The benefits
What are the benefits of using independent check pilots?
Pilot assessments - internal vs external
Pilot service providers conduct pilot assessments for many reasons. They include:
progression from one licence step to the next during training
regular checks of experienced pilots for quality management purposes
post-incident checks, and following extended absences from duty due to illness
MCPI believes there is merit in the common practice of internal assessments carried out within the pilot organisation. Whether you call them peer reviews, check rides, proficiency checks or something else altogether, pilots checking their colleagues provides an excellent opportunity to exchange ideas in a co-opoerative environment and in most cases, the assessor pilot learns as much from the process as the pilot being assessed does.
Increasingly though, many pilot organisations require a higher degree of objectivity in their pilot assessments than they can get with colleagues reviewing each other. In these cases independent external check pilots can overcome a number of limitations to internal checks including:
Smaller pilot groups are often required to work very closely together. Pilot assessments can be affected by the unconscious biases that can be expected from people put into that situation. Independent check pilots are not subject to those biases.
Fear of retribution can hinder objective assessments of colleagues and superiors. Independent check pilots do not have consider working relationships with pilots under their assessment.
Behaviours often become normalised in any group of pilots that may not be considered good pilot practice elsewhere. A good independent check pilot will identify areas of concern and outlier behavour.
A desire to protect the pilot group’s relationship with other stakeholders such as clients or regulators can lead to assessors presenting a false view of pilot competence. Independent check pilots can focus on the assessment, not the external relationships.
Internal pilot assessments can sometimes become a formality - ‘a tick and flick’ exercise. Independent check pilots can focus on producing a fair and accurate assessment and upholding high pilotage standards.
MCPI believes that there is value in bringing in a fresh set of eyes to any pilotage. In addition to ensuring objectivity and fairness in the assessment process, external reviews provide an opportunity for the organisation to see their pilots from an outsider’s perspective, to encourage cross-pollination of best practise and to identify strengths, weaknesses, and hazards within their pilotage practices that might otherwise pass unseen.