Opinion

SoaringNZ is pleased to accept letters from all readers and to reprint your opinions on all subjects. While we reserve the option of not printing material, generally it doesn’t matter what you have to say; if you want to say it, we’re happy to give it a wider audience. However, you have to be willing to put your name to your arguments/opinions/gripes and admiration. We have recently received a large A4 sized envelope containing a considerable amount of information on topics recently covered by the magazine. It both repudiates and corroborates recent articles. We can’t use any of it as it is not signed. We have no idea who sent it. We’re not even quite sure if the author actually likes us or not. You can email your opinions (preferred) or send them the old fashioned way. What matters however, to getting them printed, is that they must be signed.

Well done Arthur Gatland

I very much enjoyed Arthur’s series on Threat and Error Management, which was recently published in SoaringNZ. I could easily identify with what he had to say. However it was the opening statement that really grabbed my attention and stopped me from attempting to skim read it, as you can tend to do with such things. To me, this statement is worth repeating.

Quote – “Already I can see a number of pilots losing interest in this discussion – because this doesn’t apply to me – I’m experienced/ skilled/ smarter/an above average pilot [delete where applicable] and I don’t make mistakes.” Neuseeland Anzeige:Layout 1 29.06.09 07:57 Seite 3

If you believe this of yourself, then you can replace those descriptions with “arrogant/overconfident/unrealistic /unaware (delete where applicable).” If I’d stopped reading I would have automatically placed myself into the arrogant/overconfident league. And that thought shocked me.

The use of such a tool (TEM) within professional flying environments is not new. However, virtually all other documented safety structures and ideas are generally based on general aviation, and gliding is never really mentioned in these references. We all tend to grasp these words of wisdom and somehow try to make them fit our own, very unique, flying environment. This was certainly not one of those articles. Arthur has shown us very clearly how to use this type of tool, with scenarios in the areas of our operations that we are all only too familiar with. We can easily identify with the examples, but rather than just accept what may be happening, we can truly identify the potential threat and better manage the situation.

Threat and Error Management – it should be part of what we do. Roger Brown Piako Gliding Club

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