Loving your Neighbor at Cruising Altitude

"I just love flying."

That was the response to my question -- "What do you like about your job?" -- that I asked my brother, who also happens to be a First Officer with Canadian North Airlines. Canadian North is an airline providing both passenger and cargo service to 19 of Canada's Arctic communities. They operate a fleet comprised of Boeing 737 & Dash-8 aircraft, flying to such places as Cambridge Bay, Yellowknife, and Iqaluit. They are, in many good ways, a vital thread that connects these otherwise-isolated communities together. Chris has been flying with Canadian North for over 9 years, most of those years behind the yoke of a Boeing 737. His love for flying dates back to when we were kids -- and he is one of fortunate ones who was able to turn his love for all things aviation into a career. Not long ago, he gave me a tour of the Canadian North base, at Edmonton International Airport, and walked me through a typical day as a pilot.

The flight crew -- the captain, the first officer, and the flight attendants -- begin their work at the Canadian North facility located adjacent to the Edmonton International Airport. This nondescript building houses some of the corporate offices, crew briefing rooms, a crew lounge, and the maintenance facility, where each aircraft undergoes routine inspections, repairs, maintenance, and cleaning. At about the same time that you or I are checking our bags and making our way through security, the crew is printing and reviewing their flight plan, checking the weather along their planned route, calculating dozens of figures, including the amount of fuel they will need, alternate airports, take-off speeds, and what to do in case any one of a hundred little things goes wrong (and it very rarely does go wrong -- in 9 years of flying, Chris has only had to declare an emergency twice, and both times he landed without incident). Once each crewmember is confident that they are fully briefed, they make their way to the airport terminal by shuttle bus. There, they clear security, just like we do (of course, using the quicker lines!) and begin preparing the aircraft for the moment you or I might climb aboard.

Pilots are catalysts for many of life's milestone moments. They bring us across the country so that we can ink the deal we've been working on for the last six months. They shuttle us to our daughter's house so that we can meet our grandchild for the first time. They bring us home in time to see dad, one last time. Along the way, they master the laws of physics and aerodynamics in a way that makes math and science almost poetic. If that weren't enough, the icing on the cake is the beauty of God's good world that they allow us to see from an angle we'd otherwise never enjoy.

Photos from the window seat: (clockwise from left): Sunrise over Kyiv, Ukraine; downtown St. Louis, MO; Canola fields near Edmonton, Canada; the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada; Mt. St. Helens, WA)

Flight attendants, too, are unappreciated workers who help bring the world a little closer to our door -- it's true they are most often seen pushing the drink cart up and down the aisle, but they do so much more. They calm the nerves of anxious flyers, they ensure that the guy in 19A hasn't had too much to drink (and they'll be quick to intervene if he has), and God forbid the worst should happen, they are trained to do everything possible to get everyone to safety. Our world has expanded, but Captains, First Officers, Cabin Crew, gate agents, ticket agents, and maintenance professionals do what they can to get us from point A to point Z quickly, efficiently, and safely.

Safety is a big deal to Chris, to his airline, and to most airlines. Some time ago, Chris was chosen to serve as the Union safety representative for his airline. That means that part of his work involves shaping and promoting a culture of safety for his fellow airline employees. To that end, he spends a portion of his time not in the cockpit, but in the classroom, teaching CRM -- Crew Resource Management. Essentially, CRM is a way of teaching captains and first officers to work effectively together as a team with a goal of safety (in several instances in aviation history, a corporate culture of intimidation prevented junior officers from questioning the flying decisions of senior officers, leading to near-misses, and in some cases, tragic accidents). Sitting there, listening to Chris describe his work promoting safety, and the steps taken to ensure safe flight, it occurred to me that the work of a pilot can become a profound expression of love for one's neighbor. We may think of neighbor-love as a more "spiritual" activity -- giving money to the poor, helping the homeless find shelter, befriending a lonely person or some other such thing. All good, and loving actions.

