Silence is true wisdom’s best reply. — Euripides

It might seem odd to close an issue on aviation communications with a piece about the value of silence, but please hear me out (ahem).

You don’t have to be involved in aviation very long to learn the Aviate – Navigate – Communicate mantra. As we have often stressed in these pages, the sequence is important.  The first, last, and indeed constant priority is to fly the airplane (aviate). Second is to ensure that you aim the aircraft in a useful direction. Then, and only then, do you turn your attention to the task of communicating with those outside the confines of the cockpit. If you need a witty way to follow this precept, just remember that you should never drop the air- plane in order to pick up the microphone. Having a push-to-talk switch on the yoke doesn’t make this idea less valid: the method of launching a transmission doesn’t relieve your brain of the multitasking burden that communication imposes.

Patter Can Be Perilous

Let’s briefly review the perils of multitasking. Many states now have laws that prohibit texting-while-driving (truly a menace) and/or statutes that limit cellphone use to hands- free operation. After all, diverting your hands and your eyes to “dial” a number is just another form of texting. A psychologist acquaintance of mine, a pilot who has devoted his professional research to aviation safety matters, argues that hands-free requirements don’t go far enough. As he once put it to me — quite emphatically — the “movie screen” of the human mind can only show one thing at a time. If you are having a hands-free telephone conversation while you drive, you may think that since your eyes are still on the road, all is well. In fact, however, your attention is at least partially, if not mostly, allocated to the particulars of the phone conversation. Being thus distracted, you probably won’t react as quickly as you should to the constant changes and challenges inherent in driving.

It doesn’t take an extensive search to expose the myth of multitasking. As I reviewed some of the readily available literature on the subject, three elements struck me as being especially applicable to the aviation environment. First, multitasking reduces mental performance because each shift in attention imposes a “cognitive cost” that reduces brain resources and energy. Second, multi- tasking trains the brain to lose focus and makes it increasingly susceptible to distraction. Third, multitasking increases stress and anxiety by increasing the brain’s production of cortisol. Given that some pilots already find it stressful to talk on the radio, it’s not hard to see how an overloaded pilot could inadvertently let the “communicate” task push the far more critical “aviate” and “navigate” functions into the background.

Need a Moment?

Remember the “need a moment” candy bar commercial? It promotes the product by showing how some- one in a conversational bind buys time by biting into the chocolate and “thoughtfully” chewing. Since giving ATC the silent treatment for an extended time could increase the number of their transmissions and thus add to your stress, the Pilot/Controller Glossary offers a lovely phrase for those need-a-moment occasions: stand by. 

When you need to attend to the priority work of aviating or navigating, tell ATC to “stand by.” Used on both sides of the mic, this simple transmission quickly conveys two things: first, that the radio hasn’t malfunctioned and, second, that there is a need to prioritize other tasks.

As the flying season gets into full swing, we also urge you to take a moment to review all the basics of aviation communication presented this issue — you’ll be glad you did. (FAA Safety Briefing MayJun 2020)