Ultra Fast Planning

When humans think about planning, it might be planning for retirement, planning a vacation, planning what to have for dinner, or planning a party. When general aviation pilots think about planning, preflight planning usually comes to mind. But planning exists on more than one level in our brains. If a quarterback tosses a football to a receiver, that player must plan to be positioned within the trajectory of the ball which might include a jump, and then have arms and hands configured to secure the ball. Additionally, the receiver must plan to manage inertia so that both feet land inbounds. Analyzing the physics and doing all the math involved would be daunting at best. Yet, the receiver’s human brain is not only doing the calculations but is directing a multitude of muscles to control the receiver’s body parts where they need to be at just the time they need to be there. Of course, this is all being done in a constantly changing environment requiring countless adjustments. It works because of the countless hours of training and practice that player has endured.

That training and practice has figuratively rewired the player’s unconscious mind. Neuroplasticity is the collective term for changes in the brain structure and function. Communication in the brain happens at the synapse, the tiny gap between two neurons. The receiving neuron adds more receptors to its surface to catch chemical signals faster. The sending neuron starts releasing more neurotransmitters. This results in the signal moving across the gap with much less effort and higher reliability. The technical term for this is synaptic plasticity.

Beyond just strengthening existing connections, the brain physically grows new structures to support our training. This process is called structural plasticity and has three elements. First, in dendric sprouting, neurons grow new "branches" called dendrites. This increases the surface area available to connect with other neurons, creating a denser, more complex network. Next, with enough practice, the brain will create entirely new synapses between neurons that weren't communicating before. The term for this is synaptogenesis. The third step is called cortical remapping. The specific area of the brain dedicated to that skill can physically expand, borrowing space from neighboring areas that are used less often.

As impressive as that is, the magic does not end there. Neuroglia, often called glial cells, produce an insulation, myelin, and wrap more layers of it around the active circuits. This prevents the electrical impulse signals from leaking out and allows the signals to travel significantly faster.

And the finale is when a process called synaptic pruning weakens and eventually removes the unnecessary connections that are consuming resources unnecessarily and potentially producing interference.

As general aviation pilots, not professional athletes, we train to make correct and timely control inputs for a landing in a crosswind rather than to catch a football. We train to make a timely and well-executed go-around rather than to release the football just at the right time, in the best direction, and with just the right amount of force. Our control inputs result from ultra-fast planning that is happening in the unconscious mind in the same way the athlete relies on it to execute the play.

Proficiency as a pilot or as an athlete is fluid. Neither pilots nor athletes can afford to be complacent about training and practice. Neither can expect gaps in training and practice to not take a toll in proficiency. Synaptic pruning begins to steal the unused circuits as soon as they are not being used. That is the reason for training camp or spring training after an off-season. Those circuits need to be rebuilt and refreshed.

As pilots, we must recognize that if we have an off-season of a few months, we need our own version of training camp to refresh and rebuild. The off-season may not be a lack of flying, but a lack of practicing some specific skills. An example would be the instrument rated pilot who has not flown solely by reference to the flight instruments for several months.

We can avoid the negative effects of an off-season by participating in a good recurrent training program designed to address the kind of flying we do. If used as intended, the FAA Wings program will create such a program. There are other ways to find a suitable recurrent program, but it must be adequately comprehensive and rigorous. Always remember that our error during a critical phase of flight can have consequences far beyond the dropped catch or intercepted pass.