Author Archive
Dangerous or Different?
This post first appeared on 4.26.11 in CS&A Insurance blog – Clear on Top
How do we determine is something is dangerous? Is there a universally known definition or just a matter of opinion? Webster defines the term as follows:
dan·ger·ous – adj – able or likely to inflict injury or harm
If we stop and think about the literal definition of dangerous, we realize that it applies to most things in our life. We start off each day with dangerous acts…shaving, taking a shower, cooking breakfast, driving to work…all of which have the ability to inflict injury or harm. How many of us have cut ourselves when shaving? How about burned yourself while cooking? And what about having an accident in a car? The generally accepted odds are that 1 in 4 people will be involved in a serious car accident in their lifetime. Let’s take that a step further, based on the average number of automobile trips made by Americans in their lifetime the odds of being killed in an accident are 1 in 140. Driving is the most dangerous activity undertaken by most Americans on a daily basis and very little thought is given to the dangers encountered because it is just a routine part of life.
Why does the general public view flying as being dangerous? Any time we cheat the laws of gravity we are entering into a “dangerous” scenario by definition; but is it really dangerous, or is it just different? According to the National Safety Council, the odds of being killed in a plane crash are about 1 in 250,000. In comparing these statistics you are 1,786 times more likely to die in a car than in a plane…in other words you are more likely to die on the way to the airport than in flight to your destination.
So what is it that is driving this dangerous view of flying? In short, lack of education and the media. This is a funny combination in my mind because the media is supposed to educate, but often times they are just as uneducated as the masses to which they are pontificating. How does a blind man know what color the sky is? He trusts the person describing it to him, even if that person is colorblind. In absence of knowledge we tend to believe whatever sounds the most accurate. So without further ado I give you some media quotes concerning recent flying scenarios making headlines.
“The Monday night close call, left Obama’s jet 2.94 miles away from slamming into the 200-ton C-17 plane…” – New York Post
This is what is known in the aviation world as a “go around”. It happens on a daily basis and exists for just such an occasion. When the required separation cannot be maintained or does not exist, the controllers direct the pilots to break off the approach and send them around to try it again. Let’s put this in perspective just to give you an idea how far 2.94 miles is…try 15,500 feet. This is a greater distance than all those aircraft that pass over your house on approach to landing if you live within 30 miles of a major airport. If their landing lights are on when they fly over your house at night, they are probably below 10,000 feet and only 1.89 miles away from slamming into your house.
“The pilots landed their planes safely but without help from the airport tower.” – ABC News
“Planes forced to land without help from tower at Reagan Natl” – America’s Newsroom
News flash…the tower does not and cannot help a pilot land an airplane. The tower can only give direction and recommendation just like the traffic cop at an intersection. Pilots land without help from the tower thousands of times every day…it’s how we were trained from Day 1.
Let’s face it, flying is still a widely misunderstood activity and as long as there are reporters there will be inaccurate news reports. As pilots, we are a relative minority and the understanding of flight is still a wondrous mystery to most. The how’s, why’s, and what if’s are the stuff of Hollywood legend. Entire movies have been made around the fear of flying and the perceived dangers that they instill are numerous. Aviation activities still draw front page news, from the airshow to the accident and the engine failure to the ATC actions. Is flying dangerous? Yes. Is it more so than other daily activities? No. It is up to us as pilots, air traffic controllers, and all other aviation support personnel to do all we can to operate as safely as possible and calm the fears of the general public.
Be professional, train appropriately, and be personable. Just because we can fly does not mean we are above anyone else.
Don’t Close the BARR
Originally published on Clear On Top on 4 March 2011
Federal officials released a proposal recently to the Federal Register that will limit the use of the BARR program to owners and operators of aircraft who are deemed to have a “valid security concern”. For a little over a decade, the Block Aircraft Registration Request (BARR) has provided a way for owners and operators with a privacy concern to have their N# and the corresponding flight information be blocked from public availability. Without the BARR, real-time information for any aircraft on an IFR flight plan is available to the public through the internet. Public use websites exist that provide ownership and tracking information on the aircraft including it’s location, altitude, airspeed, destination, and estimated time of arrival for little or no charge. To take this to the next level, apps exist for the iPhone and other smart phones that allow a user to point at an aircraft flying overhead and be provided with all the aforementioned information pulled from this public domain.
If this proposal is passed owners and operations will be required to re-submit written certification of a “valid security concern” on an annual basis for approval. The proposal defines a valid security concern as follows:
“A Valid Security Concern is a verifiable threat to person, property or company, including a threat of death, kidnapping or serious bodily harm against an individual, a recent history of violent terrorist activity in the geographic area in which the transportation is provided, or a threat against a company.”
Ed Bolen, President of the NBAA, issued a statement today saying that the proposal will grant “an unwarranted invasion of the privacy of aircraft owners and operators, a threat to the competitiveness of U.S. companies and a potential security risk to persons on board.” Bolen’s entire statement along with much more information concerning the proposal can be found on the NBAA website. I encourage you to take a bit of time and learn about the very real threat to your privacy that is lurking around the corner. We have 30 days to make our comments heard before this proposal comes up for action…the time to speak up is now.
