November/DecemberSeptember/October 2019 2019

emergency!

Federal Aviation 8 Keep Calm and Carry On – 10 Engine Failure! – What Administration Staying Cool When Things Get Hot to Do if it Happens to You ABOUT THIS ISSUE...

U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration

ISSN: 1057-9648 FAA Safety Briefing September/October 2019 Volume 58/Number 4 The September/October 2019 issue of FAA Safety Briefing focuses on emergencies in aviation and how we Elaine L. Chao Secretary of Transportation react to them. Feature articles focus on the kind of events Stephen Dickson Administrator that can cause an emergency in flight and how we might Ali Bahrami Associate Administrator for Aviation Safety prevent and react to them. These topics include: engine Rick Domingo Executive Director, Flight Standards Service failures, the startle effect, smoke and fire, and balloons Susan Parson Editor and power lines. Tom Hoffmann Managing Editor James Williams Associate Editor / Photo Editor Jennifer Caron Copy Editor / Quality Assurance Lead Paul Cianciolo Associate Editor / Social Media Art Director Eleni Giannakopoulos Contact information The magazine is available on the Internet at: Published six times a year, FAA Safety Briefing, formerly www.faa.gov/news/safety_briefing FAA Aviation News, promotes aviation safety by discussing technical, regulatory, and procedural aspects affecting the safe Comments or questions should be directed to the staff by: operation and maintenance of aircraft. Although based on current • Emailing: [email protected] FAA policy and rule interpretations, all material is advisory or • Writing: Editor, FAA Safety Briefing, Federal Aviation informational in nature and should not be construed to have Administration, AFS-850, 800 Independence Avenue, SW, regulatory effect. Certain details of accidents described herein may have been altered to protect the privacy of those involved. Washington, DC 20591 • Calling: (202) 267-1100 The FAA does not officially endorse any goods, services, materials, or • Tweeting: @FAASafetyBrief products of manufacturers that may be referred to in an article. All brands, product names, company names, trademarks, and service marks are the properties of their respective owners. All rights reserved. Subscription information The Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government The Office of Management and Budget has approved the use Publishing Office, sells FAA Safety Briefing on subscription of public funds for printing FAA Safety Briefing. and mails up to four renewal notices.

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2 Jumpseat: an executive policy perspective The FAA safety policy voice of non-commercial general aviation 3 ATIS: GA news and current events

5 Aeromedical Advisory: a checkup on all things aeromedical

6 Condition Inspection: a look at specific medical conditions

23 : FAA resources and safety reminders

27 Nuts, Bolts, and Electrons: GA maintenance issues

28 Angle of Attack: GA safety 10 strategies 29 Vertically Speaking: safety issues for rotorcraft pilots Engine Failure! Why it Happens, How to Prevent It, and What to Do if it Happens to You 30 Drone Debrief: drone safety roundup

31 Flight Forum: letters from the Safety Briefing mailbag

32 Postflight: an editor’s perspective

Inside back cover: FAA Faces — FAA employee profile

The Dangerous Power of Power When Minutes Count. 20 Lines. Tips for Avoiding Collisions 24 Modern Helicopters Speed Up and Close Encounters the “Golden Hour”

8 Keep Calm and Carry On. On Staying Cool When Things Get Hot 14 Why Do I “Lockup” in the Cockpit? Strategies to Help You Overcome Your Startle Response

17 (Un) Holy Smoke! The Nightmare of Smoke, Fire, and Deadly Gas

September / October 2019 1 JUMPSEAT RICK DOMINGO, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, FLIGHT STANDARDS SERVICE

