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This book takes readers beyond the technical manuals and cockpit procedures to explore aviation as a lived experience. Based on years of ethnographic fieldwork, this book examines the culture, mindset, routines, teamwork and professional identities that define airmanship. Offering a glimpse into the lives of pilots and flight attendants, they emerge not as anonymous operators of a system, but as individuals negotiating judgement, responsibility and trust in an environment where precision and safety are paramount.
This title offers a compelling exploration of the people, practices, and philosophies that make aviation possible. Drawing on over 1,200 hours of jump seat observations, conversations with pilots and crew, and first-hand experiences in high-performance environments, the book offers an inside view of how aviation professionals make sense of their world. It shows how flight attendants manage safety and care in the cabin, how pilots read and interpret the sky, their aircraft and themselves, and how crews cultivate a shared professionalism that sustains aviation. Through interesting stories and detailed analysis, readers will gain a deeper understanding of the human dimensions of aviation, with insights that enhance professional practice and personal appreciation for the craft.
Airmanship: Ethnography of Aviation Safety is ideal for human factors specialists, pilots, aviation students, safety professionals, and readers curious about the world behind the cockpit door. It is not only a study of aviation. It is a study of how people learn, act, and create safety together.
List of contents
1. Preparing the flight 2. Cabin attendants. 3. Acting at the flight deck (a regular flight). 4. Flight safety. 5. Creating safety. 6. Communication and flying skills. 7. Beyond communication. 8. Airmanship. 9. Aviation education. 10. Man and machine - concluding remarks on the ethnography of practise.
About the author
Vegard Nergård is Professor of Aviation at UIT The Arctic University of Norway and an Institute Associate at the Scott Polar Research Institute (SPRI), University of Cambridge, UK. With over 16 years of experience in aviation education, he was central in establishing UIT's Master's program in Aviation in 2015. He currently serves as Head of the Aviation and Drone research group at the Department of Technology and Safety (ITS), UIT, where he oversees one of Norway's leading academic environments for aviation studies. His research focuses on airmanship, aviation safety, and pilot training with a particular emphasis on Arctic conditions and environments.
