Role Play
CRMDEEN_at_aol.com
Wed, 12 Aug 1998 21:33:54 EDT
There is some successful and unsuccessful experiences with role-play being
discussed. I have learned a couple of tricks to make the role-play "seem"
successful each time.
1. Roles: I know the FAA circular says to keep the airplane skills
realistic, but I disagree. I strive to put a non-pilot, especially a
loadmaster ("cabin attendent") in the pilot seat, and assign a pilot to be the
loadmaster.
To emphasize a couple of other elements:
a. The "pilot" must fly the plane, so I give them a hand-eye coordination
challenge to simulate aircraft controls. It is amazing how this distraction
is something non-pilots never appreciate until they've experienced it.
b. The "loadmaster" is placed in a location which keeps him from seeing
the others in the cockpit. He can hear, and speak, but he can't see. Most of
the pilots are so "visual" in their communicative nature that they don't like
the deprivation.
c. The scripts must be done well enough that the solution of the problem
does not need a lot of "technical" knowledge. That which is needed can be
woven into the different scripts. The script of the "loadmaster" is quite a
lot less than the others. In fact, one of my scripts just describes the
cargo/passenger picture, and nothing else.
d. The "pilot" is given a time deadline (usually 10 mins) to make a
decision on the the solution to the delimma. During their discussions, I will
occasionally call out loud a number of minutes, such as "3 minutes". I never
say if it is minutes past, or to go, or even say it accurately. This
increases time pressure, and since the time I call is not accurate, it
introduces temporal distortion. (and noisy distractions)
This environment gives the non-pilots a greater understanding of the
pilot's task to fly, and think, and communicate, simultaneously. All three
brain cells are engaged.
In a recent class, the flight attendent performing the pilot duty had
wisely delegated the "airplane" to the copilot, and as the demand for a
decision increased, she broke role and admitted to me "this is not easy".
She walked away with a greater respect for pilot tasking, and the
"loadmaster" was not happy about not being spoken to during the session. I
think switching the skills increases the challenge, which counters the "not-
real" handicap of the session.
Greg Deen
Raytheon