Airwork: Assessing the Risk of Ascending

Saturday, May 08, 2010 at 07:05 AM ET

Verified

John Harlin III, playing at the controls
of his dad's trainer at Hahn Air Base in
Germany, developed his skills at risk
assessment as a mountaineer.

Key Takeaways:

Frustrated by airplane maintenance issues, the author takes a vacation to Oaxaca, Mexico, where he meets mountaineer John Harlin III, a former publishing colleague with a family legacy in aviation.
The article draws strong parallels between the inherent risks and decision-making processes in flying and mountain climbing, particularly concerning weather assessment and personal judgment.
Emphasizing lessons from Harlin's book, the author highlights the critical importance of disciplined risk assessment, avoiding overconfidence, building skills systematically, and making conservative "go/no-go" decisions by prioritizing wisdom over ambition or convenience, even when it means abandoning a long-anticipated goal.

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The idea was to get away. We’d just learned that the life of the engine in our Cardinal ¡ha terminado! And, even after we decided what to do about replacing the engine, it would be some time before we’d be able to fly the airplane again. In the meantime, the IFR certification (transponder and pitot-static system), my FAA physical and the airplane’s annual inspection all would come due.

It felt like too much to deal with; we needed something to take our minds off our airplane’s afflictions.