EVALUATING, EVOLVING, EMERGING

“Change can be frightening, and “Those who initiate change will have the temptation is often to resist it. a better opportunity to manage the But change almost always provides change that is inevitable.” opportunities — to learn new things, — William Pollard to rethink tired processes, and to improve the way we work.” Just as the Flight Standards Service — Klaus Schwab structural change was meant to support the organization’s cultural The change to the FAA Safety Briefing change, the magazine’s new design is design is not directly connected to the also intended to support the evolu- Flight Standards Service transition, tion of how we offer information. but the philosophy behind it is the It’s a busy world, and we all know same. As economist Klaus Schwab that everyone’s reading time is more notes in the quote above, it was time limited than ever before. We also to learn new things and rethink how recognize how the Internet and we work in terms of this publication. social media have conditioned us The team certainly wanted to all to expect, even demand, content freshen up the look and feel of how in shorter and punchier packages. “The most important skill you we present content, but the real There is still a place for longer pieces, need is the ability to learn how driver for the redesign is the mas- and you will continue to see “fea- to change and grow.” sive change in how we all consume ture-length” articles. But the new — Scott Cook content these days. Many of us now design, which includes more readable use eReaders of various kinds; in fact, fonts, better supports the team’s goal Normally I use this space to tee up the I have colleagues who actively disdain to offer more material that is easier to focus area for each new FAA Safety paper as “sooooo last century.” The read and absorb in the kind of time Briefing. I’ll get to that, but first let me magazine team introduced multiple you have available. talk about the new cover and interior format options for downloading each In This Issue … design that debuts here. publication some time ago, but the legacy format wasn’t as friendly as we Speaking of material: in view of our The Only Thing Constant Is Change! want it to be. rationale for the new design, it is very Regular readers will know that, along The rise of social media is another fitting that it frames this issue’s focus with other parts of the FAA, the Flight of the change drivers for the new on handling aviation emergencies. Standards Service I now lead has been design. I have always been proud that We’ll take a look at some of the obvi- immersed in change. We continue to the FAA Safety Briefing team has been ous varieties, but articles in this issue work on evolving our organizational at the forefront of FAA social media also emphasize managing your own culture to be more agile, efficient, and presence, contributing directly and reactions. As always, we hope you will consistent in how we perform our substantially to accounts for Face- read, heed, and let us know what you safety assurance mission to serve the book, Twitter, and Instagram. Because think. ever-changing aviation community. so many people today use social Just over two years ago, we comple- media channels as the primary source mented the cultural work — which is for content, we needed a design that inevitably continuous — by complet- would be more adaptable to this ing a major transition from our legacy method of dissemination. geography-based structure to one organized around major functions.

2 FAA Safety Briefing ATIS

AVIATION NEWS ROUNDUP

Reminder on IFR Clearances Please email Flight Services at with teaching pilots surface safety As part of a continued effort to [email protected] best practices. The new and improved streamline service delivery, the FAA if you have any questions. version is based directly on valuable recently published phone numbers feedback from airmen like you. for pilots to obtain or cancel IFR Reminder on ADS-B Rebate Rules Based on public recommendations, clearances directly from Air Traffic For general aviation (GA) operators this website is now compatible with at non-towered airports. The phone taking advantage of the FAA’s Auto- mobile devices and features a new 3-D numbers to obtain clearance delivery matic Dependent Surveillance – animation called “Use The Airport are listed in the communications sec- Broadcast (ADS-B) rebate program, Diagram.” Check out the runway tion of the Chart Supplement, US. rebate reservations must be made safety simulator at Many airports have direct com- within 90 days of the installation of RunwaySafetySimulator.com. munications outlets to Air Traffic. If the appropriate equipment. a clearance delivery phone number is If the 90 days pass without a reser- New Requirements for Recreational not listed, use one of the communica- vation being made, the rebate expires Drone Operators tions outlet options available for your and will be made available to others. The landscape for recreational opera- airport. In May, the FAA issued the last of tors is drastically changing as the FAA the 20,000, $500 rebate reservations is taking several measures to adjust to • Remote Communications Outlet offered to GA aircraft owners. Since the realities of a new world where over (RCO) frequency for Flight then, returned or expired reservations a million drone operators are entering Service or Remote Transmit are made available each Wednesday at the National Airspace System (NAS) Receive Outlet (RTR) frequency 1 p.m. Eastern Time on a first-come, in the U.S. alone. for Air Traffic. first-served basis. These new steps are consistent with • Ground Communications Outlet For information, and to process the requirements of Section 349 of the (GCO) connection to Air Traf- your claim for the FAA’s ADS-B FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018, and fic. If the GCO only connects rebate program for GA, visit they will make the NAS safer, insti- to Flight Service, contact Air bit.ly/claimADSB. tute an aeronautical knowledge and Traffic via the telephone number safety test for recreational fliers, and provided (currently available via Enhanced Runway Safety open the Low Altitude Authorization NOTAM until published). Pilot Simulator Notification Capability (LAANC) for This initiative does not affect This past summer, the FAA released this expanding user group. pilots requesting clearances from an enhanced runway safety pilot While recreational drones can still locations in Alaska. Find the “simulator.” The program was initially fly below 400 feet in uncontrolled information for your local airport released last year as an interactive, airspace without specific certification at bit.ly/ChartSupps. self-guided resource designed to assist or permission from the FAA, drone operators must still register their aircraft with the FAA. Operators are responsible for complying with all FAA airspace restrictions and prohibitions. Under Section 349, recreational operators must obtain an airspace authorization to fly in controlled airspace. ATC facilities will no longer accept requests to operate recre- ational drones in controlled airspace on a case-by-case basis. The FAA Screenshot of the newly enhanced Runway Safety Pilot Simulator. has recently upgraded LAANC to

