Experienced pilot stresses listening to aircraft cues and system alerts

A veteran pilot with 45 years of flying experience explains that airplanes convey information to pilots through sounds, vibrations and visual cues, and that engine monitors display changes in temperatures, pressures, fuel flow and electrical output. The author notes that understanding this “language” is essential for pilots to interpret the aircraft’s communication.

The article illustrates the importance of this skill by recounting how the author could not interpret the sounds of a furnace, which later failed two months after a change in its noise was noticed, underscoring the risk of missing early warning signals.