But when I fasten my seatbelt and put my tray-table in the upright and locked position, I am depending on a myriad of individuals to have done their jobs well, so that I will arrive at my destination safely, and on time. I'm counting on mechanics who don't cut corners. Gate agents to keep a tight schedule but with a kind attitude. Maintenance crews who ensure that the airplane has been regularly inspected, and routine repairs attended to. Meteorologists who chart threatening weather patterns in order to prevent passenger discomfort, or worse, airplane accidents. Pilots who keep their skills sharp in the simulator, and who arrive on time and ready to fly. Flight attendants who can ensure that the passengers are comfortable, and safe. Unfortunately, for as many of these occasions that are done well, there are stories where these workers haven't lived up to that calling to love their neighbor well. There are stories of maintenance workers -- under pressure from the corporate office -- who cut corners on repairs, leading to an accident with the loss of over 100 people; Pilots who neglect their emotional or physical health and so are unable to fly well -- leading to errors in the cockpit. These are, thankfully, rare occurrences, and for those who find air travel unnerving, the statistics show us that flying is in a period of greatest safety in all time (it remains true that the greatest threat to your safety is the drive to the airport).

One the things that sometimes holds us back from loving our neighbor is a our tendency to reduce love to an increasingly-complex system of rules and regulations. This is true in every human relationship -- and it's no different at cruising altitude. The job of a pilot or a flight attendant, of getting you or I safely to our destination can quickly be boiled down to a myriad of checklists to complete or corporate policies to uphold. Pilots depend on many, many checklists -- and this is good for us. By the time the captain turns off the fasten seatbelt sign, she and the First Officer have already completed at least a half-dozen checklists, repeating each item verbatim, and then verbally confirming that each item has been completed. When a light in the cockpit comes on mid-flight, there's a checklist for that. Sitting in the cockpit, Chris walked me through the process, of what to do when a light comes on. Reaching for what is called the QRH (Quick Reference Handbook -- an abbreviated instruction manual for an airplane, kept in the cockpit), he walked me through a flowchart of steps meant to troubleshoot, and solve a problem -- or to determine to land the plane at the nearest airport. There are carefully regulated procedures meant to ensure the problem is solved, and the passengers kept safe.

However, as humans, we are prone to two errors when it comes to such rules. On the one hand, it could be easy to lose sight of the end goal of all such rules. The rules, and handbooks, and checklists become an end in themselves.  The job of a pilot or a flight attendant becomes an endless maze of procedures to follow, and policies to abide by. I asked a flight attendant with a major North American carrier about her worst experience on the job. She thought for a moment, and then recounted a recent overseas flight she had taken where, with about two hours to go, a passenger became ill, vomiting over a family of four, sitting nearby. Of course, that's bad enough, but what made the situation worse happened next. After helping clean up the affected passengers, the flight attendant wanted to move the passenger to the jumpseat (where the crew usually sits) so that they would have a clean seat to sit in for the 2-hour remainder of the flight. When she suggested this to the senior flight attendant, the reply was "Absolutely not." Why? It was against corporate policy. Recent news has again shone a spotlight on this, as one US airline in particular has repeatedly found themselves at the center of controversy over how they are treating their customers. What is beginning to emerge is a culture of reliance on following the rules, at the expense of treating the customer well -- something that the rules are presumably supposed to do in the first place. Living by the book can prevent us from loving our neighbor well, and the job becomes monotonous and meaningless.

On the other hand, it's easy to neglect the rules altogether -- to see them as a hindrance, something that experienced pilots don't really need to follow. According to Chris, there are a few pilots who treat the rules and checklists as optional. Thankfully, this culture is changing in the industry, and Chris is a part of this. CRM training is a way that airlines promote a culture of working together for safety. Looking at aviation as a way of loving your neighbor may be a way of fostering this culture.

Yesterday, I flew home from a visit to my family, in Edmonton. The day started off with an email at 6 AM telling me that one of my flight segments had been cancelled. With the use of technology, I was able to rebook on a different flight, and begin my trip home. Security screeners ensured that myself and my fellow passengers were not a threat to the safety of the public. When a second segment was cancelled, a customer service rep kindly helped me reroute through a different city to get home. I observed gate agents dealing patiently with customers -- some of whom were clearly irritated by some inconvenience or another. Flight attendants ensured we knew the safety drill, and they served refreshments, ever-ready should something worse happen. And one checklist at a time, the pilots moved us from taxi, to take-off, to landing. Each person, loving their neighbor as themselves.