The Young Lions, I’m finding out, see only in two colors; black and white, and I’m beginning to understand that, given the shift in the social paradigm that’s occurred over the past 25 years, that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Aviation is a bit more regulated than most industries and the problem with the regulations that govern us have, up to this point, been akin to Capt. Jack Sparrow’s “Pirate Code;” actually more like “guidelines” open to interpretation than necessarily written in stone.

Students of the Federal Air Regulations – and I would imagine U.S. Coast Guard regulations as well -- quickly learn the onus of interpretation is upon the certificate holder; that any federal safety inspector can “interpret” the rules in a way diametric to the certificate holder’s interpretation, thus resulting in a violation thus resulting in a possible suspension of one’s license thus resulting in temporary (hopefully) unemployment.

I’ve always held that if the regulations did not specifically prohibit something, then that something was allowed.

“Not so fast,” the Young Lions are saying today.

“Is it possible that something a pilot might encounter during a flight may have been considered before takeoff, thus becoming something not ‘beyond the control’ of the pilot, thusly exposing the pilot (or pilots) to certificate action by the FAA?”

It’s an interesting question that I have come to believe deserves more thought than senior captains in both aviation and yachting might initially think, despite the inference that a crystal ball is needed for proper planning.

First, let me say this; after flying for more years than some of my first officers have been alive, I’m not willing to abdicate my accountability for completing a flight both legally and safely. I certainly think yacht captains believe as much. 

So if I believe a trip can be completed safely and legally, the trip is going to continue. In my case, if a first officer decides not to get in the airplane for what he or she believes is a justifiable reason, I’m not going to force that crew member aboard. The flight will shut down and the first officer is going to have to state his case to a review board.

That said, let me say, too, that because I have been at this for this long, I’ve come to understand where this line of black-and-white thinking comes from.

Today’s young, up-and-coming pilots and future skippers are smarter, savvier and better educated than some in my generation were when they started out – and that might include me.

In today’s society, it’s the plaintiffs’ attorneys and courts that have drawn the lines in the sand to which many Young Lions toe. Their experiences growing up are that things are either right or wrong and printed in black and white.

So far in their lives, there have been no gray areas; it’s been either stick to a literal interpretation of the rules or suffer the consequences.

It’s those consequences, I’m learning from our young squires, that the Young Lions are going to keep at arm’s distance from their careers, and taking the rules literally at face value is how they plan to achieve that distance.

It’s not as much about insubordination as it is self-preservation. As I have come to think about it, what’s necessarily wrong with that, albeit lacking some measure of flexibility and without a view based on experience of the so-called big picture? Whether one is nearing the end of one’s career or just starting out, what’s wrong with wanting to keep things on the straight-and-narrow?

Absolutely nothing, I’m thinking.

Over the course of my career, I’ve had to both adapt to and adopt many changes, admitting that because we once always did things “that way” didn’t mean we had to keep on doing things “that way” when a better way came along.

A thing called “cockpit resource management” also came along demanding captains listen to their fellow cockpit crew members; at first, a pretty foreign concept, but one I had always thought was a good idea, even before someone stuck a title on it. 

Captains – both plane and yacht – are held ultimately responsible for anything that happens on their watch, but even so, captains should never turn a deaf ear to ideas and suggestions just because they come from younger heads.

The Young Lions are coming to our professions brighter-eyed, bushier-tailed and more focused than ever before as they position themselves as Next Generation captains.

That’s exactly how it should be, and we, as captains today, owe the Young Lions the courtesy of giving them a fair hearing.

About the Author

Bob Howie

Freelance writer

Bob Howie is assistant chief pilot with Wing Aviation Charter Services in Houston, Texas. He spent 13 years as a writer with the Houston Chronicle, and is a lifelong boat owner.