Training Pilots for Resilience: Preparing for the Unexpected

In aviation, resilience is not the same as being robust. Being robust refers to operating within a semi-normal state with typical, expected challenges. This is when crews are dealing with single failures, such as a single hydraulic system failure or an engine failure, which are things that pilots are trained for. These situations are considered "inbound" and exceptionally rare, and responding to them falls under the skills and tools that pilots have through their training.

On the other hand, being resilient is about adaptive capacity when operating out of bounds and facing conditions for which training has not specifically prepared pilots. 

In essence, robustness is about effectively handling known challenges through established training and procedures, while resilience is about the ability to adapt and innovate when faced with the unexpected and unprecedented. When we talk about wanting children or organizations to be resilient, we are often actually referring to them being robust in the face of typical difficulties. The focus on resilience in aviation specifically addresses those rare instances that go beyond standard training scenarios.