The newly released movie Robocop was I must admit a very entertaining watch. However, where its 1987 predecessor only offered tin-plated action for the viewer’s pleasure, the 2014 release offered much,  much more. While the battle between good guys and bad guys raged on screen, there was a much more subtle battle going on behind the scenes. Robocop was such an efficient killing machine when the robot part of him took over, should he be allowed to regain his.. humanity??

“As scores of citizens and neighbours crowded onto the street to watch and stare, firefighters and paramedics rescued a city boy from underneath a compact vehicle Sunday around 2:35 p.m. […]

[…] The cyclist suffered very serious internal injuries and was taken to the District Hospital and subsequently transported to a Toronto area hospital for treatment of his injuries. [1]”a

The bat-phone ring resounded throughout the whole base hangar a little after 18h… Dispatch had a call for us.

Although not too many details were provided at first, the urgency could be heard in the voice of our planner as we informed her that the weather in Toronto was sufficient for us to go and informed us of the verdict: The trip is a go, you guys are going to end your shift in Toronto.

At first, the frustration sets in. Why us? Why not wait a little bit more and have our night shift pilots complete this call? The answer quickly came as the phone rang again, and our dispatcher provided a little inside scoop on what was really going on..

“6 year old kid, hit by an SUV earlier today. Needs urgent transport to Sick Kids hospital in Toronto.”

All the frustration I had melted away instantly, only to be replaced by a sick feeling in my guts. Why do things like that happen? A 6 year old, almost robbed of his life by a careless driver… and dearly paying for another man’s mistake.

Resolve started to set in as my partner and I started getting ready for the trip. So what? it was going to get us stuck in Toronto and away from our loved ones for a night. It was well worth the life of a little boy who did nothing to deserve such a fate.

Resolve… resolve to do what? Resolve to be part of the solution, to be part of the compassionate, helping hand that was going to give this child a second chance at life. Timing for our duty day was going to be tight, but it was for a good cause.

Wasn’t it?

This kind of story happens more than we want to admit. It also remains a hotly contested subject amongst the professional middle.  How much can one let himself get involved before emotions take over, and a sympathetic or emotional decision rather than rational leads to more tragedy?

Multiple examples of this can be found throughout the history of aviation, where a flight ended in more tragedy because of an emotional, compassionate response at the sight of a fellow human in dire need.

Pilots, people who are trained from the start the think in the most rational manner possible, brainwashed to operate based on a modus operandi that was set in stone for legal and safety reasons, only remain people.  Emotional, human to the very core of the definition, and often passionate people.

And so there it is. The million dollar question. How does one make safe –  safer, only to use somebody else’s words. How do you make a pilot, a person, keep all his humanness aside and perform the mission that he or she has been trained for in a perfect, safe and efficient manner. Every time?

A recent effort has been brought forward in that effect to help the pilots working here (for my employer) in that effect. An effort trending towards a complete emotional detachment from our duties, which theoretically would lead to a safer, logic and training oriented operation.

Now let me put things into perspective, and take you back in time to that dreary phone call…

As the ambulance made it’s way to the airport with our 6 year old patient, dispatched informed us of their progress as often as possible to ensure a speedy departure.  To that effect, myself and my coworker ended up standing next to the airplane for a few minutes, waiting  in anxious silence to hear the sirens of the ambulance speeding up the airport’s road. I got pulled out of my own thoughts by my captain’s voice: “There it is” he announced in a calm voice.

As the ambulance pulled up to the airplane, we were greeted by a surprise. Multiple family members came streaming out of our own hangar’s doors to come offer their support to the mother and father of the boy. Friends, brothers and sisters, all in tears, offering their hopeful wishes…. As I surveyed the scene, waiting for our paramedics to get the patient ready for air transport, the father came up and asked my Captain a pleading wish to accompany his son, along with the mother.

As we are only equipped to transport one escort along with the patient, it was the captain’s sad responsibility to inform the father that despite our wishes to help, he would have to remain behind and find another way to go see his son at destination. The look on the father’s face was heartbreaking, and as more tears rolled down his face, it was all myself and my partner could do to stop ourselves from offering to use the cargo net as a securing option for him to come along. A few moments later, the mother came towards us and pulled a small picture out of her wallet, and with a weak smile introduced us to her young boy. At this point I could see the eyes of my 6’7 tall-built-like-a-tree captain fight the same emotions that were tearing me apart.

As we took off and settled into our flight routine, the conversation inevitably drifted towards the heart-broken family members we had just left behind, the mother who had accompanied us and the most precious cargo I have ever had to carry.. the broken body of a 6 year old child fighting for survival. I had a very strong conviction, strong resolve that whatever it took, this kid would make it to the hospital, and that I would do all that was in my power to help this happen.

Wait. There it is. The compassion. The emotion. The terrible word. What to make of it? Emotion literally means energy in motion. You may feel compelled to act one way, where your brain and training point you down a different path. So how can you go about your work and remove it from every equation?

Or do you have to? Can you take the Passion out of compassion? Can you safely operate an aircraft, day to day, with unavoidable human contact and influences, and still have emotions? Or is it part of our due diligence as professionals to remove the human factor from the human?

From one pilot to another, I would love to be able to say Yes. I would love to be able to claim a nigh-supernatural power of diligence and procedures-following.

From one human to another, I have to admit that the human part in me would scream in outrage if such a thing ever happened.

Where do I stand?

Where do you stand….?

Your move!

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[1] For more information about the events involving the accident you can visit the following link to view a Newspaper article http://www.timminstimes.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2724176