Airmanship
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Airmanship is skill and knowledge applied to
aerial navigation The basic principles of air navigation are identical to general navigation, which includes the process of planning, recording, and controlling the movement of a craft from one place to another. Successful air navigation involves piloting an air ...
, similar to
seamanship Seamanship is the art, knowledge and competence of operating a ship, boat or other craft on water. The'' Oxford Dictionary'' states that seamanship is "The skill, techniques, or practice of handling a ship or boat at sea." It involves topics a ...
in maritime navigation. Airmanship covers a broad range of desirable behaviors and abilities in an
aviator An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its Aircraft flight control system, directional flight controls. Some other aircrew, aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are al ...
. It is not simply a measure of skill or technique, but also a measure of a pilot’s awareness of the
aircraft An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air. It counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines ...
, the environment in which it operates, and of his\her own capabilities. :Airmanship is defined by the US FAA as: :*A sound acquaintance with the principles of flight, :*The ability to operate an airplane with competence and precision both on the ground and in the air, and :*The exercise of sound judgment that results in optimal operational safety and efficiency. The United Kingdom
Civil Aviation Authority A civil aviation authority (CAA) is a national or supranational statutory authority that oversees the regulation of civil aviation, including the maintenance of an aircraft register. Role Due to the inherent dangers in the use of flight vehicles, ...
describes airmanship as "a somewhat controversial and vague expression intended to convey a measure of understanding; experience; or, more succinctly, aviation 'common-sense'. What can be said is that 'Airmanship' is something gained from exposure to the experiences and sage advice of other aviators; properly thinking about and understanding the application of rules, procedures and airspace; and a healthy dose of self-preservation."Analysis of Airprox in UK Airspace. Report Number 29, January 2013 – December 2013

