Hazardous Attitudes in Aviation

Figure 1:This could be seen as the "Macho" Attitude

Introduction:

Part of why aviation is such as safe industry is because it holds itself to high standards of safety and processes. Sometimes, a persons mental state or attitude can hinder this safety environment. In aviation safety guides, there are five hazardous attitudes that are outlines; Anti-authority, impulsivity, invulnerability, macho, and resignation. These attitudes can lead to dangerous situations, each in their own way, and should be monitored for and avoided whenever possible. In this blog we will be going over what each of the five hazardous attitudes are, and what a pilot or operator can do to reduce them.

Figure 2: Anti-Authority

The Five Attitudes:

As stated above the first of these attitudes is Anti-Authority or being opposed or hostile towards authority in a situation. This can be dangerous for many reasons, such as ignoring instructions from a superior, not listening to ATC, etc etc. While someone with an anti-authority attitude may think that they don't want to be told what to do, a remedy for this attitude, is to remember that the rules are they for a reason and they are usually right.

Figure 3: Implulsivity

The next attitude is impulsivity, or the tendency to act on ones whims. Someone with this attitude will do things quickly, without taking the time to consider everything. This can be dangerous because it can lead to steps being missed, which can lead to unsafe situations. The remedy for impulsivity is very simple: Slow down. Taking the time to think through situations and double check yourself may slow down your process, but it will make sure that you don't miss anything, which will make sure you stay safe.

Figure 4: An aircraft in a high risk maneuver

The third attitude is Invulnerability, or thinking that nothing bad can happen to you because nothing has gone wrong in the past. Someone with this attitude may take unnecessary risks or become relaxed with their procedures. This usually comes about when someone has been doing what they are currently doing for a long time, and they think that if they have not messed up before, that they won't mess up now. This can be dangerous because it can lead to the operator becoming lax in their procedures or doing risky maneuvers, which can lead to dangerous situations or accidents.  The remedy for this attitude is remembering that things can go wrong for you even if you haven't had anything go wrong in the past.

The fourth hazardous attitude is Macho or thinking that you can do anything, or taking chances. This attitude is characteristic of boastful nature or showing off. It has some of the same problems of Impulsivity and invulnerability, where you take unnecessary risk to show off or prove yourself. This is dangerous as a pilot can get in over their head and possibly make a serious mistake or worse. The Remedy for this attitude is to remind yourself that taking chances in the aviation environment is not a good idea, and that you should not be overly prideful.

Figure 5: Quitting 

The fifth and last attitude is resignation, or giving up when things seem bad or feeling helpless. This can happen when unexpected stressful stimuli appears, or when something goes wrong. By giving up you can make the situation worse, instead of trying to remedy it. The solution for this attitude is to remind yourself that it is never hopeless, and that you can still make a change in what is happening.

Conclusion:

In Aviation having a hazardous attitude can be much more dangerous than in other industries. Because of this there are many safety networks in place to help prevent dangerous situations from arising, even from oneself. Learning to identify and suppress hazardous attitudes can help improve safety in the aviation environment, and prevent dangerous situations from arising. By doing so you are doing your part to improve the safety culture of aviation.