September / October 2019 3 ATIS

students, affiliates, and partners to exchange information on strategies that aim to improve GA safety. For more information, go to Know Before You Fly is a joint educational campaign pegasas.aero or see our May/June by the FAA, AUVSI, and to promote safety in the 2018 issue in the archives at drone community through education and informa- bit.ly/FAASB-Arc. tion exchange. enable recreational flyers to obtain $478 Million in Infrastructure automated authorization for con- Grants to 232 Airports in 43 States trolled airspace flights. Go to faa.gov/ The Department of Transportation go/laanc for updates. Additionally, the Partnership to Enhance General will award $478 million in airport the FAA is exploring upgrades to Aviation Safety, Accessibility, and Sus- infrastructure grants to 232 airports FAADroneZone.faa.gov to enable tainability (PEGASAS) held its annual in 43 states, the Pacific Islands, and access to recreational flyers. meeting on the campus of Ohio State the District of Columbia. This is the The 2018 Act also requires recre- University. The event kicked off with fourth allotment of the total $3.18 ational flyers to pass an aeronautical keynote speaker Jaime Figueroa, billion in FAA Airport Improvement knowledge and safety test before deputy director of the FAA’s William J. Program (AIP) funding for airports accessing the NAS. The agency is Hughes Technical Center, who helped across the U.S. currently consulting with various UAS explain the important role COEs play Selected projects include runway stakeholders to develop that test, which in advancing aviation safety. reconstruction and rehabilitation, will be administered electronically. Following the opening remarks, a construction of firefighting facilities, For more details on these new student-led poster session and a series and the maintenance of taxiways, changes, go to faa.gov/uas/ of project presentations gave stu- aprons, and terminals. The construc- recreational_fliers. dents and faculty a chance to discuss tion and equipment supported by this updates on the many exciting and cut- funding increase the airports’ safety, PEGASAS Holds 2019 ting-edge GA research projects under- emergency response capabilities, and Annual Meeting way at PEGASAS. The annual meeting capacity, and could support further On June 5 and 6, the FAA’s Center of provides a collaborative environment economic growth and development Excellence (COE) for general aviation, for the FAA and PEGASAS faculty, within each airport’s region.

SAFETY ENHANCEMENT TOPICS Please visit bit.ly/GAFactSheets for more information on these and other topics.

SEPTEMBER OCTOBER Preflight After Maintenance Pilots and Medications What items should you focus Learn more about the on and/or add to your preflight possible side effects of inspection checklist after medications (prescribed or maintenance? over-the-counter) and whether they may be hazardous to flight operations.

4 FAA Safety Briefing MICHAEL BERRY, M.D., FEDERAL AIR SURGEON AEROMEDICAL ADVISORY

WHEN IS “GOOD ENOUGH” REALLY GOOD ENOUGH?

causes nausea, vomiting, and resolved for at least a day or two and diarrhea. Symptoms can be ensuring proper hydration (keep your distracting at best and inca- urine clear) should restore you to pacitating when severe. Most flight fitness. pilots recognize their impact Cutting recovery short is not on flight safety and do not advisable. In my days as an Aviation attempt to fly until they are Medical Examiner, I was working with resolved. Less obvious is a professional helicopter pilot. The that even when symptoms night before a flight he was awake all are resolved on the ground, night with severe abdominal - gas expansion occurring ing and diarrhea. He thought he was with increased altitude can better, but since he was still queasy rapidly turn “good enough” just before the noon flight, he took a into incapacitation. Dehy- couple swigs of Kaopectate. During dration, common in an acute flight, he had severe abdominal GI illness, can also lead to cramping and he lost consciousness. Am I fit to fly today? That’s a question impaired judgment. The result was a crash landing. every aviator faces before every flight. Food poisoning is another GI It is best to be off of all medicines A medical certificate means you were illness, one that can be hard to before returning to flight status. Don’t fit to fly the day it was issued and that prevent since any lapse in proper fly if a medication is necessary prior you are expected to remain so for food handling can create risk. Food to flight. If you don’t return to normal the certificate’s duration apart from poisoning can present suddenly with within a few days, see your physician short term illness or injury. It does little warning, but it generally devel- to make sure there is not some other not mean that you are okay each and ops over hours to days and usually cause. Stay hydrated, eat a healthy every day the certificate is valid. includes abdominal discomfort (quea- diet, and be well rested prior to flight. The decision not to fly is easy siness, ). If you have these on days when simply getting out of symptoms, especially if they become Dr. Michael Berry received an M.D. from the Uni- bed is difficult. It’s harder when an progressively worse, a precautionary versity of Texas Southwestern Medical School, and illness is developing or resolving: landing is advisable if you are flying a master’s in preventive medicine from Ohio State you feel okay, just not 100 percent. and certainly do not take off. The best University. He is certified by the American Board of Preventive Medicine in aerospace medicine. He Let’s look at some guidance on when prevention is to be very careful about served as an FAA senior aviation medical examiner “good enough” really is good enough. the source of your food and water, but and vice-president of Preventive and Aerospace Remember that 14 CFR section 61.53 remember that only one person with Medicine Consultants for 25 years before joining requires all pilots — including sport, an improper food handling technique the FAA. He also served as both a U.S. Air and glider, and balloon, and those using can cause food contamination. NASA flight surgeon. BasicMed — to make this self- The cure? Fortunately, just wait- assessment. ing until the symptoms have been

