AINsight: Pilot’s Guide To Avoiding Unstable Approaches | Aviation International News

AINsight: Pilot’s Guide To Avoiding Unstable Approaches

Unstable approaches are a popular topic with aviation safety professionals, but rarely do they ever talk about flying the aircraft.

By Stuart “Kipp” Lau • Contributor - Safety

October 23, 2020

Unstable approaches are a popular topic with aviation safety professionals. For nearly 20 years, the industry has largely tried to either explain the issue away, academically, or manage it through policies and procedures. Rarely do we talk about flying the aircraft.

Academic discussions focus on the frailties and limitations of the human mind that may contribute to an unstable approach. Included are complex psychological aspects such as continuation bias, cognitive lockup, task switching, and the framing effect. Another human factor issue contributing to the problem is SOP non-compliance.

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Stuart “Kipp” Lau

Contributor - Safety

About the author

Pilot, safety expert, consultant, and aviation journalist Stuart “Kipp” Lau writes about flight safety and airmanship for AIN.

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