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Golf Hotel Whiskey: for pilots and aviation enthusiasts

Safety

The importance of the human element in aviation

General Aviation News has recently reprinted an interesting article from the latest edition of FAA Aviation News entitled “The importance of the human element.” The article makes the point that many general aviation accidents follow a similar path and hence the FAA focuses its human factors research on how various stakeholders such as pilots, controllers, dispatchers, AMTs, flight attendants and ground personnel carry out their jobs.

One interesting observation made came as a result of a simulator study involving pilots of varying experience levels and bad weather. The results showed that:

Although you might predict that experienced pilots would be more willing to forge ahead, the study actually found that more experienced pilots were more skeptical, less willing to fly the planned route under VFR, and more likely to divert and to maintain weather and terrain separation during flight.

In other words, experience has a big and often positive influence on pilot behavior.

In addition, the article mentioned other insights from FAA research in the areas of threat and error management, perception, decision making, workload and technology. In fact, the pros and cons of technology could best be summed up by the statement in the article that:

Advances in technology can bring unintended consequences. In 2004, researchers found that pilots with access to higher-resolution NEXRAD weather images were more likely to try navigating between areas of heavy precipitation in a simulation study. This response was not the intended use of the system, which was designed to help pilots give significant weather a wide berth.

The entire article is well worth reading and for anyone who is interested in reading more about how our minds work with regards to flying, we suggest that you read our “The neuroscience behind screwing up” post from a few weeks ago.

The top 10 tips for pilots to avoid being an accident statistic

While no two aviation related accidents are exactly the same, there are often common threads in aviation mishaps that happen again and again. Hence, a recent post by Meg Godlewski on General Aviation News is well worth reading and repeating as she lists the top 10 tips for pilots to avoid accidents (she also goes into more detail about each of them in her post). Here are the 10 tips:

    1. Use your checklist
    2. Never trust your fuel gauges
    3. In a retractable gear airplane, make at least three checks to determine the position of the gear before landing
    4. Don’t fly by committee
    5. Know the high traffic areas in your community
    6. Don’t fall victim to “get home-itis”
    7. Do not rely on the autopilot or gee-whiz avionics to get you out of a bad situation
    8. Stay proficient
    9. Practice emergency procedures
    10. Don’t be afraid not to fly

Keeping the above tips in mind will go a long way towards keeping you safe when flying.

The neuroscience behind screwing up

“Aluwings,” the blogger behind the Wings Stayed On blog along with guest blogger Rob Close on Plastic Pilot, have both mentioned a very interesting article that recently appeared in Wired.com entitled: The Neuroscience of Screwing Up. While the article itself deals with how our minds work and how our minds go about processing data, its lessons apply to anyone involved in aviation.

In fact, Rob Close’s post on Plastic Pilot does a great job of explaining just how these lessons apply to aviation and he does this by first mentioning the Air Transat Flight 236 incident where the pilots inadvertently pumped out their fuel through a leak because their hypothesis was wrong and then he repeats the following four step process for scientists to learn from failure that was mentioned in the article:

  1. Check your assumptions: Is the hypothesis wrong not the experiment?
  2. Seek out the ignorant: explain your hypothesis in simple terms to see it in a new light
  3. Encourage diversity: If everyone is the same, everyone has the same assumptions
  4. Beware of failure blindness: It’s normal to filter out information that contradicts our preconceptions

Rob then mentions his own four step process for pilots who are flying without a crew to learn from and act in order to prevent failure:

  1. Train the brain to be aware.
  2. Be able to quickly diagnose a failure and act upon it in flight.
  3. Be open to a change in hypothesis.
  4. Conduct a thorough analysis once on the ground.

He believes the most important part of the article is to recognize that knowledge can actually lead to blindness. In other words, what you are taught may actually be wrong in a real world incident – a very interesting point indeed. Both the Wired.com article and Rob’s post are well worth reading.

How to avoid aircraft stalls

Stalls can be scary but with proper instruction and practice, they can largely be avoided. Hence, a recent post written by Jason Schappert is well worth reading. In his post, Jason writes about the three places where he has seen his students struggle and thus, greatly increase their odds of an inadvertent stall. These places are:

Jason does an excellent job of briefly explaining the mistakes he often sees his students and other pilots doing in the cockpit.

However, if you want a more humorous discussion of this otherwise series topic, Episode 9 from the Profpilot.co.uk’s (“The Cheerful Flight Training Site”) “How to Fly a Plane (Reasonably Successful)” series takes a more “lighthearted” approach to the topic of stalls:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItMgrp8Cgfg[/youtube]

What’s your preflight routine?

For pilots, state of mind is as important as engine health or electrical power. Accident reports are full of stories about pilot error: fatigue, inattention, distraction and, yes, chatting about crew rosters and missing their destination altogether.

When it comes to single-pilot GA flights, your mental state is even more important. There is no ‘spare pilot’ to catch your mistakes.

It’s a big topic but I’d like to focus on one area where we have the greatest level of control. It’s often overlooked but I think it is very important. It is the time between leaving the house to go flying and the time you start up the engine and begin taxiing.

Your preflight routine can make a big difference to the safety and success of a flight and yet it is almost completely overlooked as a critical stage of flight. So, what can go wrong?

