Risk Management Magazine

As time goes on, our comfort and confidence with our aircraft inevitably grows, and what used to take intense concentration becomes simple. We all strive to become exceptional pilots, and it is easy for us to fall prey to the vanity of demonstrating our hard-earned skills. However, we must remember the inherent dangers that are easy to forget, which can have deadly consequences.

After returning from the officer basic course, I had my first drill back with my unit. I asked another second lieutenant how annual training went. I wanted to know what prompted my commander’s urgent email. He told me half of the company and the battalion commander were almost killed. This is the story of what happened.

So, what does any of this have to do with cutting corners, which is the title of this article? Well, we can look at it in riding terms and in terms of Army leadership.