Introduction
The airline industry is perhaps best known for its strict, well-knit operations, which make it the safest mode of transport. This industry’s push to make flights safer and more efficient resulted in the establishment of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). SOPs are established directives dictating how the crew should go about their roles and responsibilities in different settings. Today these guidelines have been made to cover all possible scenarios and are laid out in easy-to-follow formats. Human error still remains as the biggest cause of airline incidents and accidents and a close examination shows that it is largely because of failure to adhere to SOPs, or in other words, indiscipline. Pilot indiscipline results in an unwarranted risk to the crew and passengers and exposes the airline to huge financial losses.
What are Standard Operating Procedures?
Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are a specific set of directives that describe the step-by-step procedure that must be followed to correctly perform a given activity. They are in place to make sure tasks are performed consistently in the same way by different people. In airlines, they are a set of procedures that dictate how different responsibilities are to be carried out and procedures cover every aspect of flight deck activities, with accommodation for normal, abnormal, and emergency situations. SOPs are often written in handbooks and checklists, but pilots are required to perform crucial actions from memory and only refer to the written material for confirmation.
These procedures have different roles, which are: to enhance operational safety and efficiency, promote adherence to the manufacturer’s operating philosophy, allow different pilots to fly together easily, and use aircraft resources appropriately. The two types are those published by the manufacturer and those custom-made for flying organizations. Manufacturers publish SOPs with the intention of showing their flight deck operating and design philosophy, promoting optimum use of the craft’s features and design, and much more. Organizations can also adapt manufacturer SOPs and customize them to its operating procedures.
Standard Operating Procedures and Discipline
Airplane pilot’s adherence to SOP’s is very crucial to avoid airline accidents. Discipline in the airline’s context means behaving in a way that is in line with established rules of conduct. Indiscipline is therefore acting contrary to what is expected. Various factors cause this lack of adherence, including overconfidence, complacency, distractions, insufficient vigilance, or even corporate culture. Airplane accidents can, however, result when the pilot is faced with circumstances outside what is documented in standard operating procedures and manuals. It is in these cases that airmanship has been the difference between a negative and positive outcome. This is because ingenuity and adjusting to a situation may be what is required. This incidents are minor, however, in comparison to incidents resulting from lack of adherence to SOP’s. According to the Flight Safety Foundation, discipline can be instilled via training that emphasizes self-control, character, and positive attitudes that promote safe operations. The disciplined pilot is faced with the challenge of identifying and following the proper procedure in every instance. The pilot should also carefully consider changes of procedures before implementation because 80% of airline accidents result from human error.
Attitude, Discipline and Accidents
There is a direct link between a pilot’s attitude and discipline. The attitude here means a state of mind or set of beliefs that can potentially affect performance. Attitudes can have a positive, negative, or neutral effect on how well a given task is performed (Flight Safety Foundation, 2021). Negative attitudes are highly consequential in aviation and should be shunned as much as possible. Some attitudes like machismo, complacency, resignation, and individualism have been shown to make accidents more likely. Lack of trust increases operational risk making this trait very important. Despite trust, team members should always check whether a specific action, decision, or proposal is appropriate for the particular situation. Everyone should trust each other but verify everything, which is good discipline. Positive attitudes lead to self-discipline and crew discipline in the craft. Honesty, openness, and other traits in action and thought to create trust, which increases confidence, efficiency, and accuracy. Airlines creating and maintaining positive attitudes among staff reduces frustration in the workforce and the likelihood of accidents. The management should create policies that allow for pilot feedback and procedure modification when they do not work as needed.
Discussion
Various airline authorities and organizations demand that aircraft operations be conducted in a manner that is in line with manufacturer manuals, directives and limitations and local and national laws. They also demand that crews in these crafts have to conduct their duties with sound and conservative judgment, with safety transportation being the top priority. The reason for this demand is that most aviation accidents can be traced to deficiencies in SOPs. One of the most common reasons for these deficiencies is crew non-compliance to established courses of action and their non-existence in plane manuals despite these SOPs being globally recognized as key to air safety.. As much as they are globally recognized as key to safe aviation operations, accidents and incidents continue to take place as a straight result of, or associated with, negligence by the flight crew to adhere to SOPs, particularly during condemnatory phases of flight (Filipowski, 2017). It should be remembered that standard procedures are based on experience. If there is reason to modify an actual procedure, careful deliberation must be given to ensure that unforeseen up-shots do not occur. The reason for this is that these procedures are written to ensure success in emergency situations that may occur.
