Risk Management Magazine

We’ve all been trained on blind cockpit drills and the need for “knowing your cockpit.” However, we tend to forget some of the reasons for these drills.

I thought working at Fort Drum, New York, for more than 18 years had given me a pretty good feel on how to gauge weather conditions. My complacency and overconfidence one winter day, however, made me question not only my “weather nose,” but also my sanity.

When we woke the class at 0445 to prepare for a land navigation performance evaluation, the air was already thick and humid. All of the candidates were anxious because their most feared event was finally upon them.