Common Causes The short term effects of an acute illness can range from annoying to IT IS BEST TO BE OFF OF ALL MEDICINES BEFORE RETURNING TO incapacitating. Gastro-intestinal (GI) FLIGHT STATUS. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD YOU FLY IF illness is a common cause of tempo- rary impairment. A MEDICATION IS NECESSARY PRIOR TO FLIGHT. GI illness, aka a “stomach bug,” can arise from a viral infection that

September / October 2019 5 CONDITION INSPECTION LEO M. HATTRUP, M.D.

WHERE THERE’S SMOKE … THERE’S TROUBLE!

No doubt about it: smoke and fumes fresh air helps, more rapid clearing is you are using dry ice for cooling, such in the cockpit create an acute medical accomplished by increasing the oxy- as for meat and/or fish obtained on a emergency for pilots and potentially gen percentage of the air you inhale. vacation trip. When possible, carry it for their passengers. Here’s what you A nasal cannula will help, but a full in a baggage compartment outside the need to know. face mask with 100 percent is cabin and always ensure good venti- preferable. lation. Carbon Monoxide Please note that this advice is not As with CO, symptoms of CO2 poi- Smoke is a direct irritant for the eyes, intended to teach you how to treat soning include fatigue, headache, and mucous membranes of the nose and yourself, but rather to provide self- cloudy thinking. You need to remove mouth, and lungs. Carbon monoxide aid steps pending definitive medical yourself from the source as quickly as (CO) is present in both smoke from possible. Recovery is rapid as, unlike

fires and in engine exhaust gases CO, CO2 does not have a high affinity (incomplete combustion), so a leak to hemoglobin, and clears rapidly in the manifold can surreptitiously NO DOUBT ABOUT IT: once removed from the source. introduce CO into the cabin air. This SMOKE AND FUMES IN THE Smoke and fumes in the cockpit is particularly problematic in single have caused many cases of impair- engine aircraft as exhaust gases are COCKPIT CREATE AN ACUTE ment/incapacitation. Do not forget the source of cabin heat. Burning MEDICAL EMERGENCY. that in an emergency you can request plastics also release CO at high levels. priority handling from ATC. Just Regardless of the source, you should make sure you request assistance know that CO is odorless, colorless, promptly as symptoms can progress and dangerous. A CO detector is a care. Once on the ground, call 911 for rapidly. worthwhile investment and standard assistance. In the case of severe CO Finally, do not ignore the problem:

in many new aircraft. poisoning, you might need hyperbaric the best place to sort out CO/CO2 If there is a fire, take the necessary treatment. The 911 operator can help symptoms is on the ground. Once you steps as outlined in the AFM/POH or you can call the Divers Alert Net- have landed, you should have a bias to avoid exposure. Even low levels work at either (919) 684-2948 or (800) toward seeking medical , as of CO are dangerous as CO binds to 446-2671. A hospital emergency room your judgment to determine the need hemoglobin over 200 times greater should also be able to assist you. for it is frequently impaired. than oxygen does. This means that CO effectively blocks the hemoglobin Carbon Dioxide Leo M. Hattrup, M.D., received a bachelor’s degree molecule, to which it is bound, from Fumes can be a product of combus- from Wichita State University, a master’s in public transporting oxygen from your lungs tion or can result from cargo contents. health from Harvard University, and a doctorate to the rest of your body. With con- A common and potentially dangerous from Vanderbilt University. He is retired from the U.S. Air Force in which he spent the majority of his tinued exposure to CO, less and less gas is carbon dioxide (CO2). CO2 is a career in aerospace medicine. He is board certified hemoglobin is available for oxygen product of complete combustion and in aerospace and occupational medicine. He is transport and your becomes is nearly odorless and colorless. It is a certificated flight instructor and enjoys flying less and less effective. CO poisoning also a product of and will airplanes, helicopters, and gliders. causes headaches, nausea, dizziness, build up if the ventilation is poor. fatigue and eventually mental impair- Another source is “dry ice,” which

ment and death. is frozen CO2. Dry ice is often used for The immediate remedy is to long distance transport when items remove yourself from the source as must be kept frozen. Cargo airliners soon as possible. However, symptoms have made emergency evacuations

can persist even when the cabin has when CO2 levels rose in the aircraft been vented or source isolated. While from sublimation. Be extra cautious if

