Communication and Cooperation — Page 267, Lesson 440

I want to walk you through the opening of the Communication and Cooperation chapter. We start with General Cooperation. In most multi‑crew operations, the two pilots don’t do exactly the same job. Their actions are deliberately different, and that difference is designed to create something called synergy and to manage the available resources. The core idea here is that communication is the tool we use to build a common image of the situation — both pilots see the same picture — and to synchronize future actions, so that when one pilot acts, the other knows exactly what to expect and when. That brings us to Synchronization, which the book splits into two types: Cognitive Synchronization and Temporal Synchronization. Cognitive Synchronization is when both crew members work to maintain that shared mental picture of what’s happening. We do this through briefings and checklists. Why is this so important? Because if one pilot changes a control mode or adjusts a flight parameter, the other pilot needs to know about it immediately. Cognitive synchronization lets both pilots follow the sequence of planned actions together, so nobody gets surprised. Temporal Synchronization is about timing. It’s necessary for two things: triggering simultaneous actions — for example, both pilots start the clock at take‑off when full power is set — and initiating successive actions, where one action follows another in a specific order. A good example from the book: waiting until you pass a set height before starting the emergency drills for a problem that occurred shortly after take‑off. The timing of that drill is coordinated, not random. Now the chapter shifts to Synergy in Joint Actions, and it starts by contrasting past and present attitudes. Past Attitudes: In early aviation, the “best” pilot was the one who was most skilful, had the most experience, and could endure the most. Pilots pushed themselves and their machines to the limit — and often beyond. Records were broken, early pilots became heroes, but eventually an accident usually ended their flying. Present Attitudes: In modern airline operations, safety is the main preoccupation. There is no longer any question of “do it at all costs.” Instead, pilots must develop the wisdom and knowledge to divert when necessary, delay take‑off, increase fuel carried, and so on. Individual skills alone are no longer enough to achieve the level of safety we need. Teamwork must be the foundation for both normal operations and for handling unexpected circumstances. That leads us directly to Synergy itself. Here’s the definition: Synergy is the state where the group’s performance exceeds the sum of the individual performances. For a two‑pilot crew, the book expresses it mathematically as 1 + 1 > 2. That’s good synergy. When synergy is poor or absent, the group performance is less than the sum of the individual performances — 1 + 1 < 2. That’s poor synergy. To achieve good synergy, we need to think about how to improve our resources and make the maximum use of cooperation and communication — which is exactly what the rest of this chapter will develop.