Mark,

 

I agree, you can't teach judgment.

 

I have a computer training program from King Schools called, "Practical Risk Management."  John King says that traditional pilot training emphasizes "pilot skills," not "pilot judgment."  We learn about cloud types, cold fronts, wind shear, and cloud clearances; but pilot training seems to skip how we should interpret the data and what we should do about it.

 

John King also referred to us pilots as "goal oriented."  We want to complete what we start; we want to execute the plan.  Admitting that our "baby," that we spent several years and some serious $$$ building; or our personal piloting skills are not up to the task is admitting "failure" to our friends and family.  That's not the way we are wired.

 

Rarely the pilots we lose are known to be "wild and crazy."  They are just like me, careful, thorough, trained.  But we are all human.  Teaching us to recognize our ability to do something stupid is a challenge.

 

Airline pilots when flying for the airlines are very safe, about 50 times safer that the GA fleet.  But ATP's in GA airplanes aren't much better than private pilots.  Why?  Because their attitude towards risk taking is vastly different.  Airlines have procedures, minimums, etc. that take most of the decision making away from the guy in the left seat.  And, with a couple hundred people in the cabin behind them they are much more likely to take the safe and conservative choice.  Like you said Mark, it's judgment, not skill, that gets us in trouble.

 

I have done a couple things over the years that broke my personal rules, but I got away with it.  I bet some of our lost pilots could tell (brag) about times that they made the conservative choice, and how they will never put themselves in a dangerous situation.  We are all one or two bad choices from the NTSB database.

 

Mike Easley

Colorado Springs