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## THE DECISION-MAKING PROCESS 

An understanding of the decision-making process pro- vides you with a foundation for developing ADM skills. Some situations, such as engine failures, require you to respond immediately using established proce- dures with little time for detailed analysis. Traditionally, pilots have been well trained to react to emergencies, but are not as well prepared to make decisions that require a more reflective response. Typically during a flight, you have time to examine any changes that occur, gather information, and assess risk before reach- ing a decision. The steps leading to this conclusion constitute the decision-making process. 

## DEFINING THE PROBLEM 

Problem definition is the first step in the decision-making process. Defining the problem begins with recognizing that a change has occurred or that an expected change did not occur. A problem is perceived first by the senses, then is distinguished through insight and expe- rience. These same abilities, as well as an objective analysis of all available information, are used to deter- mine the exact nature and severity of the problem. 

While doing a hover check after picking up fire fight- ers at the bottom of a canyon, you realize that you are only 20 pounds under maximum gross weight. What you failed to realize is that they had stowed some of their heaviest gear in the baggage compartment, which shifted the CG slightly behind the aft limits. Since weight and balance had never created any problems for you in the past, you did not bother to cal- culate CG and power required. You did, however, try to estimate it by remembering the figures from earlier in the morning at the base camp. At a 5,000 foot density altitude and maximum gross weight, the per- formance charts indicated you had plenty of excess power. Unfortunately, the temperature was 93°F and the pressure altitude at the pick up point was 6,200 feet (DA = 9,600 feet). Since there was enough power for the hover check, you felt there was sufficient power to take off. 

Even though the helicopter accelerated slowly during the takeoff, the distance between the helicopter and the ground continued to increase. However, when you attempted to establish the best rate of climb speed, the nose wanted to pitch up to a higher than normal atti- tude, and you noticed that the helicopter was not gain- ing enough altitude in relation to the canyon wall a couple hundred yards ahead. 

## CHOOSING A COURSE OF ACTION 

After the problem has been identified, you must evalu- ate the need to react to it and determine the actions that 

need to be taken to resolve the situation in the time available. The expected outcome of each possible action should be considered and the risks assessed before you decide on a response to the situation. 

Your first thought was to pull up on the collective and yank back on the cyclic, but after weighing the conse- quences of possibly losing rotor r.p.m. and not being able to maintain the climb rate sufficiently enough to clear the canyon wall, which is now only a hundred yards away, you realize that your only course is to try to turn back to the landing zone on the canyon floor. 

## IMPLEMENTING THE DECISION AND EVALUATING THE OUTCOME 

Although a decision may be reached and a course of action implemented, the decision-making process is not complete. It is important to think ahead and determine how the decision could affect other phases of the flight. As the flight progresses, you must continue to evaluate the outcome of the decision to ensure that it is produc- ing the desired result. 

As you make your turn to the downwind, the airspeed drops nearly to zero, and the helicopter becomes very difficult to control. At this point, you must increase air- speed in order to maintain translational lift, but since the CG is aft of limits, you need to apply more forward cyclic than usual. As you approach the landing zone with a high rate of descent, you realize that you are in a potential settling-with-power situation if you try to trade airspeed for altitude and lose ETL. Therefore, you will probably not be able to terminate the approach in a hover. You decide to make as shallow of an approach as possible and perform a run-on landing. 

The decision making process normally consists of sev- eral steps before you choose a course of action. To help you remember the elements of the decision-making process, a six-step model has been developed using the acronym “DECIDE.” [Figure 14-2] 

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