According to Singapore's "Lianhe Zaobao" reported on the 16th, with the gradual opening of air ports and the increase in flights, pilots who returned to the cockpit after a period of vacation were frequently mistaken. In the United States alone, pilots have secretly reported dozens of operational errors over the past few months.
An airline pilot forgot to start the plane's second engine during takeoff, but fortunately he stopped the takeoff in time to avoid a disaster. Another pilot, who had been out of work for seven months, suddenly realized that he had not lowered his wheels and urgently climbed 240 meters above the ground. Another pilot, who returned to the cockpit for the first time in more than six months, flew in the wrong direction after takeoff.
Data on dozens of operational errors secretly declared by pilots is stored in a database designed to identify emerging security threats. The Federal Aviation Administration-funded surveillance program has been around for decades, but the data is now sending warning signs as planes around the world return to altitude.
Consultancy Oliver Wyman points out that the sharp layoffs at airlines have led to a significant reduction in flight time or long vacations for some 100,000 pilots worldwide. Many people have not flown for more than a year and a half. As vaccination rates have risen and people have been able to resume travel, there is growing concern that pilots' lack of skill, confidence or momentary forgetfulness could lead to tragedy.
Uvi Hart, pilot of The Lufthansa's Airbus SE A380 aircraft, said: "It's really critical ... The last thing the industry wants is a serious accident. He is also executive vice president of the International Federation of Aviation Pilots Associations responsible for technical and safety standards.
Hart said that while some airlines offer enough retraining for pilots, others offer only "minimal" re-flight training. He himself has not flown since February 2020. "Our rules are not enough."
Aviation industry surveillance authorities are also concerned about these phenomena. The international civil aviation organization and the international air transport association that set industry standards have been aware of the dangers that have emerged in these months. Both agencies, as well as Europe's largest aviation regulator, have issued detailed training guidelines to assist airline pilots in making a smooth transition back to altitude.
But interviews with pilots and databases of anonymous accounts show that pilots returning to work, including those who have completed their retraining programs, have mixed abilities and confidence. This is partly because even no amount of classroom or virtual theory, or practice in a flight simulator, can replicate the real-world pressures of the cockpit. Nor did these preparations adequately take into account the psychological, emotional and economic stress caused by the pandemic on aircrews.
Some pilots who returned to work reported a loss of memory that had helped them smoothly follow procedures in the cockpit. Some people worry about whether they can deal with it with a clear mind once they encounter a crisis at a high altitude.
One pilot admitted that colleagues who hadn't flown for half a year sometimes forgot to enter data into the computer at the right time or landed unevenly. Even after completing the flight simulator training, what was once a direct and instinctive action requires more time and thinking to be able to perform.
Source: China News Network