Do No Harm

BOB MEDER Presents "Do No Harm - The Moral Imperative Of Flight Instruction": The maxim “First, do no harm” is often attributed to Hippocrates in the Physician’s Oath. Although the phrase does not appear to have been a part of the original oath, and does not always appear in modern versions, the principle of preventing foreseeable harm to patients is readily apparent and taken to heart by physicians. * This presentation will address the imperative that we in the flight training industry must endeavor to apply the same ethical, and, more importantly, the moral standards implied in the medical profession’s oath. Given that the general aviation accident rate has continued to improve over the years while, at the same time, the initial practical test failure rates have recently begun to soar, there will, inevitably, be a tragic intersection of the two curves. This has most likely resulted from economic pressures of the current pilot shortage encouraging flight training organizations to get new pilots to a position of “time building” as quickly as possible. In turn, individual instructors as well as those teaching at large flight schools are rushing to meet the minimum hiring standards in the “professional” aviation industry. In short, the incomplete training of flight instructors will result in a self-perpetuating downward spiral in the quality of instruction which will reduce aviation safety as a whole. This combination of rushed training, lack of experience, and, most importantly, the lack of consideration of the moral implications of passing along training at the rote level has the potential of severe consequences for individuals and the industry. Simply put, we must step back and ask ourselves “Would we let our mothers learn from the instructors we produce?” If not, we are failing in our purpose. In my presentation, I will propose a perhaps somewhat controversial solution to this problem. This will likely not be the only or best answer – it is intended to spark the conversation and the call to action required by the flight training industry to address this issue.