Just Trying To Help

We all know the hazardous attitudes the FAA wants us to understand. Concepts like anti-authority, impulsivity and invincibility have no real place in the cockpit. Now, Im going to add one more: the desire to be helpful, or the motivation to please others. One of my big motivations in life is to be helpful to others. I enjoy writing for this magazine, for example, because it is helpful to other pilots. I also get great pleasure in being a solution to other peoples problems.

Mike Hart

Thursday, July 20, 2017 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

The article introduces "the desire to be helpful" or "motivation to please others" as a hazardous aviation attitude, comparable to established concepts like impulsivity or anti-authority.
The author details an incident where his unrequested attempts to "help" air traffic control by aggressively shortening his approach and rapidly clearing the runway led to a flat tire on landing.
This series of mistakes stemmed from prioritizing perceived helpfulness and a goal of quick runway exit over a stabilized approach and proper aircraft handling, demonstrating negative transfer of braking technique from a different aircraft type.
The key takeaway is that true helpfulness in aviation lies in flying safely and conservatively within one's operational envelope, as this minimizes risks, inconveniences, and costs for all involved.

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We all know the hazardous attitudes the FAA wants us to understand. Concepts like anti-authority, impulsivity and invincibility have no real place in the cockpit. Now, I’m going to add one more: the desire to be helpful, or the motivation to please others. One of my big motivations in life is to be helpful to others. I enjoy writing for this magazine, for example, because it is helpful to other pilots. I also get great pleasure in being a solution to other people’s problems.

Sometimes, however, trying to be helpful has the opposite effect. Rather than help get someone out of a tight spot, you become ensnared in one. This is my mea culpa confession—and the story of how we need to add helpfulness to those hazardous attitudes.