Back to Basics – Look up and land!
Many years back I was getting an instrument rating added to my pilot certificate. Part of the fun was a training exercise that was supposed to help us learn to make a quick assessment of the situation, make clear decisions, all in the hopes of enjoying success… a good landing. (Especially one where we could reuse the aircraft!)
We would fly an approach to the airport with the view outside the plane obscured in some way. Total focus on the instrument panel in front of us. Who knew it was such hard work to keep all the needles and such in the proper positions!
Then, when just a few hundred feet above the ground, simulating that we just broke out of the clouds, the always gracious instructor would remove the view limiting device and say, “Look up and land!”
The mental transition from total focus on the details in front of us… our little world… to the much bigger and of growing importance (with every foot of descent!) situation around us, was interesting to say the least. What began as tiny corrections of the controls to follow the track became a flailing of throttle adjustments, flap settings, and snap judgements to touch down somewhat smoothly.
Of course, there were many instances where the approach was flown perfectly, but the position we’d find ourselves in above the runway did not lend itself to a safe landing. So, it was throttle up, gear up, flaps up in increments, and back into the soup to try again.
The goal did not change… it was always to land the airplane. What changed were my tactics… they had to rapidly morph from the theoretical to the practical. All that data input early in the approach was invaluable to keep the dirty side down and generally stay headed in the right direction. But, in the end, all that data and the interpretation thereof did not make the landing any better. That was up to me and experience to “do something.”
Same is true with all the data analysis and interpretation that we do to manage equipment and other assets. Vast amounts of data are available, and we do a rather good job of convincing ourselves that we are on the right track. Small adjustments here and there. Needles stay in the green.
Then the booming voice breaks our concentration saying, “Look up and do something truly important!” The proof of the value of all this headwork is the reality of achieving the actual goal. Have equipment failures really been reduced or averted? Is the equipment really performing its purpose? Is the oil analysis really showing that our efforts are having an impact? Does the product feel like the quality has improved? Is the customer truly happy?
Yes, it is true that we’ve had “auto-land” technology for many years. No real need to do anything, just set the dials and watch the tech do the rest. And, over time we come to rely upon the tech to do things for us… until it doesn’t. Results of that situation is usually not good.
So, work hard to fly that stable approach based upon the data you have. Use all that data and whatever else is available to you to keep those needles in the green. But, be prepared well in advance of the necessity to take control those last few feet and grease that landing. Look up and make it happen!