Of course, as a pilot, you do not know fear! This is according to many, a reaction that has no place in the field of aviation. Is
this really the case or if, like many other drivers, it has happened a
few times you prefer you find elsewhere in the cockpit of your plane
because you have reached your personal limit or your device? Those of you who think that are just stories of children, do not waste your time to read the following lines. By cons, for those who are concerned, know that not only your reaction is normal but you can also be beneficial. Recognizing a feeling of fear that emerges and use it properly you will respect your limits and avoid a potential accident.
Fear is an emotion before a real danger. It involves a series of physiological responses designed to prepare your body to react promptly. Either
way, fear is essential and can, when used properly, to encourage you to
stay within your personal capabilities and avoid unduly expose yourself
to dangerous situations. Whatever
your level of experience, some situations you wake up in the alarm will
trigger reactions associated with fear or anxiety. The sequence of events will depend on what you make it. In
fact, your answer will vary greatly depending on the nature and
intensity of the "stressor" and the perception you have of the
situation. This
last point is important because your perception will depend on several
factors, including your personality (shy, getter, macho, etc..), Level
of experience, your physical and psychological health and your ability
to manage stress.
Unlike
the fear is caused by the presence of a real danger, anxiety is a
similar emotion but which arises from an apprehension in the absence of
real danger. Whether it's fear or anxiety, it is the intensity of the reaction directly affect your ability to drive. Thus,
at one end of the continuum is the intoxicating rush of adrenaline that
gives you a feeling of being on the "brinkmanship". Rather than paralyze you, the feeling you can be alert and attentive to respond appropriately to the environment. When
the "stressor" is a little more important, your attention is fully
absorbed by the source of stress (indicator light, engine running
poorly, etc..), Which causes tunnel vision and a loss of the overall
assessment of situation. At the other end of the continuum, the "stressor" is perceived as so threatening that it will cause a panic reaction. In such a situation, the driver is no longer able to think and act appropriately. When at its peak, such a reaction completely paralyzes the driver and reduces the chances of survival to near zero.
A variety of situations can arise during a flight and increase the stress level of the driver. But now, the stress is not psychologically. It can be physical or physiological. An example of a "stressor" is the physical flight in a hot cockpit, very noisy when there is heavy turbulence. A
few hours spent in such an environment and you may deplete your
reserves that would limit your ability to respond appropriately in an
unexpected situation. Physiological
"stressors" such as hypoxia, dehydration and fatigue will also have a
great influence on the assessment you make any unusual circumstances
that would result in you. The combination of these "stressors" should not be taken lightly. Imagine
after a 4 hour flight into IMC (fatigue) to 9,000 'in a no supplemental
oxygen and non-pressurized aircraft (hypoxia) you had planned to do a
visual approach to Quebec (CYQB). The
latest forecasts enroutes tell you that you need to make an instrument
approach due to a ceiling 600 'and visibility 2 SM (psychological
stress). At the initial contact, you are told that the approach service is the NDB 30. After
preparing your approach accordingly, we change the current approach to
the LOC (BC) 24 (workload) while you are only 10 NM from the airport. During
the approach, the controller asks for your intentions because at 1 NM
from the threshold of 24 you are still 2,500 '(unexpected situation). After
verification, you synthonisé the beacon rather than the Champlain
Quebec, which is why you were so high reaching the threshold. On the ascent, you ask a radar guidance to enable you to properly synthoniser all your frequencies and decrease your workload. Your
fuel reserves diminish greatly and you need to opt for the airport if
you do not land on the next approach (psychological stress). The
sum of all the "stressors" (physical, physiological and psychological)
facing the pilot could easily lead to a state of panic. The balance is precarious and any time our driver could end up on the losing side of the equation. But what makes a driver gets to keep his composure while another placed in a similar context, react with panic?