6 FAA Safety Briefing faa.gov/go/equipadsb Don’t Fail the Veil!

To fly inside Mode C veil equip with ADS-B by 1-1-20 faa.gov/go/equipadsb

September / October 2019 7 You have possibly never heard of Harvard professor Walter Bradford Cannon — I confess I had not — but it’s a sure thing that every human being has at some point experienced the “fight-or-flight” response he first named in 1915.

8 FAA Safety Briefing ust to get the definitions out of the way, the more For any incipient or full-blown emergency, though, step formal names for fight-or-flight include “hyper- one always has to be keeping your wits about you. There arousal” and “acute stress response.” All of these is simply no place on the flight deck for the fight-or-flight J terms describe a physiological reaction that occurs response to become a -stricken, freeze-or-flail flurry in response to a perceived threat or harm. of unfocused activity. In that connection, the direction to “keep calm and The Challenge: Fight-or-Flight Response carry on” is, or should be, the first item on your emergency Given the nature of aviation, I venture to guess that every checklist. While globally past and present pilot on the planet has experienced the popular now, this deft little fight-or-flight reaction — at least once! — while in actual There is no phrase originated in Britain flight above the earth. It could be that little hiccup you place for circa 1939. His Majesty’s heard from the “hood” section of your aircraft. Or maybe it fight-or-flight Government had warned was the oil gauge whose needle just dipped below to become a the populace to expect mass the comforting green-is-good range … or the ammeter aerial attacks on major cities, that is twitching in a very wrong direction. But mechan- freeze-or-flail and some clever bureaucrat ical glitches are not the only reason for those adrenaline flurry. (yes, they do exist!) came up surges common to the fight-or-flight condition. Maybe with the now-famous phrase you find yourself flying VFR in weather that has developed for placards and posters. As Wikipedia observes, the phrase into no-kidding instrument-meteorological conditions. is “evocative of the Victorian belief in British stoicism — You could have a sick passenger whose condition not only the ‘stiff upper lip’ of self-discipline, fortitude, and remain- affects him or her, but also creates a potentially dangerous ing calm in adversity.” distraction from your duties as pilot-in-command. Or Thankfully, you don’t have to be British or have Spock- … okay, you get the idea. The possible causes of an aerial like British stoicism to benefit from the advice to remain emergency are as varied as the number of aircraft and the calm in adversity. In this emergency-focused issue of FAA pilots who fly them. Safety Briefing magazine, we’ll review tips for managing and mitigating the startle effect you have to quell in order The Antidote: Keep Calm and Carry On to keep calm. In other articles, we will look at practical tips Given that infinite range, it’s not possible to have a set pro- to help you carry on in a disciplined, orderly, and produc- cedure for every single bad thing that could happen. Even tive manner. Also, since the best way to avoid dealing with if we did, the limits of human would keep us from an emergency is to avoid having that emergency in the first knowing them all. place, we’ll offer some reminders on prevention of the most That’s not to say that pilots should not strive to con- common (and most easily avoided) scenarios. stantly develop knowledge and regularly practice proce- So buckle up and join us as we keep calm and carry on dures to deal with some of the more common emergency through this vital topic. scenarios. On the contrary, knowledge and skill are crucial, and you can never go wrong by striving to be mentally and Susan Parson ([email protected]) is editor of FAA Safety Briefing and a physically prepared for the proverbial “anything.” Special Assistant in the FAA’s Flight Standards Service. She is a general aviation pilot and flight instructor.

September / October 2019 9 engine failure!

