Air Safety

But why should this be so? There can be no doubt that individual pilots remain “once bitten, twice shy”. And those who are close to these accidents, or upon whom they make a deep impression, don’t usually forget either. Unhappily of course, most of those who make the headlines don’t get a second chance.

Yet it is obvious that there are some pilots in the private category, probably for a variety of reasons, who simply do not get the message of these tragedies. Perhaps they’ve gained their licences since the circumstances of a particular type of accident were common talk in the industry. Perhaps they heard about it at the time, but then forgot its message under the pressure of everyday concerns. Perhaps they have moved up to a more advanced type of flying, or to types of aircraft that are more demanding in one way or another.

Whatever the reason, long experience has shown that systematically analysing various types of oft-repeated accidents one by one over a period of time, effective though it is in “drilling in” a particular safety lesson in a way that is unlikely to be forgotten, is not always the most efficient way of educating inexperienced pilots in the art of becoming safety conscious. The unpalatable truth is that aviation has a well nigh inexhaustible supply of unforeseen pitfalls for the unwary. To progressively cover them all by citing representative object lessons from the harsh school of experience is necessarily a long term project – one which by its nature cannot always achieve an immediate effect in the area where the need may be greatest. As a result, some unfortunate inevitably “slip through the (safety education) net. ”

For this reason, this issue of Australian Aviation offers the following reminders for safe flying, a preflight checklist of “do’s” and “don’ts” as an aid to safer operations. It is aimed primarily at private pilots who have not been flying very long, and at those who do not fly often enough for these things to become second nature – as they are with pilots who earn their living in aviation.

Some of the items might seem obvious or superfluous, especially to the more experienced. For these we make no apology – every point listed can be substantiated by accidents or incidents that came about because that particular item was overlooked!

A Preflight Checklist

Note: This is in no sense a substitute for flight preparation requirements specified by the CAA, but an aide memoire for the easily overlooked “little things” which experience has shown can become the ingredients for an accident

Aircraft operator

• Am I in current practice on the type?

• Am I fully familiar with: The fuel system, fuel pump and mixture control operation? Power settings? Operation of the cowl flaps? Operating ranges for oil temperature and pressure, fuel pressure and cylinder head temperature? How to use the carburetor heat control to best advantage? The undercarriage emergency extension system?

Aircraft serviceability

• Is there a need to carry tie-down equipment on the trip?

• Have I ensured there are no rags, bird’s or wasps’ nests, or other foreign matter in the engine compartment, air intakes, static and fuel tank vents, or pitot heads?

• Is the engine oil level correct?

• Are the oil cap and dipstick secure?

• Are the cowlings and inspection hatches secure?

• Have the external control locks and pitot head covers been removed?

• Is the windscreen clean?

• Is the flight manual on board the aircraft? Is the maintenance release valid? Has a daily inspection been completed and signed out? Radio

• Have I the correct frequencies for the proposed trip?

• If HF radio is fitted, are the available frequencies properly  placarded?

• If flying in a remote area, have I a serviceable ELB?

Emergency equipment

• Is there an adequate quantity of water on board?

• Are emergency rations warranted for the flight?

• Is the aircraft’s first aid kit fully stocked and in good condition?

• What about other survival gear? (See the pink pages of the ERS)

• If a portion of the flight is to be over water, is there an approved type life jacket for each person on board?

Loading

• Do I know how to use the performance and load charts contained in the aircraft’s flight manual?

• Is the load within the maximum permissible weight, allowing

for any limitations imposed by the departure and destination aerodromes?

• Is the centre of gravity within allowable limits?

• Is the load properly secured?

• Have any ferrous metal or magnetic articles been stowed where they could affect the compass reading in flight?

Fuel

• Have the fuel sump and filter bowl drains been adequately checked for water and other contaminants? (Remember that wrinkles in the base of “bag” type fuel tanks can sometimes “trap” small quantities of water, preventing it reaching the tank sumps when the aircraft has been standing for a time. The remedy is to give the wings a good shake -and if possible pull down the tail (the problem does not occur in tail wheel aircraft) – before checking the sumps.

• Is the fuel on board sufficient for the flight, including reserves and possible diversions?

• Have I made an adequate allowance for variations in fuel consumption with altitude flown and power used? Have I a satisfactory method of fuel management?

• Have I physically checked the fuel tank contents?

• Are the tank caps properly secured?

Weather

• Does the forecast I have obtained cover the period in which the flight will take place?

• Will there be adequate cloud clearance above the en route terrain to maintain flight in VMC?

• Will I be able to remain clear of cloud or sub-standard visibility at all times?

• What is the likelihood of carburetor icing?

• Is an “escape route” available if I encounter weather worse than forecast?

Navigation

• Are my WAC Charts current editions?

• Have I the latest VECs, VTCs and ERS applicable to the route to be flown?

• What Restricted and Danger Areas are there on, or close to, the proposed track?

• Have I checked the NOTAMS relevant to the route?

• Have I an adequate knowledge of the route to be flown and the airways procedures to be followed? En route? In controlled airspace? At primary airports? Secondary airports? In M-TAFS and C-TAFS? At other aerodromes?

• Is my flight plan accurate and sufficiently detailed for me to know my position at all times?

• Have I a safe alternative plan in case things “don’t work out”?

• Have I sufficient daylight for the whole operation – including the alternative plan?

• Are my SAR arrangements watertight and realistic?

Destination

• Have I checked the current NOTAMS for the destination aerodrome?

• Am I familiar with any local procedures?

• Is the likely crosswind component within the limit specified for the aircraft type?

