The Risks of Routine

One of the great joys of flying is a routine flight. Im not referring to a flight that went as expected, which undeniably is the greatest joy, Im talking about flying a routine route. If you hop in your plane on a Saturday afternoon to fly to your favorite $100 hamburger location and get a respite from your weekday worries, or a cargo pilot plying a daily route, you probably know the pleasure I am talking about. Pilots who fly routine flights can feel at one with their aircraft, heightening their sensitivity to any little deviation, like unusual engine noises or subtle performance changes with different loads.

Mike Hart

Saturday, November 18, 2017 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Routine flying can foster complacency, making pilots less sensitive to deviations and more prone to errors when unexpected or novel circumstances arise.
Complacency typically manifests as misguided decision-making, where pilots fail to adapt routine procedures to non-routine situations, such as unexpected weather, altered aircraft configurations, non-standard ATC instructions, or neglected pre-flight information like NOTAMs.
To combat complacency, pilots must maintain active attention, cultivate a questioning attitude, consistently use checklists, perform thorough preflights, verify real-time data, and avoid letting familiarity or distractions override critical safety procedures.

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One of the great joys of flying is a routine flight. I’m not referring to a flight that went as expected, which undeniably is the greatest joy, I’m talking about flying a routine route. If you hop in your plane on a Saturday afternoon to fly to your favorite $100 hamburger location and get a respite from your weekday worries, or a cargo pilot plying a daily route, you probably know the pleasure I am talking about. Pilots who fly routine flights can feel at one with their aircraft, heightening their sensitivity to any little deviation, like unusual engine noises or subtle performance changes with different loads.

But, like everything else, risk is just around the corner. While you enjoy feeling pleased with yourself because you’re on top of things, you are just a whisker away from complacency. And once you start feeling satisfied, maybe even congratulating yourself on your achievements, it’s too late. That’s when you are most unaware of your own deficiencies and potential dangers.