Real-Life Decision Making -- Solution
You decide to call maintenance and have them look into the problem.
Maintenance comes out and looks at the instrument. After that, they start
working to fix it. It takes about an hour, but you feel better taking off.
While the delay has made you a bit late, at least you know it won't become
a bigger problem later on.
This is the real-life decision that pilot and flying instructor Russell
Yuen recommends.
Knowing what to pay attention to and what to ignore are important parts
of decision-making as a pilot.
Often, the decision is clear-cut because pilots are guided by something
called a Minimum Equipment List.
"Nowadays, airlines have something called MEL, or Minimum Equipment Lists.
And this is mostly how pilots judge regarding whether or not the flight can
take off without checking the equipment," says Yuen.
"Sometimes some of the equipment is there to help, but is
optional. And sometimes they are mandatory to have [functional]. If the equipment
[is on] the Minimum Equipment List, then we have to fix it. I don't care how
much of a delay it takes, because safety is always more important."
If the item isn't on the MEL, it might not be immediately clear whether
repair is necessary.
"Then we have to use our best judgment, and then our judgment will be based
on how comfortable I am flying the aircraft without the equipment and... without
breaking the laws at the same time," says Yuen. "If it's an engine problem,
then most likely I would not go, because that's a very serious matter."