The world watched in amazement on January 15, 2009, when U.S. Airways Pilot Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger piloted his Airbus A320 to a safe and successful aircraft ditching in New York's Hudson River. Captain Sullenberger was quick to point out that training and the work of the entire team is what saved the day; he was just simply a part of that team. If you listened to the radio transmissions between the crippled aircraft and air traffic control facilities, you never would have guessed the pilot was struggling to save the lives of 155 people. It seemed like it was a routine event, one that they had experienced before.
In a certain sense ,they had; it is quite likely ditching an aircraft was practiced in the airline's flight simulators. Airline training has always been highly structured and very intensive. In fact, the entire airline operation from pre-flight to pulling up to the gate at the final destination is a heavily choreographed series of events, with each crew member knowing well how to play their part. When a flight crew comes together before a flight, it is very possible that the two pilots have never flown together, or even met before. In a span of about thirty minutes, they will prepare and expertly fly the aircraft to destinations around the world. There will be almost no surprises to either pilot, their actions and responsibilities well practiced and trained for.
Before takeoff, the captain will brief the crew on what is expected, what will be done in an emergency and what is expected of each crew member. This is done before every takeoff! Even if the two pilots have flown together for thousands of hours, the takeoff briefing will take place. The same scenario plays out throughout the flight as each phase is briefed and prepared. One of the leading flight simulator training companies has a motto, "If you think training is expensive, try paying for one accident."
Airline captains are required to pass a "flight check" every six months. This flight check includes, among other things, emergencies such as engine fires, loss of pressurization, cabin fires, electrical problems, gear malfunctions and aircraft ditching. It is quite likely the captain will experience more emergencies in his flight simulator session than his entire career. Flight attendants are no different. Yes, sometimes derisively referred to as flying waitresses or barhops, the flight attendant may very well mean the difference between life and death. In the U.S. Air ditching, a flight attendant realized opening the rear cabin door would flood the aircraft, so she quickly called for an over-wing evacuation for all passengers located in the rear of the aircraft. If you fly, you will always hear the flight attendants making cabin announcements, many which are ended with the words "cross check". This is the cue to for flight attendants to inspect each others' work. This is a back-up system in place to capture mistakes. It has been shown that accidents are nearly always a result of a series of events or "accident chain." Breaking this chain is critical. It is this commitment to training, training and training that were the foundations for US Airways Flight 1549's success.
What does it mean for law enforcement?
Law enforcement trainers and training were relative latecomers to the simulator game. Firearms simulators and driving simulators are still fairly new and emerging on the law enforcement training scene. These devices will certainly have a significant impact. For the same reasons that it is valuable to put an airline captain into precarious situations in the simulator without using a real aircraft, it is valuable to put police officers into stressful and dangerous situations without real danger. Studies have shown that you will act as you are trained.
Captain Sullenberger proved the value of such training in his cool, calm, professional response to a dual engine failure caused by ingesting birds. His demeanor and calm were remarkable. How nice it would be for police officers involved in deadly force encounters or high speed pursuits to have "been there" before in the simulator. Having been there does wonders for the training and response. Several years back, an NBA player won the championship at the buzzer. In the after-game press conference, he was asked how it felt to take that shot, amid all the pressure and chaos. He responded that he had been taking that shot since he was three, and this shot was no different. He had prepared his mind and body through mental and physical training to take and successfully make the shot.
The airline model, using crew resource management, simulators and well-established procedures and guidelines can certainly benefit law enforcement training. The similarities and parallels between the two professions are striking. Pilots, normally work in pairs, like a patrol team, carrying out very routine, mundane and downright boring tasks. And both pilots and patrol officers can suddenly and very unexpectedly be thrust into life threatening situations. Their calm, professional and practiced response can literally mean the difference between life and death.
Talk about tactics
What if officers discussed what they were going to do before answering a call; would it go smoother? Perhaps en route the patrol team could discuss what they expect, and what they will do if the unexpected happens. If riding alone, perhaps a tactical channel could serve the same purpose. For example, three one-person units are responding to an armed robbery in progress at the local convenience store. Responding units could quickly establish who is covering the back and what the two units in front will do upon arrival. It seems like common sense and we assume that everyone working with us is thinking the same way tactically and strategically. Pilots are famous for checklists and occasionally a moderately experienced aviator will state they do not need the checklist anymore. The best response to that is somewhere in America, a highly experienced 40,000 hour airline captain, with 45 years of flying experience will be taking his final flight before retirement. How will the flight be conducted? Using the checklist.
Perhaps law enforcement training can intensify their own training with a page from the airline industry. Intense, highly structured training in a simulator environment saves lives!