Definition

NOTECHS, or non-technical skills, refer to pilot skills not directly related to operating an aircraft. These include crew resource management (CRM) skills such as communication.

Description

According to the Operator's Guide to Human Factors in Aviation (OGHFA), a project of the Flight Safety Foundation (FSF), NOTECHS are defined as attitudes and behaviors not directly related to aircraft control, systems control, or standard operating procedures (SOPs). Examples include in-cockpit authority, crew coordination and communication, decision-making, conflict and error management, stress and workload management, attention, vigilance, and confidence.

The aviation industry has long known how such "soft skills" can improve outcomes in both normal and emergency operations. For example, an authoritarian captain might deliberately or inadvertently shut down useful input from a timid first officer. In a minimum fuel situation, an indecisive pilot might run out of options before taking action. Conversely, a calm senior flight attendant will likely handle an emergency evacuation in a way that prevents panic among other cabin crew members and passengers. An air traffic controller who speaks clearly will have to repeat instructions less often.

In recent years, the industry has moved toward formally recognizing these skills through training and evaluation. In a "total feedback" training methodology, developed in part by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)/University of Texas behavioral marker system, NOTECH skills are assessed alongside technical skills according to six principles:

1. Coupling of technical and non-technical skills
2. Measurement through the technical outcome and its consquences
3. Observable facts and behavior as basis
4. Defined semantics and terminology
5. Repetitive behavior observation required
6. Access to training of non-technical skills

For more detail on these six principles, see Assessment and Feedback of Non-Technical Skills (OGHFA BN). 

The total feedback concept recognizes how these soft skills can affect the technical outcome of a simulator exercise or a real-world event. At the same time, the methodology seeks to differentiate between specific non-technical skills and character traits, given that assessment of the latter can be highly subjective. The goal is to focus on observed behavior patterns that compromise flight safety, rather than generalities about personal style.