ASOG Article of the Month - March 2020
ASOG Author: Gareth Davies; Image: Wikicommons.Saberwyn
In aviation and especially in the Airborne Sensor Operator community, are specific golden rules being forgotten, which ensures safety and avoids unnecessary accidents? Gareth Davies discusses this and how the ASO community can make a difference.
Flying is like skiing
Many years ago, F.I.S. (Federation Internationale de Ski) produced 10 rules for safe skiing. These 10 rules were plastered on the sides of the huts at the start of T-Bars and chairlifts. As the queue slowly shuffled past these posters and placards there was plenty of time to read them. They are:
- Respect for others: A skier or snowboarder must behave in such a way that he does not endanger or prejudice others.
- Control of speed and skiing or snowboarding: A skier or snowboarder must move in control. He must adapt his speed and manner of skiing or snowboarding to his personal ability and to the prevailing conditions of terrain, snow and weather as well as to the density of traffic.
- Choice of route: A skier or snowboarder coming from behind must choose his route in such a way that he does not endanger skiers or snowboarders ahead.
- Overtaking: A skier or snowboarder may overtake another skier or snowboarder above or below and to the right or to the left provided that he leaves enough space for the overtaken skier or snowboarder to make any voluntary or involuntary movement.
- Entering, starting and moving upwards: A skier or snowboarder entering a marked run, starting again after stopping or moving upwards on the slopes, must look up and down the slopes that he can do so without endangering himself or others.
- Stopping on the piste: Unless absolutely necessary, a skier or snowboarder must avoid stopping on the piste in narrow places or where visibility is restricted. After a fall in such a place, a skier or snowboarder must move clear of the piste as soon as possible.
- Climbing and descending on foot: A skier or snowboarder either climbing or descending on foot must keep to the side of the piste.
- Respect for signs and markings: A skier or snowboarder must respect all signs and markings.
- Assistance: At accidents, every skier or snowboarder is duty-bound to assist.
- Identification: Every skier or snowboarder and witness, whether a responsible party or not, must exchange names and addresses following an accident.
So even after a day’s skiing, these rules were instilled and, for the most part, followed.
Forget me not!
Fast forward to today’s generation of snowboarders whose parents (as they did not snowboard) had no chance to teach their offspring ‘mountain lore,’ and the onset of ever-faster ways up the mountain meant that these rules were not being read and therefore not taken in.
Because of this, they’re now relegated to a small placard next to a set of tools for binding adjustment, i.e., away from the queues and the main body of operators. Silly really as those with enough knowledge to be able to adjust bindings know these rules backward.
Flying is not inherently dangerous, however…
My point. A lot more people should know the rules, and when the majority know the rules accidents are less likely to happen.
Contrast that to the recent sad Helicopter accident in California with NBA Star Kobe Bryant onboard; Double IIMC (Inadvertent Immersion/instrument to Meteorological Conditions) is bandied about as a possible cause. Far be it me to second guess the NTSC; however, if more people, Aircrew, TFO’s and passengers, knew about IIMC I would l bet my last dollar of there being less of these types of accidents.
Let me explain. I am not a pilot nor qualified aircrew however I was the chairman of the Police Aviation Conference for 12 years. Over the years I have met and chatted with any number of Aviation Safety Unit (ASU) chief pilots. To a man their unspoken (well publicly anyway) fear was IIMC. With or without IFR training this condition was the minefield in the sky. This was a condition to be avoided at all costs. Because Dear reader Double IIMC is an Inadvertent Immersion/instrument to Meteorological Conditions (IIMC). To us laymen this means suddenly (inadvertent) you are flying blind. Very limited or even no spatial awareness, no reference points and therefore no way on knowing where you are relevant to terrain. Once more for us layman this means cloud, fog, smoke or mist.
To re-enforce this, on March 27, 1977 over 500 people died in Tenerife Spain when two 747s collided on the runway. Fog was factor as was a peer pressure issue between a junior and senior pilot. I have always found it strange when the final report on such incidents are published. Strange because in most cases they, more or less, read the same.
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!
Event though the pilot on aircrews are trained to recognize and manage an IIMC situation, other crewmembers are not. Organizations like ASOG, aircrew associations and aviation schools can play a major part in minimizing aviation accidents by promoting education programs that provide the necessary knowledge and tools for non-pilot crewmembers to enhance the effectiveness of the crew.
I think it would be a tremendous advantage to all who fly in helicopter’s (and even fixed-wing aircraft) because I know enough to want to know these things before I get into one:
- What are the prevailing weather conditions?
- Is the pilot IFR trained?
- Does the company they fly for have an IFR rating?
- Is the aircraft rated for IFR?
And even then, I am going to be sceptical.
For pilots reading these please do not take these questions as an insult to your ability. I have since learned that IIMC is such a serious matter that if you think there is any possibility at all being anywhere near a potential IIMC, thank you I’ll take a bus (and perhaps you should too).
The final leap!
As for FIS and the skiing community not re-enforcing these basic golden rules, people keep leaping out onto the piste without looking, blocking path and entry ways and stopping just over the brow of a hill where they cannot be seen, with resulting injuries and deaths!
Regarding the aviation community and especially the aircrew world, educating and implementing basic airmanship rules for all aircrew positions is critical in minimizing future aviation injuries and deaths!
I leave you with General Wilbur “Bill” Creech because I think it applies in any organization as well in a cockpit:
"Many people believe that decentralization means loss of control. That's simply not true. You can improve control if you look at control as the control of events and not people. Then, the more people you have controlling events -- the more people you have that care about controlling the events, the more people you have proactively working to create favourable events -- the more control you have within the organization, by definition."
-- Gen. Bill Creech (Commander, United States Air Force Tactical Air Command from May 1, 1978 to December 31, 1984)
Comments
First, good read. US Navy has long been on board with CRM (Crew Resource Management) and ACT (Aircrew Coordination Training) both forms of crew management came from the commercial airlines' world. Wheater it is a crew of two, or twenty-six, each member will have certain roles and responsibilities regarding operations. If you are not willing to try and understand what the pilots and aircraft capabilities are, then well, you are a fool.
Scott