Every flight, crew performance directly affects the safety of hundreds of passengers.
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Therefore, aviation focuses heavily on human performance training.
We believe human performance training is valuable for everyone who works in team formation…
Almost no mode of transportation is safer than an airplane, despite the complexity of its operations. Every day, countless airline crew work closely together in teams to prepare and execute a flight in a short timeframe under dynamic conditions.
For decades, Crew Resource Management (CRM) has been a growing pillar in commercial aviation. It encompasses knowledge and skills and attitudes related to leadership and teamwork, communication, self-awareness, managing errors and hazards, decision-making, stress management, reporting, and other human factors.
CRM training has become a cornerstone in aviation training and operation, but is not a stand-alone system, it’s embedded seamlessly into technical training, simulator sessions, organizational culture, and cross-department collaboration.
CRM is not the holy grail, but indespensable in all teamwork.
People and organisations
As the name suggests, an organisation is organic, with a unique DNA, culture, vision, and character. The difference between success and failure depends on many different factors.
Besides possessing a unique commercial selling point, a well-thought-out vision, and a dynamic character, success is determined by what lives within the organization: its people.
People make the difference, in strengths and weaknesses. Depending on their position in the organization, the positive or negative consequences of this are large or small, immediate or delayed. The policies of senior management will have a greater impact in the long term.
People in organizations work in teams, with procedures, devices, and software within their own culture.
All these interactions are optimized and streamlined as much as possible, but any line can experience disruptions or noise that reduce efficiency.
It’s all human…
I have been giving speeches to passengers every day for years. Only recently did a native French-speaking colleague point out that I had been talking nonsense because of a bad translation. I was very grateful, but it made me wonder: why did nobody tell me before?
Team members often find it difficult to speak up to someone in authority, even though doing so can improve the quality of the work.
This is an example of human factor we focus on.
On January 15, 2009, US Airways Flight 1549, under the command of Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, ditched in the Hudson River after a sudden and complete loss of both engines—a scenario for which he had never specifically trained.
How did he arrive at that decision? In hindsight, simulations suggested that a glide to an airport might theoretically have been possible.
However, under extreme time pressure and with very limited options, the crew had seconds to decide: attempt a controlled water landing, or try to reach an airport over a densely populated area with no guarantee of success.
We train decision-making, under stress and time pressure. Luckily, often less extreme.
I forgot to perform a landing checklist, a critical safety net a while ago. Even the first officer didn’t realize it. When you take your job serious, you address, discuss and report it. So it happened, with a big thank you from the organization. Nice to work in a just culture environment.
We help you to set up a proper safety culture. All companies should have it.
Organizations and regulators excel at creating rules and procedures. However, the greater the distance from the shop floor, the more difficult it becomes for operators to apply them in practice. This gap should be recognized—and actively reduced.
Procedures constantly change in aviation, to adapt to the dynamic reality.
Work like you train and train how you work. We can help you.
Airlines explicitly state that commanders may deviate from rules and procedures when safety demands it. Procedures cannot cover every conceivable real-life situation.
Train and trust your team, and empower them with the necessary mandate.
Countless incidents are caused lack of communication. Encourage everyone to speak up, especially if in doubt. Do not assume.
We train all aspects of communication using examples, scenarios, and exercises.