Safety Archives - Page 18 of 31 - Golf Hotel Whiskey

Devices to help you get found

Should the worst happen while flying, getting found quickly will be critical – especially if you or your passengers have suffered injuries. Hence, a lengthy post by Rob Stapleton for the AlaskaDispatch’s Bush Pilot blog about devices to help a downed pilot get found is well worth reading – even if you do not fly over areas as remote as Alaska.

Rob began his post by noting that according to avionics installer Gary Bennett, the emergency locator transmitter or ELT is damaged or does not transmit in about 70% of accidents – a startlingly high statistic. Hence and in such incidents, only a search and not a rescue is possible and by the time an aircraft is found, it might already be to late. In fact, that is exactly what happened in the August 9, 2010 accident that claimed the lives of former US Senator Ted Stevens and four others.

Rob then went on to describe a couple of options that pilots have to increase their chances of being found. This included the new Spidertracks systems that were developed in New Zealand. These devices are about the size of a radar detecting device on most cars and can send out a signal as many times per flight as programmed to do.

However, the Spidertracks units also require purchasing a unit and subscribing to the service with various pricing plans. Hence, the cost of the units can vary from US$1,000 to US$1,800 plus the subscription service, which can work out to about US$2 to US$3 per flight hour.

In other words, such units may not be cost effective for UK based pilots who fly over heavily populated areas but they are certainly well worth considering by any pilot who regularly flies over more sparsely populated areas. After all, ensuring that you can be quickly found should the worst happen can mean the difference between life and death.

How to multitask in the cockpit

Multitasking will be a critical skill that pilots need to have in order to fly an aircraft. After all, a pilot will need to navigate, communicate and fly the plane at the same time.

Hence, a recent video and post put together by Jason Schappert about multitasking in the cockpit is well worth watching as he shows pilots how to manage distractions in the cockpit. Some of Jason’s multitasking tips included:

Know what you are looking for and how to look for.
Have it all organized.
Look and check for your location over and over.
Don’t forget to fly the airplane.

At the end of the video, Jason also asked his readers to comment about how they multitask in the cockpit and what tools or methods they use. Hence, feel free to visit his blog and post your comments there.

A test pilot’s view of spin training

Rob Stapleton of the Alaskan Dispatch’s Bush Pilot blog has recently written about "Stalls, Spins and Safety," a book written by Sammy Mason, a test pilot for Lockheed, that was written in 1982 after a long battle to get the USA’s FAA to re-instate spin training. As Rob noted, Sammy had spent a considerable amount of time testing aircraft such as the T-33, T2V-1 jet trainers and the F-94C fighter and ultimately became Lockheed’s authority on stall/spin testing. Hence, Sammy’s book offers a test pilot’s view of the subject of spins and spin training and as rob noted, its a “fascinating mix of aeronautical knowledge and practical examples.”

In his post, Rob pointed out that:

Mason states that spins can and do occur in everyday flying. "Although most stall/spin accidents are not the result of situations as dramatic as bursting balloons, they occur more frequently than they should, and from everyday flight situations common to normal aircraft utilization," according to Mason.
In other words, cross-controlled flight at slow speed or using ailerons to straighten the wings during a stall can contribute to a stall/spin scenario.
Mason goes on to say that while flying at minimum speed a pilot may be required to make a sudden pull-up, steep turn, or a combination of both to avoid other traffic while on final approach.

Rob then noted that there has been an upswing in the number Alaska accidents that included flight instructors and an upswing in loss-of-control accidents during the takeoff and landing portions of a flight. However, he also wrote that some Alaskan instructors are still a bit queasy about spinning an aircraft with a student in it and currently students and instructors are only required to “recognize and recover from a spin entry — not perform a full-turn spin or more.” On the other hand, Rob ended his post by noting that Sammy had concluded:

"Because of a general lack of skill in spin training among flight instructors, I believe the number of spin accidents would increase."

In other words and if you are a student pilot or already an experienced pilot, additional spin training should be something worth considering while Sammy’s book about the subject is well worth reading.

Conquering the fear of stalling

Pilots and student pilots especially are usually fairly nervous or fearful about stalls and stall training. Hence, a recent video put together by Jason Schappert for his MzeroA.com site is well worth watching as he noted that stalls really aren’t that scary. In the video, Jason shows you how to practice stalls in order to practice recoveries plus he shows you how to practice a power on or departure stall and a power off or landing stall.

In addition, Jason’s post has already attracted more than 30 comments or Twits about how to practice stalls plus comments from readers who mention their own personal stories and experiences involving stalls or stall training. These comments are also well worth reading.

Distracted pilot forgets about the landing gear

General Aviation News has reprinted a November 2008 accident report from the USA’s National Transportation Safety Board that is well worth reading by pilots everywhere. The incident involved a Beech Bonanza in Port Townsend, Washington and resulted in substantial damage after the pilot forgot to put down the landing gear. Here is what reportedly happened:

The pilot decided to make a straight-in VFR approach to the non-controlled airport. There was traffic departing from the airport during the Bonanza’s approach. The pilot said he became distracted while discussing that traffic with his passenger and did not use the pre-landing checklist. As a result, he failed to lower the gear prior to landing.

The cause of the accident was ruled to be the failure to lower the landing gear but indirectly the accident was caused by the pilot being distracted and his failure to use a checklist.

In the comments section, Frank Szachta Sr. noted that the cause of many such accidents seems to be pilots being distractions. Hence, he wrote:

In retract gear birds, it is necessary to think of Gear Down three times in each approach and landing pattern. Once early in checklist, on Final, and again as runway is in sight. Look for imaginary sign on runway edge, “Gear Down & Locked”.

Meanwhile, commenter Tom Hartley simply noted:

….is “GUMP”: gas, undercarriage, mixture, & props? or is it: Gear down, Undercarriage down, Make sure it’s down, & Put it down right now!

Definitely advice worth remembering!

Crosswind landings tutorial video

Jason Schappert has put together a short video and post for his MzeroA.com blog about crosswind landings that every pilot should both watch and read. After all, Jason began his post by noting that over the past five years, there have been 740 reported mishaps or approximately 150 mishaps per year due to crosswind landings.

In the video, Jason will walk pilots through a crosswind landing. However, he also wrote that the secret to a safe crosswind landing is relatively simple:

Know where your wind is coming from. Use less flaps thus giving you more airspeed to have greater command over that aircraft and work on your transition, from that crab to that sideslip. Go from that crab angle to dipping that aileron in there, dropping that wing a little bit and using opposite rudder to hold the airplane down centerline.

Jason ended his post and video by saying that pilots should not be shy about going out and practicing crosswind landings. After all and by doing so, you will become a much safer pilot.