Captain Ping Lee

It has been almost a decade since EBT was first introduced, being widely adopted to airlines all around the world, many topics and elements have been discussed, and investigated. However, few has examined the Human Factor aspect of EBT. One of them being Startle, or the element of surprise, one of the key ingredients for the success of EBT. Although many have stressed the importance of creating the element of surprise during simulator recurrent training program, but few has examined the basic; how was startle created, how does it affect pilot performance, and most importantly, how to manage startle.

The first part of this 20-minute presentation will attempt to provide an overview of startle factor, its effect upon pilots. The audiences will experience startle effect on a personal level and the brain response to such stimuli. The presentation will also examine the relationship between training and startle factor and discuss the possibilities to manage startle effects.

The second part of the presentation will discuss the most effective countermeasure against startle: Resilience. Once a hot topic within the aviation industry, Resilience has been “neglected” due to the difficulties many encountered to explain such abstract ideas to flight crews. This presentation will introduce a brand new resilience model which provides a simple pictorial explanations to demonstrate the relationship between startle and resilience. This model will provide insights for trainers and trainees to better understand the effects of startle and how pilot resilience serves as the best line of defense against the element of surprise. Arming with the new Resilience model, one will have a clear understanding of how to effectively strengthen pilot resilience and effectively manage startle to enhance safety margin.