Why it Happens, How to Prevent It, and What to Do if it Happens to You

BY TOM HOFFMANN

10 FAA Safety Briefing consider myself extremely fortunate to have never Much of this research mirrored the findings of Desig- experienced an engine failure in flight (knock on wood nated Pilot Examiner (DPE), Master Instructor, and Wis- — or at least the dull grey particle board serving as my consin FAASTeam Lead Rep Woody Minar, who looked at I desk.) That said, I know more than a few pilots who 700 engine failure related accidents from 2001-2017. In his have endured that misfortune, and with varying degrees of study, Minar narrowed the reasons for engine failure to six success. Some escaped completely unscathed, both plane key areas: fuel exhaustion, maintenance/mechanical issues, and person, while others suffered significantly worse con- unknown, carburetor ice, water/debris in fuel, and simu- sequences. lated engine failures. Pilot error still contributed to 49% of It’s sobering to think how these magnificent aerial steeds the engine failures. that routinely whisk us off to places near and far can give up the ghost and leave us literally between a cloud and a How to Prevent It hard place. But since a majority of engine failures arise Notable preflight oversights that lead to engine failure from human error, there’s a lot we can do to minimize the include loose fuel caps, unsumped fuel tanks, and clogged chances of our engines going silent in flight. Sound proce- fuel vents. All these mistakes could be easily identified dures and preparation can also help assure a safe outcome before even starting the engine. The takeaway: never in the event your engine decides to call it quits. underestimate the importance of a good preflight inspec- tion and briefing. Why it Happens During flight, stay engaged with the health and status In a study that analyzed general aviation (GA) accidents of your systems, regularly check your oil pressure and from 2001-2010, the FAA determined system component , and failure – powerplant (SCF-PP) to be the third highest acci- listen for abnormal dent category behind loss of control and controlled flight During your flight, engine sounds. into terrain. More recent data indicates a continuation of stay engaged Passengers can this trend, which got the attention of the General Aviation with the health help with these Joint Steering Committee (GAJSC) and spurred creation and status of monitoring tasks. of a SCF-PP working group in 2014. Their task was to Staying engaged perform a deep dive examination of accidents related to your systems. also means mon- powerplant failure and develop educational outreach and itoring fuel. Fuel mitigation strategies. Their study helped identify some of management (or mismanagement, to be more precise) is the more prevalent problems. Not surprisingly, human foi- a predominant factor in engine failures. While fuel lines bles — not malicious mechanical gremlins — caused most and filters can become clogged and cause a shutdown, fuel problems. starvation is primarily an operator error. Failure to verify

(top) The end result of a catastrophic engine failure.

(right) It’s important to check engine performance after maintenance has been completed. Mechanics can make mistakes; loose oil and fuel fittings and fuel selector valves installed backwards are just a few of the maintenance-related errors that have appeared in accident reports.

September / October 2019 11 lookout for warning signs like irregular oil pressure and temperature fluctuations, excessive RPM drops during a magneto check, or an excessive cylinder head temperature. If something seems odd, have a mechanic take a look. Stay on top of your aircraft’s maintenance needs and required inspections. That includes annuals, applicable airworthiness directives, and time-in-service intervals for life-limited parts or systems. It’s also important to check engine performance after maintenance has been completed. Never underestimate the importance of a good preflight inspection and briefing. Mechanics can make mistakes; loose oil and fuel fittings and fuel selector valves installed backwards are just a few fuel levels in the tank(s), underestimating head winds, of the maintenance-related errors that have appeared in and to inspect fuel with your eyes and nose can accident reports. In addition to verifying all fasteners are all lead to you receiving an unexpected glider lesson. The present and accounted for, do a thorough run-up and a few same tips apply to inflight fuel management: keep tabs on circuits in the pattern after any work has been performed. fuel burn rate and the position of the fuel selector. Of course there are still days when your magnificent If it Happens to You ... flying machine mis- Now let’s take a look at what to do if your engine does Every flight should behaves. Although decide to fly west. uncommon, parts First and foremost, stay calm. Panic will only waste two be an opportunity and components do of your most precious commodities at this moment — time to hone your fail. Hidden prob- and altitude. Fly the airplane and rely on your training and emergency skills. lems could lurk in procedures. Start with memory items and if time permits, cylinders, pistons, follow the engine failure checklist which should always be valves, crankshaft, or fuel lines, for example. Be on the in reach, and may lead to a successful restart. Your priori-

MALFUNCTION PROBABLE CAUSE CORRECTIVE ACTION Loss of rpm during cruise flight Carburetor or induction icing or air filter clogging Apply carburetor heat. If dirty filter is suspected and non- (non altitude engines) filtered air is available, switch selector to unfiltered position. Loss of manifold pressure during Same as above Same as above cruise flight Turbocharger failure Possible exhaust leak. Shut down engine or use lowest practicable power setting. Land as soon as possible. High oil pressure Cold oil Warm engine in prescribed manner. Possible internal plugging Reduce power. Land as soon as possible. Low oil pressure Broken pressure relief valve Land as soon as possible or feather prop and stop engine. Insufficient oil Same as above Burned out bearings Same as above Rough running engine Improper mixture control setting Adjust mixture for smooth operation. Defective ignition or valves Consult maintenance personnel. Detonation or preignition Reduce power, enrich mixture, open cowl flaps to reduce cylinder head temp. Land as soon as practicable. Induction air leak Reduce power. Consult maintenance personnel. Plugged fuel nozzle (fuel injection) Same as above Excessive fuel pressure or fuel flow Lean mixture control Loss of fuel pressure Engine-driven fuel pump failure Turn on boost pumps. No fuel Switch tanks, turn on fuel

