On Staying Cool When Things Get Hot

You have possibly never heard of Harvard professor Walter Bradford Cannon — I confess I had not — but it’s a sure thing that every human being has at some point experienced the “fight-or-flight” response he first named in 1915. 

Just to get the definitions out of the way, the more formal names for fight-or-flight include “hyperarousal” and “acute stress response.” All of these terms describe a physiological reaction that occurs in response to a perceived threat or harm.

The Challenge: Fight-or-Flight Response

Given the nature of aviation, I venture to guess that every past and present pilot on the planet has experienced the fight-or-flight reaction — at least once! — while in actual flight above the earth. It could be that little hiccup you heard from the “hood” section of your aircraft. Or maybe it was the oil pressure gauge whose needle just dipped below the comforting green-is-good range … or the ammeter that is twitching in a very wrong direction. 

But mechanical glitches are not the only reason for those adrenaline surges common to the fight-or-flight condition. Maybe you find yourself flying VFR in weather that has developed into no-kidding instrument-meteorological conditions. You could have a sick passenger whose condition not only affects him or her, but also creates a potentially dangerous distraction from your duties as pilot-in-command. Or … okay, you get the idea. The possible causes of an aerial emergency are as varied as the number of aircraft and the pilots who fly them.

The Antidote: Keep Calm and Carry On

Given that infinite range, it’s not possible to have a set procedure for every single bad thing that could happen. Even if we did, the limits of human memory would keep us from knowing them all.

That’s not to say that pilots should not strive to constantly develop knowledge and regularly practice procedures to deal with some of the more common emergency scenarios. On the contrary, knowledge and skill are crucial, and you can never go wrong by striving to be mentally and physically prepared for the proverbial “anything.”

For any incipient or full-blown emergency, though, step one always has to be keeping your wits about you. There is simply no place on the flight deck for the fight-or-flight response to become a panic-stricken, freeze-or-flail flurry of unfocused activity.

In that connection, the direction to “keep calm and carry on” is, or should be, the first item on your emergency checklist. While globally popular now, this deft little phrase originated in Britain circa 1939. His Majesty’s Government had warned the populace to expect mass aerial attacks on major cities, and some clever bureaucrat (yes, they do exist!) came up with the now-famous phrase for placards and posters. As Wikipedia observes, the phrase is “evocative of the Victorian belief in British stoicism — the ‘stiff upper lip’ of self-discipline, fortitude, and remaining calm in adversity.”

Thankfully, you don’t have to be British or have Spock-like British stoicism to benefit from the advice to remain calm in adversity. In this emergency-focused issue of FAA Safety Briefing magazine, we’ll review tips for managing and mitigating the startle effect you have to quell in order to keep calm. In other articles, we will look at practical tips to help you carry on in a disciplined, orderly, and productive manner. Also, since the best way to avoid dealing with an emergency is to avoid having that emergency in the first place, we’ll offer some reminders on prevention of the most common (and most easily avoided) scenarios. So buckle up and join us as we keep calm and carry on through this vital topic.  (FAA Safety Briefing– SepOct 2019)