A review paper presented at a NATO research and training symposium on military aviation human factors defined airmanship as "a personal state that enables aircrew to exercise sound judgment, display uncompromising flight discipline and demonstrate skillful control of an aircraft and a situation. It is maintained by continuous self-improvement and a desire to perform optimally at all times." Combining modern academic and industry definitions, it's accepted now that airmanship is a multi-dimensional concept involving skilful control of an aircraft, making good decisions about the flight, and is tightly linked to flight discipline. The three fundamental principles of expert airmanship are skill, proficiency, and the discipline to apply them in a safe and efficient manner. Discipline is the foundation of airmanship. The complexity of the aviation environment demands a foundation of solid airmanship, and a healthy, positive approach to combating pilot error. The actions of Captain
Alfred C. Haynes Alfred Clair Haynes (August 31, 1931 – August 25, 2019) was an American airline pilot. He flew for United Airlines, and in 1989, came to international attention as the captain of United Airlines Flight 232, which crashed in Sioux City, Iowa aft ...
and the crew of
United Airlines Flight 232 United Airlines Flight 232 was a regularly scheduled United Airlines flight from Stapleton International Airport in Denver to O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, continuing to Philadelphia International Airport. On July 19, 1989, the DC ...
are often cited as an exemplar of good airmanship. They were able to maintain control of their crippled
McDonnell Douglas DC-10 The McDonnell Douglas DC-10 is an American trijet wide-body aircraft manufactured by McDonnell Douglas. The DC-10 was intended to succeed the DC-8 for long-range flights. It first flew on August 29, 1970; it was introduced on August 5, 1971, ...
, bringing it to a survivable "controlled crash" in
Sioux City, Iowa Sioux City () is a city in Woodbury and Plymouth counties in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 85,797 in the 2020 census, making it the fourth-largest city in Iowa. The bulk of the city is in Woodbury County, ...
, after a complete loss of all flight controls following an engine failure in July 1989. They did this by improvising a control scheme on the spot using differential engine thrust on the two working engines. Captain Haynes credited his
Crew Resource Management Crew resource management or cockpit resource management (CRM)Diehl, Alan (2013) "Air Safety Investigators: Using Science to Save Lives-One Crash at a Time." Xlibris Corporation. . http://www.prweb.com/releases/DrAlanDiehl/AirSafetyInvestigators/ ...
training as one of the key factors that saved his own life, and many others. The U.S.
National Transportation Safety Board The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is an independent U.S. government investigative agency responsible for civil transportation accident investigation. In this role, the NTSB investigates and reports on aviation accidents and incid ...
occasionally cites poor airmanship as a contributing factor in its determination of
probable cause In United States criminal law, probable cause is the standard by which police authorities have reason to obtain a warrant for the arrest of a suspected criminal or the issuing of a search warrant. There is no universally accepted definition or f ...
in
aviation accidents An aviation accident is defined by the Convention on International Civil Aviation Annex 13 as an occurrence associated with the operation of an aircraft, which takes place from the time any person boards the aircraft with the ''intention of fl ...
, although it is implicit in many of the
pilot error Pilot error generally refers to an Aviation accidents and incidents, accident in which an action or decision made by the Aircraft pilot#Airline, pilot was the cause or a contributing factor that led to the accident, but also includes the pi ...
causes it often uses. For example, in its report on the December 1, 1993, fatal crash of
Northwest Airlink Flight 5719 Northwest Airlink Flight 5719 was a flight from Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport to International Falls Airport in International Falls, Minnesota with a scheduled intermediate stop at Chisholm-Hibbing Airport in Hibbing, Minnesota. ...
, the NTSB determined the "failure of the company management to adequately address the previously identified deficiencies in airmanship" was a contributing factor. In a February 2, 2005
business jet A business jet, private jet, or bizjet is a jet aircraft designed for transporting small groups of people. Business jets may be adapted for other roles, such as the evacuation of casualties or express parcel deliveries, and some are used by pub ...
accident at
Teterboro Airport Teterboro Airport is a general aviation relief airport in the boroughs of Teterboro, Moonachie, and Hasbrouck Heights in Bergen County, New Jersey.weight and balance The center of gravity (CG) of an aircraft is the point over which the aircraft would balance. Its position is calculated after supporting the aircraft on at least two sets of weighing scales or load cells and noting the weight shown on each set o ...
before takeoff is "basic airmanship," a "Flying 101 type of thing." In a
2006 New York City plane crash On October 11, 2006, a Cirrus SR20 aircraft crashed into the Belaire Apartments in the Upper East Side of Manhattan, New York City, at about 2:42 p.m. EDT (18:42 UTC). The aircraft struck the north side of the building, causing a fire in ...
that killed
New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...
pitcher
Cory Lidle Cory Fulton Lidle (March 22, 1972 – October 11, 2006) was an American professional baseball player. A right-handed pitcher, Lidle played in Major League Baseball with the New York Mets, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Oakland Athletics, Toronto Blue Ja ...
, the NTSB cited "inadequate judgement, planning and airmanship" in its probable cause determination. The UK CAA cites "poor airmanship" as a factor in many
airprox A near miss, near hit or close call is an unplanned event that has the potential to cause, but does not actually result in human injury, environmental or equipment damage, or an interruption to normal operation. OSHA defines a near miss as an in ...
events. A "failure of airmanship" was also cited by
Maurice Baril Joseph Gérard Maurice Baril, (born September 22, 1943) is a retired General officer in the Canadian Forces, a Military Advisor to the United Nations Secretary-General & head of the Military Division of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations ...
, investigating the
Tarnak Farm incident The Tarnak Farm incident refers to the killing, by an American Air National Guard pilot, of four Canadian soldiers and the injury of eight others from the 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry Battle Group (3PPCLIBG) on the n ...
in Afghanistan, where the pilot of a U.S.
F-16 Fighting Falcon The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is a single-engine multirole fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force (USAF). Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it evolved into a successful ...
mistakenly targeted a
laser-guided bomb A laser-guided bomb (LGB) is a guided bomb that uses semi-active laser guidance to strike a designated target with greater accuracy than an unguided bomb. First developed by the United States during the Vietnam War, laser-guided bombs quickly p ...
on training Canadian troops in April 2003, killing four of them. Airmanship covers operation of the aircraft and all its systems, so in military usage, this includes the weapons systems of
combat aircraft A military aircraft is any fixed-wing or rotary-wing aircraft that is operated by a legal or insurrectionary armed service of any type. Military aircraft can be either combat or non-combat: * Combat aircraft are designed to destroy enemy equipm ...
.


References

{{reflist Aircraft operations Aviation safety