Commonly experienced in-flight abnormal engine instrument indications, their possible causes, and corrective actions. For a full list, see chapter 17 of the Airplane Flying Handbook bit.ly/AFHch17.

12 FAA Safety Briefing ties include establishing best glide speed, finding a place to is necessary, ATC can also help first responders get to your land, and declaring an emergency. location more quickly. According to Larry Bothe, DPE, Master Instructor and FAASTeam Rep in the Indianapolis area, one of the biggest To Succeed, Prepare to Fail mistakes pilots make is not checking fuel early enough “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” in an emergency. “After an engine failure, switch tanks and flip on your boost pumps,” says Bothe. “Many times — Benjamin Franklin that will get your engine purring again. You can chastise yourself later for being dumb.” Be sure to check your Pilot’s Mr. Franklin’s adage on an ounce of prevention being Operating Handbook for any specific instructions on man- worth a pound of cure is equally fitting here. Losing an aging fuel after engine failure. engine in flight can be a scary and downright gut-wrench- ing experience. As we’ve pointed out, though, vigilance and It’s as Easy as ABC (and DEFG) preparation will substantially improve your chances for a One helpful checklist you can use with an engine successful outcome. On every flight, use every opportunity emergency is ABCDEFG. to hone emergency skills. Plan what you would do if you lost an engine at regular intervals of a flight, from takeoff to • Airspeed: establish the correct speed and maintain it. landing. Rehearse flow checks and memory items so they • Best field or landing option: pick it and head for it. become instinctive and methodical. In summary, don’t rely on luck; count on training and preparation to keep your •  Cockpit Checks: do your flow checks; you might be a motor running. switch flick away from a non-emergency. If time per- mits, use the emergency checklist. Editor’s note: The FAA Safety Briefing staff is sad to report that Woody • Declare Emergency: use current frequency or 121.5 Minar, one of the FAASTeam Representatives who contributed to this and squawk 7700. article, passed away in July. We offer our condolences to Woody’s family and friends, with gratitude for his lifelong commitment to aviation safety. • Exit Preparation: adjust your seats/seatbelts, brief your passengers, and prep for landing. Tom Hoffmann is the managing editor of FAA Safety Briefing. He is a commercial • Fire Prevention: fuel off and turn off the 3 Ms: mags, pilot and holds an A&P certificate. mixture, and master. • Ground Plan: have an egress plan and make use of equipment as needed. (Please see this issue’s Checklist department for details and other emergency .)

It’s probably fair to say that the most demanding part of any engine-out checklist is selecting a safe landing site. It requires you to rapidly assess glide distance, landing roll, micrometeorological conditions, landing , and min- imizing risk of injury to persons or property on the ground, not to mention yourself. Bothe urges pilots to be keenly aware of wind direction. “You need to land into the wind,” he says, warning that pilots sometimes get lulled into choos- Although it doesn’t involve an engine failure, check out the cool-as- ing the closest part of a field. “[Landing upwind] can make a-cucumber reactions of the Grumman Avenger pilot in this video a huge difference in the amount of energy you need to dissi- during an inflight emergency at the 2015 Arsenal of Democracy pate and reduce the chance of severe injuries.” If you haven’t flyover in Washington, D.C., youtu.be/HkvcwXqBJDQ . He reacted been monitoring the wind during flight, you can pick up to what he perceived as an onboard fire and immediately broke for- clues from smoke, tree limbs, or wind lines on water. mation to make an emergency landing at Reagan National Airport. Bothe is also a strong advocate for getting ATC help It turned out to be a hydraulic system leak and thankfully all aboard during an emergency. “Outside people who see the big were safe. Pilots participating in this event meticulously planned picture on radar and know exactly where you are is a really for contingencies all along the route of flight and this foresight di- big help,” says Bothe. He recalls during one engine failure rectly contributed to a safe outcome. Strive for this level of planning ATC provided directions to the nearest airport before he and preparation during your next flight. even had a chance to check GPS. If an off-airport landing

