"Almost OK" in a Japanese Airline

Picture this: I was manually flying a single-engine CAT II approach in a B787 simulator. The HUD was inoperative; my First Officer had become incapacitated, and the shutdown engine was still indicating a fire. We were at maximum landing weight, and the approach required precise execution under significant operational pressure. The visibility was at the minima.

I acquired visual cues just as I approached minima and completed a quick composite scan to confirm alignment and glide path before touching down precisely in the zone. I stopped on the runway, coordinated with fire services, tended to my First Officer, and executed the emergency evacuation checklist flawlessly. Everything happened like clockwork, a sequence of precision under pressure that, to most, would seem heroic.

The first words out of the Japanese instructor in the debrief: "Almost OK."

For pilots from outside Japan, this phrase can feel jarring. How could such a performance, executed under extreme conditions, be met with anything less than effusive praise? But this is the culture of Japanese flight instruction. "Almost OK" is not a critique of skill or judgment. It is acknowledgement with expectation. It is respect expressed quietly, a reminder that even the best can be better and that mastery is never complete.

Japanese flight instruction, rooted in kaizen philosophy, places great emphasis on humility, precision, and continuous improvement. Open praise is rare, and perfection is treated as an ideal rather than a pronouncement. "Almost OK" signals that the standard has been met, sometimes exceeded, but that attention to detail, timing, phrasing, crew coordination, and procedural discipline can always be improved.

For foreign pilots, understanding this mindset is essential. In contrast to Western aviation training cultures where explicit praise reinforces performance, Japanese instruction is an invitation to reflect, learn, and continuously enhance performance, rather than a critique or a warning. Those who embrace the philosophy grow faster and integrate more seamlessly into the operational culture.

In Japanese airline operations, "Almost OK" represents quiet respect at its highest form. It acknowledges exceptional performance, reinforces discipline, and reminds pilots that excellence is a journey, never a destination.