Becoming a pilot is about more than training and building flying skills. When you think
of the skills a pilot should have, you probably think about skills specific to flying the plane,
like the skills needed to take off, land, or handle emergencies if they come up. Obviously,
these are “hard skills” that every pilot needs to know. But just like any other job, there are also
many “soft skills” that pilots should have. These may or may not be addressed in pilot training, and
they are things most people would consider talents or pilot personality traits. Beyond the technical
abilities required, pilots must also develop a balance of leadership skills, discipline, critical
thinking skills, and a proper attitude. And while no two pilots are exactly the same, several
qualities are common among successful pilots, and you must have them to be successful in flying.
Welcome to this Episode of Dwayne’s Aviation, a Wiseman once said,
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Number one is Situational Awareness Situational awareness means appreciating
everything that is going on throughout flying, controlling, and maintaining an aircraft. You
must learn to have a mental picture of the location, flight conditions, configuration,
and energy state of your aircraft, as well as any other factors that could affect your safety.
Inadequate situational awareness, could result in spatial disorientation,
loss of control, airspace infringement, on the worst-case scenario, it can lead to a crash.
There are a few things in aviation that require visualizing a situation in your mind’s eye.
These are not things that you can physically see. Sometimes, you’re hearing a situation on the
radio and trying to imagine how it might affect you. Uncontrolled airports are a good example.
At airports without control towers, pilots call to one another and announce their positions and
intentions. All other pilots who hear the call have to imagine where they are, where they’re
going to be, where the other guy is, and where the other guy will be. From all of that, you need to
figure out if there’s going to be a problem or not. Also, you need to be able to visualize what
your instruments are telling you. Some instruments are abstract in their representations of reality.
For example, navigation equipment may only display a course line.
Number two is decisiveness & quick-thinking skills In reality, pressure-adding factors like heavy
turbulence can make decision-making challenging for pilots. When pilots encounter obstacles or
emergencies, a checklist is used, containing the specific procedures to follow to overcome
the situation. However, not all parts of the emergency checklist explicitly state
the actions that a pilot needs to perform. It’s not all-encompassing. So, you have to always keep
a cool head despite knowing that making the wrong decision can result in a fatal outcome.
You not only have to consistently make the right decision but also have to make your
mind up quickly and decide fast, because most emergencies only give you few seconds to act.
Most of the time there is not one single right decision, so you are required to make
sound judgments to make the best possible decision for that particular circumstance.
The number three skill you must have as a successful pilot
is The Desire to Know How Things Work A great deal of pilot training involves learning
the inner workings of the plane and its engine. If you like to take things apart and learn what makes
them work, you’re in luck. But if you’re the sort of person who turns the key of their car every
morning and only knows that some magic happens, you’re going to be in for a long trek. Everyone
has some subject that they aren’t great at, be it math or science or grammar. Becoming a pilot
involves learning skills and knowledge from many different disciplines. But pilots don’t have the
luxury of saying, “I’m not good at this or that. As a pilot, you need to find a way to
be good at everything about flying. The most successful people at this are those that are
naturally curious. They might not grasp all of the intricacies of aerodynamics or how reciprocating
engines work, but they are interested enough to understand the significant parts. Many aviation
enthusiasts can identify the difference between a Boeing 737 and an Airbus A320 from miles away.
This is hardly an airline pilot skill of much importance. But having this skill, or something
like it, shows a passion for aviation. And it’s an indicator of a “pilot personality”. There are
no limits to where you can go with a passion for something and a desire to learn about it.
Number four is Knowing When to Break the Rules Pilots have a strict set of rules to follow,
laid out by regulating bodies, these rules are all meant to promote flight safety.
But what happens in the case of an emergency? There are many dangers that flying poses. For
example, pilots that routinely fly at low levels experience the threat of mountainous terrain,
bridges, trees, transmission towers, power lines, and other dangerous obstacles. Whilst following
the rules is ideal, breaking them is sometimes the better option, where safety is concerned.
For example, a pilot may bust an ATC clearance or company protocol because an urgent situation
requires them to. In other words, you can’t be too rigid as a pilot. It’s a role that requires
a high level of flexibility and thinking as well as following the protocols outlined.
Number 5 is Self-confidence Too much confidence can develop into arrogance,
but too little confidence is even more dangerous. For example, a pilot who lacks self-confidence may
second-guess their decisions, which in turn hinders their ability to handle in-flight
emergencies. Pilots must have a great level of confidence in their skills and trust their
own decisions to be successful. Many pilots go from timid student to over-confident ‘expert’,
so try to keep yourself in check. Be warned that aviation has a habit of bringing cocky
pilots back down to earth. How would you respond to low-fuel events, weather scares, or sometimes
worse? How you deal with these occurrences and re-adjust your mindset defines you as a pilot.
Some people will promptly walk away from flying, forever scared to fly solo again.
