Professionalism in aviation is tough to define. In a traditional sense, a professional is a skilled, well-trained individual who follows a profession for personal gain. Using this logic, if you collect a paycheck you must be a professional, right?
If this is the case, then why do professional pilots, according to NTSB reports, crash airplanes as a result of “unprofessional behavior” or “unprofessional acts?” Blowing off an SOP, intentionally skipping a preflight procedure, or continuing an unstable approach to a landing are all clearly unprofessional acts. So, if being a professional is tied to a paycheck, did these pilots momentarily “clock out” to harm themselves or others? In hindsight, it’s often easier to identify a lack of professionalism than to clearly define it.
Pilot, safety expert, consultant, and aviation journalist Stuart “Kipp” Lau writes about flight safety and airmanship for AIN.
More In Safety
