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Distracted Flying

Ultimately, flying is a series of distractions, one after another. Along the way, someone still has to fly the airplane. 

No good career advice matters unless you remain alive and accident- and violation-free. Alamy
Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • The article highlights that "hands-free" communication, whether on a phone while driving or with Air Traffic Control while flying, can be highly distracting and just as dangerous as physically holding a device.
  • Through personal anecdotes, the author demonstrates how engaging in extensive communication can severely impair situational awareness, leading to near-accidents and a loss of focus on critical operational tasks.
  • It strongly advocates for prioritizing tasks according to the "Aviate, Navigate, Communicate" principle, emphasizing the necessity to control the vehicle and maintain situational awareness before engaging in communication or other secondary tasks to effectively manage distractions.
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I was stopped at a four-way street intersection the other night, the kind with stop signs. Traffic was moderate, so, I had to wait my turn, as did others. In a perfect world, all four drivers would arrive at four different times, and it would be clear who has the right of way and should go first and who doesn’t. Simple. But this day was not perfect.

Along with all the other drivers, I was talking on my phone and came to a complete stop behind the car ahead of me. After it moved off, I moved up a bit, took its place, and stopped before the stop sign, nice and legal. I saw no movement, and started to move straight ahead, when suddenly I saw a huge dark pickup truck on my left “come out of nowhere” and enter the intersection, trying to turn left—into the same physical space I was about to occupy. We didn’t swap paint, but it was closer than I’d like. 

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