There's No Substitute For Sound Judgment and Common Sense

In the aviation community, pilots live and die by whether or not they follow rules and regulations. It’s been said a pilot’s Flight Manual (rule book) is written in blood; if you don’t follow what’s in the rule book, then bad things can and will happen.

The rule book for all aircraft in Navy/Marine Corps aviation is the NATOPS flight manual. In the opening paragraph of this manual is this blunt statement: “This manual contains vital and required information on all aircraft systems, performance data, and operating procedures required for safe and effective operations … Read this manual from cover to cover; it’s your responsibility to have a complete knowledge of its entire contents.”

Pretty clear-cut and straightforward; you don’t follow the rules you’ve got a decent chance of losing your wings, your aircraft, and possibly your life. There’s an additional statement in this opening paragraph that is equally powerful and important. It states: “This manual, however, is not a substitute for common sense and sound judgment.”

In early 2000, I was a military flight instructor teaching students how to fly the Cessna T-37. On one flight I was evaluating/instructing a student on his fourth flight in the touch-and-go landing pattern. On our third landing, right after touch down, we were shocked to see four deer beginning to bound across the runway, on a direct collision course with our flight path.

We were in a very precarious position. Traveling around 100 mph on the runway, with four deer 800 feet in front of us, we didn’t have many options or much time to react. In fact, we were in blatant violation of three flight-manual “rules” which prevented a safe takeoff.

First, we didn’t have enough power.

The rule book says you can’t take a T-37 off with less than 100% power on the engines. Our engines were at 88%; slowly spooling up to full power.

Second, we didn’t have enough speed.

The rule book says you can’t take off with anything fewer than 105 knots. We were at 90 knots, slowly accelerating with the notoriously sluggish engines.

Lastly, we were at 100% (full) flaps, which meant we had too much drag for takeoff.

The rule book says you shouldn’t take off with anything greater than 50% (half) flaps.

Don’t like ads? Become a supporter and enjoy The Good Men Project ad free

Though the rules were stacked against us for getting airborne, common sense told us that it was not smart to hit four deer head-on, traveling 100 mph, with nothing more to protect us but hollow sheet metal and a plexiglass canopy. In the end, it was the broken rule of 100% flaps that saved us.

Though we had too much drag with this setting, and not enough power to overcome this drag, we did have some extra lift. Just enough lift in fact to “pop” the aircraft 8 feet in the air; up and above the four deer allowing us to avoid hitting them head-on.

Though I did hit two of the deer (hitting one with my nose gear and clipping another with my wing); the accident investigation concluded that I averted near certain fatality by choosing not to hit all four deer head-on and instead choosing to break the “rules” and fly over the deer.

There’s no manual, set of rules, processes, or laws that can cover every situation or scenario.

This is certainly true in the above example and in aviation in general. But it’s certainly true in life and leadership as well. Too often we focus on being effective managers and making sure that all our rules and processes are followed to the letter, sometimes at the expense of common sense.

As leaders, we must keep our eyes on the big picture and realize that rules are man-made and can’t deal with every possible contingency

Leaders realize that rules and processes are required, important and necessary; but leaders also realize that doing what is right is sometimes in direct conflict with what the rule book dictates. Leaders must understand that there’s no substitute for sound judgment and common sense.