thunderstorms. The “pop”—accompanied by the sound of rushing air—came just as we passed through 12,500 feet.

As pressurization problems go, it could have been far worse, especially if we had already reached the Lear’s lofty cruising altitude. Still, this particular scenario created plenty of opportunities to practice our threat and error management (TEM) techniques.