  • Stress. Traffic delays, passengers who don’t show up on time, planes that have been left in a bad state by previous pilots etc. I read one accident report about a British student pilot who was a doctor. At the airport before a solo cross-country flight, he was called over to help with someone who had fallen ill. The poor chap died and yet our doctor continued with his flight despite having experienced a very stressful event.
  • Forgetfulness. On my second flight into Amsterdam Schiphol, I arrived at the airport without the approach plates. Ouch! Luckily, TAA UK were able to print out the basic plates in time for my flight. But this kind of thing is best avoided.
  • Plane problems. I fly a shared group aircraft. This means that I often find it low on fuel, strewn with garbage or with small tech problems that require a check in the MEL or POH to be sure I’m legal and safe to fly. Just taking the wing and body covers off can take a while.
  • Passengers. Nervous or first-time passengers need extra time and help. I’ve also taken some friends flying who thought that they could arrive any time they liked since it was a ‘private plane’. They were nearly two hours late and I had to repeatedly refile my flight plan etc. for the Isle of Man.
  • Weather. I occasionally find myself sitting in a crew lounge or the flying school at Denham waiting for fog to lift or rain to stop. My home base is VFR-only and just inside the Heathrow control zone which puts special restrictions on my ability to fly there, even with an instrument rating.
  • Slot times. Eurocontrol and ATC can play havoc with a well-planned departure. I’ve been sat on the ground several times at French airports waiting for a delayed departure slot or for a controller to find a ‘missing’ flight plan. For VFR trips, fast-approaching night time can also be a restriction. Nobody enjoys night landings at Denham. I think carrier pilots could use it for night training.

How avoid the problems?

  • Leave earlier. Just as there are fuel margins for a possible diversion, I like to give myself a time buffer. I like to be at the airport an hour before my planned departure, especially if I have an airways flight and slot time booked.
  • Park passengers. I prefer doing my preflight inspection and cockpit preparation alone so that I don’t get distracted by questions or interruptions. Passengers prefer staying in the lounge until the flight is ready. Frequent flyers who can help or who know how to sit quietly can join me but generally, I like to park my passengers until I’m ready for them.
  • Leaving home checklist. I have a pre-flight planning checklist that I use to make sure I’ve done everything I need to do with the flight plan etc. But it also includes items such as: passport, Euros, camera, charts etc. so that I don’t leave home without them.
  • Go bag. I like to repack my flight bag after each trip so that it is ready for the next one. I also get my charts – I print them out from Jeppesen Flightstar – bundled up with all my other flight documents such as the weight and balance schedule and put them in the pocket of my flight bag the day before. That way, it’s very hard for me to forget them.
  • Risk analysis. I put together a risk analysis table that takes account of currency, weather, airport familiarity, type of approach etc. to give me a quasi-objective ‘read’ on whether the proposed flight is routine, requires extra care and planning or whether I should just go back to bed. Because I can easily get myself in an indecisive funk about the weather, this helps me take the stress out of the decision.
  • IMSAFE. This acronym – illness, medication, etc. – is built into the MFD on the Cirrus and it’s a useful reminder to check in with yourself before committing to a flight.
  • Remember, it’s just a hobby. My biggest problem comes from the feeling that I need to complete a flight once I have committed to it, especially if I have passengers. However, the flight must be safe, legal and FUN. It’s very important to remind yourself that you can always go flying another day.
  • iPhone. My lovely iPhone has changed the way I fly. With Homebriefing.com, I can amend flight plans or send delay notices. With Avbrief.com and meteox.com, I can get accurate, up-to-date weather and rainfall radar information. When I’m overseas, easy access to this information is invaluable especially in that short window before you take off when you really need to be up-to-date with the latest information.
  • Timetable. For each flight, I compile a single sheet with the timetable for the day with everything in Zulu, London and local time. This makes booking restaurants and taxis easier. In the past, I’ve been on too many trips where I haven’t planned carefully enough and found myself turning up at restaurants for lunch at 2.30pm or having to rush back. I also put the main phone numbers for the day on the sheet – passengers, handling companies, restaurants etc. This means that I have everything to hand when I need it.

By using checklists and procedures in the hour or two before the flight just as we all use them in the air, you can reduce stress and enhance safety.

Three stupid mistakes that killed pilots

Flying is much safer than many non-pilots realize, so long as you use common sense and good judgment. Recently, the All Things Aviation blog noted the three following stupid and yet easily preventable mistakes that had fatal consequences for both pilot and passenger(s):

Incident #1: Being inexperienced and flying in poor weather conditions

In the first incident, an inexperienced New Jersey based pilot and his son were killed after flying in overcast conditions. According to All Things Aviation:

The pilot, Thaddeus Lazowski, held a Private Pilot certificate with an airplane single engine land rating which he obtained in 2004. He was not instrument rated. His total time was 395 hours, including 308 hours in the Piper Arrow.

Max Trescott also blogged extensively about this incident and concluded that the pilot was flying on both luck and hope. 

Incident #2: Flying without a license or current medical clearance and having incomplete aircraft maintenance records

In the second incident, a 59 year old British pilot known for giving his passengers a “thrill” in the air ended up killing himself and his two passengers. Upon investigation:

It was discovered that Mr. Matthews, a pilot of some 19 years experience, should not even have been in the air. His license had lapsed, he had no current medical and his aircraft’s maintenance records were incomplete.

Incident #3: Improper descent below published minimum descent altitude during an approach

In the third incident, a Rhode Island based pilot and his passenger were killed after hitting trees on a practice instrument approach at night. According to the NTSB, the accident was caused by:

The pilot’s improper descent below the published minimum descent altitude during the approach, which resulted in controlled flight into terrain.

The original post in the All-Things-Aviation blog contains more details about the three unfortunate incidents plus links to media reports about them. They are well worth reading as a reminder of the need for common sense while flying.