With time, standard operating procedures have been designed to incorporate any improvements that will see a reduction of accidents and also foster good aviation in the process. SOP designs are made in order to cover normal and non-normal flight operations. For instance, these designs might be used to instruct the pilot on the right time to take off whilst also dictating how to respond in case there is a problem like engine failure. One important consideration when it comes to SOP designs is that it shouldn’t be made with a lot of details as these contribute to mental exhaustion when the flight crew is needed to think as a result of an impending critical situation. They should also not be shallow since it might lead to reluctance from the flight crew as there will be many options to choose from. Suppose a pilot isn’t adhering to SOPs, he/ she can be challenged to a duel of thoughts by another pilot with the same skills. However, there are occasions when a pilot is allowed to follow his or her own instincts despite having knowledge of the laid down SOPs. These mostly happen in cases of abnormal situations and accidents like a cabin fires. Instructors and educators should ensure they do not allow relaxed adherence and the use of established SOPs to discourage deviations in practice.
Different manufacturers have different SOPs and it’s always upon the pilot to work and implement them effectively. The SOPs are mainly designed to ensure effective work from the specific designs of the aircraft. Secondly, manufacturers use those procedures to show the levels of effectiveness from their cockpit designs. For a new plane model to operate easily, it’s up to the manufacturing companies to ensure that the crafts SOP reflect their previous models. Initial feedback is normally considered critical in SOP training and lines of operation that will prevent accidents from happening. Sometimes if necessary, airlines can deviate from the SOPs provided by the manufacturing companies. For such changes to occur, it is vital for the airline in question to always consult and agree with the manufacturing company to avoid misunderstandings and lawsuits.
Proper SOP adherence promotes
- Consistency: SOPs act as an essential tool in achieving consistency since it provides the flight crew with detailed standardized guidelines of performance. When a flight crew is consistent, it means there will be different ways of tackling any problem in case one arises. With innovations in different airline models, SOPs are crucial in achieving consistency and bringing out competent flight crews.
- Improved safety and quality assurance: With consistency in execution of tasks, the pilot and the crew will always be aware of what is needed of them and in return, there will be good results at any given stage when it comes to handling flight tasks. This will not only prove flight safety, but also means profits since everybody loves an airline that they can trust.
- Measuring employee performance: Good SOPs allow the board to vet and hire new staff if any is needed, instead of the operational authority going around instilling fear, standard operating procedures can act as one of the best tools of training for the new and current crew members since it acts as a constant reminder of what is expected by both the company and passengers.
- Knowledge retention skills: For instance, if a manufacturing company has digital SOPs, it means there is a high level of credibility since knowledge in the procedures is easily accessible and secure. In addition, digitalization offers room for future reference since the rules and guidelines in the SOP can always be accessed by the next generation of workers in any given airline.
- Simplified audits: since they give insight into the overall performance of the company. In addition, the procedures also give room for future changes in case a company decides to change its standard operating procedures. When the SOPs are reviewed with diligence, an airline and its crew also improve since, in case of any problems, there will be proof of evidence from the audits in the current company’s trend.
Conclusion
The main reason why employees are disciplined is to reinforce, correct and prevent the recurrence of a problem. When there is indiscipline among employees, there are high chances of things going south while working. For airlines, there is no better way of ensuring productivity than by the use of standard operating procedures. Unlike other fields, nothing matters more than a crew that is disciplined since here; we’re referring to the safety of the hundreds aboard. More often than not, SOPs will always be a proper tool for instilling good morals in any crew member. If an employee is struggling because of indiscipline, he or she is jeopardizing the company’s name and overall performance. So, for health and safety measures, the crew is always advised to follow the laid down SOPs and only act on personal judgment when called upon.
References
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