Planes, Training and $100 Pancakes
Chris Davis is an aviation insurance specialist and Manager of the Light Aircraft Division at CS&A Aviation Insurance. He is passionate about aviation and active in the Experimental Aircraft Association where he currently serves as the Secretary / Treasurer as well as the Newsletter Editor for Chapter 863. He is also active in the Warbirds of America as well as holding the rank of Colonel in the Commemorative Air Force. His lifelong passion for aviation and various experiences give him an advantage in an industry where aviation safety and risk management are the focus.
We love to hear stories from other aviation enthusiasts and professionals, so here is a blog Chris wrote from the blogsite www.clearontop.com.
Planes, Training and $100 Pancakes by Chris Davis.
BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP! The alarm sounds so much louder at 05:30 on a Saturday morning than it does during the week, but what a sweet sound it makes. Today is the 3rd Saturday of the month and that means pancakes for breakfast. I ease out of bed, get dressed, kiss my wife goodbye and head to my sons room. Jacob is only 2 ½ , but he loves pancakes almost as much as he loves to fly…combine the 2 elements and it will wake him up faster than a double shot of espresso.
The sun begins to rise over the hills as we arrive at the airport to drag our steed from it’s hangar. We begin our walk around and the chilly morning air sends a little shiver through my body. Prop; check…Tires; check…Leading Edge; check…Fuel; clean and free of water…Control surfaces; free and correct. My dutiful co-pilot follows my every move, double checking each item on the pre-flight walk around. He faithfully asks the inevitable question at every item we check. Daddy, why? With all items satisfactory we enter the aircraft and strap in. Master switch: ON…Mixture: FULL…Boost pump: ON…as I lean my head out the window to check for prop clearance my co-pilot beats me to the punch “Keer Pop” he yells, with a grin so big his headset falls down around his chin. As the Maule breaks the morning silence, we turn on the avionics and enter 3M5 into the GPS. “Let’s go to Moontown and get some pancakes daddy!” I wiggle the rudder a bit to lock in the tailwheel and we begin our journey.
Our trip to breakfast usually takes about an hour and (thanks to my co-pilot) is filled with many steep turns, stalls, and floaters…the floaters are Jacobs favorite since he gets to be weightless for a few seconds. Often times we will join up with a few buddies for our breakfast journey and we use the trip to brush up on our formation flying maneuvers. All too quickly we make it to Moontown and enter the increasingly busy pattern to land. After demonstrating the proper soft field landing techniques to Jacob we taxi off the active runway and proceed to park. Breakfast seems to hit just the right spot as we sit around the picnic table and play “name that plane”. I talk shop with other pilots as Jacob finishes his second round of pancakes and then we proceed to walk down the growing flight line for some more hands on education.
Hidden amidst the tailwheels, trikes, amphibs and warbirds are a multitude of questions just waiting to be answered. Daddy, what kind of airplane is that? Why? What is the little wheel on the back for? Why? What makes it fly? Why? Why does it have two wings instead of one? I answer the questions one by one, often repeating the same question multiple times. Upon reaching the end of the current flight line we sit in the shade of an old Stearmans wings and watch the new arrivals as they land. How appropriate that we rest beneath an old trainer as I teach a future pilot.
The phone rings…a call from my wife signals that our kitchen pass will soon expire. The time has come for the men of the house to return home, the ladies have made plans for our afternoon. On the return flight my co-pilot reaches his duty limit…eyes closed and leaning against the window, his headset slowly begins to slide down. It is a quiet trip back to the hangar. This has been a fun trip and a very educational one for both of us…only 4 more weeks until we get to do it again.
Often times I hear light aircraft pilots complain about their insurance company requiring completion of an annual Flight Review or X number of dual hours prior to solo in a new aircraft. Just like my son, I have to ask why? Why are pilots complaining about having an excuse to fly? Many of the pilots who complain about the training requirements are the same ones that I will see at a pancake breakfast or local fly in. If I was a CFI and Jacob was older, he could receive his flight review endorsement each time we head out for pancakes provided we follow a few simple guidelines.
FAR 61.56 states: a flight review consists of a minimum of 1 hour of flight training and 1 hour of ground training. The review must include: (1) A review of the current general operating and flight rules of Part 91; and (2) A review of those maneuvers and procedures that, at the discretion of the person giving the review, are necessary for the pilot to demonstrate the safe exercise of the privileges of the pilot certificate.
Get a little creative. Find a local CFI and offer to pay his way to a fly-in breakfast in exchange for a flight review. Combine free breakfast with free flight time and most any pilot will jump at the chance. If a fly-in is not your thing, consider getting some tailwheel training or some formal formation training. Both of these areas will greatly improve your situational awareness as well as hone your flying skills. You will learn to anticipate and lead the aircraft to where you want it to go instead of directing its actions as you ride along. Tailwheel training will improve your precision on landings as well as focus your attention during ground handling. Formation training will teach you to plan ahead and to fly very smooth and precise as well as teach you how to pay close attention to detail.
No matter what form of training you choose, it is only as good as the effort that you put into it. Why continue to dread the flight reviews and proficiency checks only to forget what you learned before your next flight? Make the training something to look forward to…plan your next flight review around an upcoming event and enjoy the training. I guarantee you will get much more out of it and you will find yourself looking for more excuses to train.
Every time I take Jacob flying he is learning and asking why. In some ways he is my best little instructor. He reminds me that I should always be asking “why?” as I too am still learning to fly.
Clear skies and tailwinds!