• What is the surface like? Is it likely to be affected by rain?

• If the planned destination is an ALA, have I the owner’s authority to use it, as well as details of any operational limitations?

• Is it adequate for the aircraft type?

• Are there any hard to see obstructions on the approach – such as powerlines? Are there likely to be livestock on the ground?

• Do I know the location of the aerodrome in relation to the town or other prominent landmark? In other words, will I be able to find it?

• Is the correct grade of fuel available? What about oil if the engine should need it?

• What about accessibility to a telephone, transport, and accommodation?

A special word on remote area flying

All the foregoing can be usefully applied to almost any cross country flight, no matter how modest. But if the flight is to be made into Australia’s remote areas – frequently a favourite holiday ambition for private pilots and their friends – even more preparation and care is advisable, especially if it is a first venture into our great outback.

Doing one’s “homework” thoroughly before the trip is of paramount importance. Studying all the relevant charts well in advance, drawing in all the tracks to be flown, and preparing pro forma flight plans showing headings and distances, will greatly reduce the pressure on the pilot as day succeeds day on the actual trip. There is more than enough to contend with each day – arranging transport, refuelling, daily inspections, loading, dealing with any “snags” – without having do all the basic flight preparation from scratch.

If there are two pilots to share the workload, so much the better. Two heads are always better than one, especially when neither of them are highly experienced. But – and this is a vital proviso – let the roles of each be clearly defined before departure on each leg, ie who will do the actual flying, and who is responsible for the navigation and radio work. This division of responsibility can work very well, providing both pilots are fully conversant with the details of the flight plan and, most important of all, there is a clear decision as to who is the pilot-in-command for that particular leg. Experience has shown that “dual command” can be an accident going somewhere to happen.

Light aircraft navigation in remote areas is an exercise calling for a high level of alertness. Simply pressing on blindly, waiting for selected check points or landmarks to “appear”, can be a recipe for disaster. Continuous map reading, of the sort that enables you to pinpoint the aircraft’s position at any time, is the essence of visual navigation in the outback. In other words, know where you are all the time. If you do become unsure of your position at any time, maintain your heading until you are sure you should change it – don’t be tempted to wander about “chasing” landmarks you expect to see. And if you do change your heading, log that change with the time you made it.

Similarly, don’t go “chasing” ADF indications, particularly when tuned to the transistorised, low power NDBs that proliferate in the outback these days. Your ADFis a navigation aid, not a substitute for it. Over long distances, in the early morning and late afternoon, and in thunderstorm conditions, ADFs can give erroneous indications.

Ensure the directional gyro remains aligned with the magnetic compass. Check it frequently and don’t just follow the DG blindly – it may be failing. If it is suction driven, remember to monitor the suction gauge too. A vacuum pump failure could result in the DG wandering right off heading- and your aircraft too, if you are not “on the ball”. Generally speaking, higher cruising altitudes are preferable to lower ones when flying in the outback, both from the viewpoint of visual navigation and personal comfort. If possible, select an altitude that will place the aircraft above the inversion layer, and therefore thermal turbulence. This may not always be possible in the height of summer in the outback, and for this reason alone, planning a flight during these months may not be the wisest course. A long flight in hot weather with continuous thermal turbulence can be extremely tiring for those unaccustomed to such conditions, and can set the stage for errors of judgement.

On the subject of inflight crew fitness on long hot days, there is no substitute for chilled orange or tomato juice- “a little oft”. But don’t overdo it-it can be a long way to the nearest “facilities” on an outback flight in a light aeroplane! A good breakfast before starting each day is also highly recommended -whether you normally do so or not. Pies or sausage rolls for lunch can be disastrous, particularly in summer, but a good protein breakfast will comfortably get you through the day with only sandwiches as a “top up”. Without a good breakfast to begin the day, your blood sugar level may remain low, rendering you more liable to misjudgments under pressure. Snacking on fruit is also of great benefit, as many long haul airline pilots appreciate.

It should hardly be necessary to emphasis the extreme importance of carrying plenty of water-just in case. Aviation medicine authorities estimate that in the Australian inland in midsummer, men and women of European stock require no less than four litres of water each per day to avoid the debilitating effects of dehydration.

Finally, thoroughly assimilating the survival advice contained in the EMERG section (the pink pages) of the ERS is good insurance-make sure you carry a signalling mirror, torch, and matches somewhere in you kit. There is nothing in the nature of private flying that makes it any more accident prone than other categories of general aviation. Yet statistics show that it has the highest overall accident rate and the worst rate for fatal accidents. And in nearly every accident, circumstances point to a failure in the airmanship of the pilot concerned.

It has been said that nowhere else in aviation does the responsibility for safety devolve more personally that on the private pilot operating quite independently of any form of supervision. For this reason it is essential that private pilots develop the capacity for self appraisal and self discipline. Only by so doing can they attain a level of airmanship comparable with those who earn their living in the air and whose professional standards are a way of life.

Obviously private pilots who fly only occasionally cannot hope to achieve and maintain the competence of full time professionals. But at least in one respect their airmanship can be ever y bit as professional – in knowing and recognising their own limitations.

The private pilot who has a realistic estimate of his own capabilities, whether they be great or small, and who consistently flies within those limits, is the one who can be expected to stay around for a long time.

you have an air safety story to tell? Particularly one with a lesson that might save other pilots from making a similar error of judgement? If you have, write to Macarthur Job, cl- Australian Aviation, PO Box 3105, Weston Creek, ACT 2611. Contributors to this series are assured their anonymity will be fully respected!