I think this discussion is much like discussing health among pilots.. some
young pilots aren't in shape and couldn't jog 1 mile if their life depended
on it and some "OFs" could burn up 10 miles without a huff.
It is not the age of the pilot or necessarily the amount of experience. The
willingness to learn and apply any technique/method/procedure that *works*
seems to be the key.
The real problem, IMHO, is the mumbo-jumbo junk that doesn't work. All too
often, the stuff is all image and little real application while the really
useful stuff ain't magic, slick or especially difficult to use. For example,
studies have shown the first flight with the crew is most likely to have
difficulties with the crew performing together....why? The crew hasn't
"formed" yet. One or two legs and most everyone knows who is going to work
and who isn't... who knows their procedures and who doesn't.. who is up on
things and who is lost in the clouds. The crew can then compensate so the
complete picture is drawn.
A real challenge is when after about two or three legs, you can see the crew
is still not forming as a unit... there is difficult communication or none.
There is a personality conflict or something that is keeping the group from
forming. This is when it gets real interesting and when the real test of CRM
comes into effect. It is easy to do CRM when everyone has the same sense of
humor, has seen the same movies, is up on procedures. The test comes when
one or two members of the crew are problems.
I can not say I enjoy a flt when a crew doesn't gel and become a cohesive
unit but I find it is a good opportunity to see if the tools really work.
Wiley