August 6, 2014 - Imagine that you are a pilot on a routine flight from Chicago to New York, somewhere over Lake Erie. Suddenly, you get a call from the flight attendant complaining about the smell of smoke in the cabin. At the same time, you receive a cargo fire warning indication. That’s the scenario Capt. Frank Cheeseman (UAL), ALPA’s Human Factors and Training Group chairman, posed for panelists to explore in a Wednesday afternoon presentation titled, “Responding to the Emergency—Using All of the Tools.”

First Officer Helena Reidemar (DAL), ALPA’s director of Human Factors, examined the physiological aspects of the startle reflex, noting that it slows reaction time and may delay a pilot’s operational reengagement. She referred to an FAA simulator study in 2013, which examined human factors challenges with smoke/fire events. Reidemar said that you can’t train away a reflex. However, she noted that police SWAT teams instruct their members to conduct a series of deep belly breaths before stressful events to help mitigate physiological responses.

Dr. Barbara Burian, a research psychologist with the NASA Ames Research Center, referred to a study of 15 accidents involving inflight fires, indicating that crews have an average of 17 minutes to respond. Burian noted that the ensuing stress can lead to fixation, difficulties in prioritizing, and decreases in working memory capacity. The researcher noted that flight attendants can be a valuable source of information in this environment. Dispatch and air traffic control can also play important roles. Burian pointed to a special set of procedures developed by Eurocontrol for aircraft emergencies to provide cockpit crews with the support they need.

One in every 10 airline flights doesn’t operate as it was planned, observed Capt. Dave McKenney (UAL), ALPA’s director of Pilot Training Programs. The co-chair of the PARC/CAST Flight Deck Automation Working Group, McKenney reviewed several of the group’s findings for preparing pilots to better respond to adverse situations. “We can’t train for every scenario,” he said, adding, “We need to train like we fly, and fly like we train.” To accomplish this, pilot preparation needs to include realistic scenario-based training and improved training methodologies.

Capt. Chris Reed (JBU), Advanced Qualification Program manager for his airline, asked the question, “What can training do to fill the pilots’ tool kit?” All of the stakeholders in the training community need to help pilots develop the core skills to handle adverse situations. Pilot training needs to include three things: the development of flight path management, or successful flight monitoring skills; use of crew resource management, or threat and error management skills; and strategies for dealing with basic non-normal processes. “It’s all about the core skills,” he said.

All of the panel discussions from Wednesday’s session of the ALPA Air Safety Forum were uniquely sequenced to represent actions taken by a flight crew to address an onboard crisis and safely land the aircraft. From a main deck lithium battery fire, to smoke in the cockpit, to using all the available tools, to landing the distressed airliner, panelists explored the many dynamics that make aviation the world’s safest mode of transportation.