Airmanship#Principles

Airmanship is a quality comprehensive of all aspects of flight, ranging from control, navigation, awareness, and decision-making.{{cite web |url=http://www.innerairmanship.com/asstd/index.html |title= Inner? Art? Airmanship? |last= English |first= Dave |date= 2018-06-01 |website= Inner Art of Airmanship |access-date= 2018-06-14 |quote= "Airmanship is a multi-dimensional concept."}}{{cite book |last=Lankford |first=Terry T. |others=Introduction by Tony Kern |title=Controlling Pilot Error: Weather |year=1998 |publisher=McGraw-Hill Professional |isbn=0-07-137328-4 |pages=xvi |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ISBN0071373284 }}{{cite book |last=Kern |first=Anthony T |author2=Kern, Tony |title=Redefining Airmanship |year=1997 |publisher=McGraw-Hill Professional |isbn=0-07-034284-9 |pages=21 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ISBN0070342849}} Airmanship may be derived from applied discipline and extensive training.{{cite book |last1=Kern |first1=Anthony T |last2=Kern |first2=Tony |title=Flight Discipline |year=1998 |publisher=McGraw-Hill Professional |isbn=0-07-034371-3 |pages=3 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ISBN0070343713}}{{cite journal |last1= Ebbage |first1= L. |last2= Spencer |first2= P. D. |date= 2003 |title= Airmanship training for modern aircrew |journal= Paper Presented at the TRO HFM Symposium Advanced Technologies for Military Training (Technologies Avanc — Es Pour Lentra — Nement Militaire). |location= Genoa, Italy |volume= RTO-MP-HFM-101}}

Airmanship is defined by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as a "broad term that includes a sound knowledge of and experience with the principles of flight; the knowledge, experience, and ability to operate an aircraft with competence and precision both on the ground and in the air; and the application of sound judgment that results in optimal operational safety and efficiency."{{cite book |author1=Federal Aviation Administration |title=Airplane Flying Handbook |publisher=US Department of Transportation |url=https://www.faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aviation/airplane_handbook/00_afh_full.pdf |access-date=22 April 2023 |id=FAA-H-8083-3C}}

The United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) describes airmanship as "a somewhat controversial and vague expression intended to convey a measure of understanding; experience; or, more succinctly, aviation 'common-sense'. What can be said is that 'Airmanship' is something gained from exposure to the experiences and sage advice of other aviators; properly thinking about and understanding the application of rules, procedures and airspace; and a healthy dose of self-preservation."Analysis of Airprox in UK Airspace. Report Number 29, January 2013 – December 2013. [https://www.ukfsc.co.uk/wp-content/public_pdfs/CAA_Plans_Reports/UKAB-Analysis-of-Airprox-in-UK-Airspace-2013-posted-March-2015.pdf]

A core principle of airmanship taught to student pilots is "Aviate, Navigate, Communicate", to remind them of priorities during an emergency. The highest priority is to keep the aircraft flying, avoiding loss of control or controlled flight into terrain. Next, the pilot(s) should verify their location and navigate toward a suitable destination. Communication with air traffic control or other planes is the third highest priority.{{cite web |title=Fly the Aircraft First |url=https://www.faa.gov/news/safety_briefing/2018/media/SE_Topic_18-07.pdf |website=faa.gov |access-date=20 April 2023}}{{cite web |title=Setting Priorities - Aviate, Navigate, Communicate |url=https://iflyamerica.org/safety_setting_priorities_aviate_navigate_communicate.asp |website=iflyamerica.org |access-date=20 April 2023}}{{cite journal |title=Tweet|journal=The Navigator |date=1978 |volume=25 |issue=2 |page=19 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UKs5AQAAMAAJ |access-date=20 April 2023 |publisher=Department of the Air Force, Air Training Command |language=en}}{{cite book |last1=Stowell |first1=Rich |title=Emergency Maneuver Training: Controlling Your Airplane During a Crisis |date=1996 |publisher=Rich Stowell, Master CFI-A |isbn=978-1-879425-92-7 |page=192 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_4nGtx-_jHUC |access-date=20 April 2023 |language=en}}{{cite book |last1=Billings |first1=Charles E. |title=Human-centered Aircraft Automation: A Concept and Guidelines |date=1991 |publisher=National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Ames Research Center |page=16 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_1Q3AQAAMAAJ |access-date=20 April 2023 |language=en}}

The actions of Captain Alfred C. Haynes and the crew of United Airlines Flight 232 while dealing with their crippled McDonnell Douglas DC-10 are cited as quality airmanship.{{cite book |last=Galison |first=Peter |title=Atmospheric Flight in the Twentieth Century |publisher=Springer |location=Berlin |year=2000 |isbn=0-7923-6037-0 |pages=11 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ISBN0792360370}} They were able to bring their craft to a survivable "controlled crash" in Sioux City, Iowa, after a complete loss of all flight controls following an engine failure in July 1989. They did this by improvising a control scheme on the spot using differential engine thrust on the two working engines.{{cite book |last1=Kern |first1=Anthony T |last2=Kern |first2=Tony |title=Redefining Airmanship |year=1997 |publisher=McGraw-Hill Professional |isbn=0-07-034284-9 |pages=283–301 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ISBN0070342849}} Captain Haynes credited his Crew Resource Management training as one of the key factors that saved his and his passengers' lives.[http://yarchive.net/air/airliners/dc10_sioux_city.html Haynes' Eyewitness account] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131026210937/http://yarchive.net/air/airliners/dc10_sioux_city.html |date=2013-10-26}}

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) occasionally cites poor airmanship as a contributing factor in its determination of probable cause in aviation accidents, although it is implicit in many of the pilot error causes it often uses. For example, in its report on the December 1, 1993, fatal crash of Northwest Airlink Flight 5719, the NTSB determined the "failure of the company management to adequately address the previously identified deficiencies in airmanship" was a contributing factor.{{cite web |url=https://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/GenPDF.asp?id=DCA94MA022&rpt=fi |date=1994-12-27 |accessdate=2007-02-24 |title=NTSB brief of accident DCA94MA022}}

In a 2005 business jet accident at Teterboro Airport, NTSB investigator Steve Demko said determining an aircraft's weight and balance before takeoff is "basic airmanship," a "Flying 101 type of thing."{{cite web |last=Collogan |first=David |date=6 November 2006 |title=NTSB Critical Of Failures In Challenger Overrun At TEB |accessdate=2007-02-25 |work=aviationweek.com |url=http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_generic.jsp?channel=businessweekly&id=news/TEB11066.xml |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110709125053/http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_generic.jsp?channel=businessweekly&id=news/TEB11066.xml |archive-date=9 July 2011}} Similarly, in the 2006 New York City plane crash that killed New York Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle, the NTSB cited "inadequate judgment, planning and airmanship" in its probable cause determination.{{cite web |author1=The Associated Press |title=Lidle crash was pilot error |url=https://www.nydailynews.com/news/lidle-crash-pilot-error-article-1.253252 |website=New York Daily News |access-date=22 April 2023 |date=1 May 2007}}

For fighter pilots operating combat aircraft, failures in airmanship can be disastrous. For example, in the Tarnak Farm incident in Afghanistan, the pilot of a U.S. F-16 Fighting Falcon mistakenly targeted a {{convert|500|lb|kg}} laser-guided bomb on training Canadian troops in April 2003, killing four of them. A "failure of airmanship" was cited by Maurice Baril.{{cite web |date=2002-06-28 |title=Pilots blamed for 'friendly fire' deaths |accessdate=2007-03-01 |work=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/2073024.stm}}

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Category:Aircraft operations

Category:Aviation safety