Taken individually, each "stressor" seem easily reconcilable and do not usually lead to catastrophic reaction in a pilot. The accumulation of these is comparable to the snow that piled up on a roof. Very clever that can predict when it will be overload and collapse. So
overload "stressors" (physical, physiological and psychological) is an
important element in the genesis of panic in the air but not the only
factor to consider. We can not ignore the vast contribution of what we call personal predisposition. Thus, all individuals do not react the same way to stress. Research has demonstrated that certain individuals are more susceptible to panic. These
individuals have a greater alertness (arousal), hyperresponsiveness to
stimuli and a slow adaptation to "stressors" repeated. In
addition, these individuals are susceptible to "false suffocation
alarm", that is to say, easy to feel chest tightness leading to the
hyperventillation "reflex" which is accompanied by a feeling of loss of
control . In
flight, a normal feeling of fear becomes quickly for these individuals
"predisposed" inordinate anxiety response can lead to disaster if it is
not managed properly. Personal
predisposition therefore explains part of the difference between the
drivers in terms of their potential response to "stressors." Despite
the possible identification of those individuals with tests, it should
certainly not believe that they should be systematically excluded from
flight in favor of more adventurous individuals. In
fact, regardless of the driver overload "stressors" that can lead to a
state of panic not only depends on the personal predisposition of a
pilot but also the fact that management of fear or the anxiety in a given situation.The
management of "stressors" refers to the ability of a driver to keep a
cool head in an emergency and is first and foremost a matter of
practice. A training which must be specific to the task envisaged and should be practiced on a regular basis. In
the previous example where our pilot had to land his aircraft in
instrument flight conditions after an exhausting flight, it is easier to
understand the meaning of a specific training for the task considered. Imagine
the result if a pilot had received his IFR training in a simulator or
in VFR weather conditions while another had received accumulating
several hours of actual IFR weather conditions (actual). Yet these two drivers have the same qualifications but not the same level of specific training. With which of the two drivers would you feel most comfortable to fly? If
this divergence training you appear huge, did you know that unless you
have a qualifying instrument flight for which a flight test is required
every two years, no evaluation of your flying skills will not be imposed
unless be a professional pilot or online. You
hesitate to board the aircraft of our driver who had his IFR training
in VFR conditions but you would not hesitate to take control of your
device even though you do not get trained specifically to practice your emergency measures for many years or practice other maneuvers are not solicited regularly! A lack of training or even a short time without flying can greatly reduce your ability. Even if you are legally competent, consider a flight check regularly with an instructor. Such specific training could save your life.
A specific proper training, while essential, does not mean that you will be invincible. You will also manage the largest number of variables that are under your control before your flight. Even
if you had an instrument rating but icing conditions are provided on
your route, adequate management will require that you bring changes to
your itinerary is either at the time of your flight. Avoiding
situations beyond your limits or your device will decrease your chances
of panic in the air and allow you to keep your energy to adequately
confront unexpected situations that are so common in flight. Also, know your physical and psychological limits and your personal requirement. Check the weather and call specialists of Flight Service Stations (FSS) before each flight. In short, put all the chances on your side to reduce to a minimum the "stressors" that you will face during your flight.
CONCLUSION
Fear
in flight is a normal response that prepares the body to react promptly
and encourage you to stay within your personal capabilities.Anxiety is similar to fear but fear is one that occurs in the absence of real danger.The intensity of the reaction to fear or anxiety may, if it is low, so you can respond with great vigilance. More intense, it will effect a tunnel vision and loss of overall assessment of the situation. At its peak, it will paralyze completely.The "stressors" that reduce your level of fear or anxiety can be physical, physiological or psychological.Some
individuals have a personal predisposition to panic characterized by
hypervigilance, hyper-and slow adaptation to "stressors" repeated.The management of "stressors" is first and foremost a matter of specific training for the task considered.Management
process also includes limiting "stressors" that you will be exposed
during a flight trying to control as many variables before and during
your flight.