Others will continue but feel uncomfortable with the responsibility that comes along with a pilot
certificate. But those most mentally ‘equipped’ for flying will continue,
but with more maturity than before. If you’ve never experienced overconfidence as a pilot,
then that’s great. You don’t want to get ahead of yourself. You’re looking to find
that middle ground, where you’re extremely well-disciplined, respect the risks involved,
acknowledge your limitations, but still enjoy and embrace the challenge of being a pilot.
You might hear advice such as “fly conservatively.” That’s OK for a fresh student
pilot, but a formula that’s far too simplistic for pilots regularly flying light aircraft.
A conservative mindset can quickly turn into a timid one.
As a pilot, you have to remain confident in your abilities and fully committed to
flying in the safest possible way, despite the potential difficulties you may face.
Number 6 is Leadership Although leadership is both an inherent
personal quality and a learned set of skills. As a Pilot, you must understand both the elements of
effective leadership and the consequences of poor leadership. To achieve leadership, you need to
manage your cockpit effectively, no pilot starts in the left seat of a Boeing or Airbus. The truth
is, pilots start their careers doing something more challenging than what the professionals do,
flying the jumbo jets is practically easier than your little Cessna.
Now you might want to start wondering why they teach you the hardest ones first.
The Pilot leads their crew, in commercial flights, there are usually more than two pilots involved,
a cabin crew, even paramedics. But aircraft can only have one leader: The Captain. Therefore,
it’s essential that pilots set the tone for the flight by creating an atmosphere of safety,
as well as commitment & passion for the role. You must boldly lead the crew towards success in any
moment of crisis. Importantly, leadership hinges on respect.
A team will only instinctively follow commands if they recognize and respect that
the leader improves their chances of safety & success. This naturally comes with time.
Number 7 is Clear Communication Skills Even though clear communication skills
help in almost any job, it matters more than anything for pilots. In fact,
incorrect or incomplete pilot-controller communication is a factor in around 80
percent of flight incidents or accidents. In aviation communication is everything,
accurate ATC instructions such as radar vectors, weather, traffic information, or advice in
emergencies must be properly communicated to ensure both flight & landing safety.
Pilots need to communicate in many ways, both during flight training and throughout their
careers. They communicate with mechanics and ground support teams on the ground, the result
of poor communication in aviation is devastating, as a pilot, you should never underestimate this.
Number 8 is Team-Working Skills Communication and team-working skills go
hand in hand. In aviation, studies have shown that a significant portion of accidents was caused by a
breakdown in teamwork, where crew members were working as individuals rather than as a team.
As an airline pilot, you have to be able to work within a cohesive team. You must always
work closely with other pilots on the flight deck, as well as with air traffic controllers and flight
dispatchers. You need to be able to coordinate actions and provide clear and honest feedback.
Years of aviation have shown us that hierarchies in airlines should always remain relatively flat,
where communication flows freely despite rank. There shouldn’t be a stigma associated
with observing and reporting a discrepancy from a superior rank.
Communication and cross-checking of each other’s work throughout the team have
always had a positive effect on the level of flight safety, and this is partly responsible
for making the airline industry one of the safest of the high-risk industries.
Number 9 is The Ability to Remain Calm Honestly, it can take years of practice to apply
one simple rule: don’t panic. This often involves shifting or muting our personality traits.
When we panic our mind races, and it clouds our judgment, Rational decisions become even harder to
make, and poor decisions or indecisiveness have a detrimental impact on our performance as a pilot.
Pilots are trained to remain calm and to deal with abnormalities or emergencies in accordance with
their training. Flight training is intense and intended to stress out student pilots.
This makes sure you are confident enough to make sound decisions and execute tasks
and checklists under pressure. If remaining calm under pressure doesn’t come naturally,
you can still succeed as a pilot with enough practice and persistence.
So as a pilot, you must always be able to remain calm and collected, especially in emergencies.
Even when the unexpected occurs, you must think clearly and stay focused on flying the plane.
Last but not the least, always be Honest with Yourself
The best pilots have confidence, but they also recognize the value of humility. Humble pilots
know that no matter how well-trained or naturally talented they may be, there’s always room for
improvement. Always be willing to admit your mistakes and seek guidance or advice from more
experienced pilots to improve your flying skills. When learning to fly, being honest with yourself
means analyzing how a lesson went and recognizing your weaknesses. It might mean that you need to
study more or practice more. But this skill doesn’t end when you get your license.
Self-reflection may be the one skill that sets a great pilot apart from all the rest. You can
review what you did, learn from it on your own, and make a plan of how you are going to do it
better next time. Even when things went well, there’s always something that can be improved on.
Always keep learning, pick up new skills, and to keep getting better,
don’t ever feel you know it all. It can come in the form of getting new licenses or ratings or
just keeping up to date on the latest trends and planes. Good pilots never stop learning.
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