{"id":19039,"date":"2022-07-13T06:37:08","date_gmt":"2022-07-13T10:37:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ops.group\/blog\/?p=19039"},"modified":"2022-07-14T07:26:25","modified_gmt":"2022-07-14T11:26:25","slug":"go-arounds-arent-normal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ops.group\/blog\/go-arounds-arent-normal\/","title":{"rendered":"Go-Arounds Aren’t Normal"},"content":{"rendered":"

Go-arounds are often described as routine<\/em>. And the guiding principle is that we should be ready to execute them safely, accurately, and immediately on every approach, and without hesitation.<\/p>\n

It sounds good on<\/strong> paper<\/strong>, but this expectation is among a myriad of niceties we tell ourselves that all competent pilots have covered. And I\u2019m not sure I agree.<\/p>\n

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Rose tinted: “Go-arounds are normal, and we’re always ready and prepared for them!”<\/p><\/div>\n

For starters go-arounds aren\u2019t routine<\/em>. They\u2019re just not.<\/p>\n

We know this to be true. On average, a long-haul pilot will do one every five to ten years.<\/p>\n

Secondly there are the reasons behind them. Weather related go-arounds tend not to be the ones we\u2019re struggling with. Why? Here’s one suggestion –\u00a0 because when conditions are marginal, we are ready for it \u2013 we\u2019ve briefed it, we believe it may happen. Our brains are\u00a0primed\u00a0<\/em>for action.<\/p>\n

But what about when we\u2019re not expecting it – when we’re not primed? When the weather is good, the airplane is on rails and sign-off is within arm’s reach. Are we as prepared then? \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Incident histories are littered with go-arounds gone awry,<\/strong> and they often have a major trend in common \u2013 the crew weren\u2019t ready <\/em>for them. Because the reason for the go-around was unexpected, it wasn\u2019t routine<\/em>.<\/p>\n

And when we encounter a non-routine event, we become fallible to limitations that all pilots possess in times of surprise or emergencies. Enter our ‘inner ape.’ It’s hard to tame, so when we have an emergency we fall back on one particular mantra. Ape repellent, if you will – \u2018aviate, navigate, communicate.\u2019<\/strong> The idea is to break down an overwhelming situation into manageable chunks.<\/p>\n

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Poor little thing.<\/p><\/div>\n

So why then are we failing to apply the same idea to unexpected<\/em><\/span> go arounds?<\/p>\n

A healthy dose of ‘deer in headlights’ might be the answer. It’s no secret that when we are surprised, our brains stop<\/strong> for moment. It is hard wired into us from the days when we were running away from woolly mammoths.<\/p>\n

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Fight or flight is instinctive in all of us.<\/p><\/div>\n

Our instinct is to act now, and think later. And those big ol’ TOGA switches are a huge trigger. Once we push them, it’s on. We are bombarded with rapid fire mode changes, oodles of thrust, noise, configuration changes, high nose attitudes, and typically we’re going up faster than a fart in a bath.<\/p>\n

Our brains can switch into overload mode \u2013 there is too much information coming at us and too fast to stay ahead<\/strong> of the airplane, or even with it.<\/p>\n

Here’s a couple of scenarios to mull over – how would you manage your airplane?<\/p>\n