September / October 2019 13 Strategies to Help You Overcome Your Startle Response BY JENNIFER CARON

t’s perfect flying weather — the air is still, the skies are deep-seated, reflexive action initiated by the limbic system, blue, and the ride is silky smooth. Nothing could spoil the most ancient part of the . For billions of years, it’s this perfect flight. But wait, what’s that clanking sound? been key to evolution- I Suddenly there’s a bang. “My engine’s dead! This can’t be ary success because it happening! Not to me! What do I do?!! What do I do?!!” instantly prepares us When you’re in the middle of an unexpected event, it’s for flight, to fight, or to tough (but not impossible) to react calmly, rationally, and freeze when faced with remember your training. It may help to recognize that an unexpected event. there’s a scientific reason why it’s not so easy for human The startle response is beings to keep calm. physiological in nature. It’s that sudden kicking Knee Jerk Response motion you experience Humans are wired to react instinctively to powerful stim- when the doctor whacks uli, like the pain of touching a hot stove, or the shock of your knee with that little hearing loud bangs on what was an otherwise picture-per- rubber hammer. That’s fect, textbook flight. Your instinctive reaction to unex- an evolutionary mech- pected events is called the Human Startle Response. It is a Keep calm and navigate on.

14 FAA Safety Briefing anism your body uses to automatically and unconsciously sustain balance and posture. So “knee-jerk reaction” has become the shorthand for any immediate, unthinking response. Hollywood filmmakers and Halloween enthusiasts are notorious for taking advantage of our startle response. By means of terrifying visuals and high-pitched, unexpected sounds, they trigger our instinct for flight, to fight, or to freeze, in response to the perceived, yet non-existent dan- Manage your perception of the event. ger before us. That’s fine, and can be fun when it happens on the ground, but the flight, fight, or freeze response is not I’m Not Surprised helpful during an aviation emergency. There are several things that you can do to efficiently accept and act. First, you can manage your perception of the event. From Denial to Acceptance Evidence shows that your perception of a problem (and the Pilots are susceptible to the startle response when faced stress it creates) is directly related to the environment in with unexpected events such as a partial/full loss of power which it occurs. So push yourself to stop, think, and analyze on takeoff, landing gear extension/retraction failures, bird the situation before you reach a conclusion or act. strikes, or control problems/failures. The heart starts to Here’s an example. Let’s say it’s your birthday and a race, the adrenaline increases, breath quickens, and stress group of friends and family are crouched just inside the levels go up. A certain amount of stress is good, since it front door. As soon as you enter, they all jump out and yell, keeps us alert and can improve our performance. But when “Surprise!!” Your startle stress levels exceed our ability to cope, problem-solving response kicks in: your gets sluggish, decision-making skills are impaired, and Manage your heart races, your adrena- situational awareness gets fuzzy. Chances of making a perception of line goes up, and you jump mistake, or initiating an inappropriate response to rectify from the shock of the the situation, increase dramatically. Some pilots will freeze the event. unexpected. But once you and essentially do nothing all the way to an eventual crash. Stop, think, and stop, think, and realize The “freeze” component of the startle effect is usually the analyze before there is no danger, your one that gets most GA pilots in trouble. Other pilots will you act. mind eases, your stress fight and forcibly yank on the controls when the autopi- levels decrease, and your lot, for example, is trying to initiate the opposite reaction. next thought is, “where’s my cake?” And some pilots will experience a range of emotions from But let’s say you’re in mid-flight. The passenger-side denial to acceptance, as illustrated in the Kubler-Ross avia- cabin door on your Bonanza suddenly opens as you’re tion equivalent of the five stages of grief. climbing through 1,500 feet on a clear sunny day. Of course you’ll have a jolt, but your stress level decreases significantly if you stop, think, and realize that this sit- uation is under your control. If the cabin door opens in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC), your stress levels might be a lot higher, but your reaction should be the same. Remember too that everything seems worse at night. Mechanical problems magically intensify in the dark but, again, the key is to stop, think, and analyze before you act.

Build Your Muscle Memory You can greatly improve your chances of a safe outcome if you plan and memorize proper reactions to an unexpected event. Success may depend on how well you are prepared. Take out the aircraft’s pilot operating handbook (POH) and review the Emergency and Abnormal Checklist (EAC). If unexpected events occur close to the ground or during a transition phase, there isn’t much time to use a checklist. Memorize the steps for each emergency so you can react The five stages of common reactions to an unexpected aviation emergency. quickly and effectively. Since the startle effect can cause a

September / October 2019 15 delay, you need to have your home computer or Tips for Pilots procedures already set electronic device can also in your muscle mem- • Think about abnormal events help. One of the biggest ory so you can act ahead of time. Practice your benefits of such practice is to do the right thing plan. Brief your plan prior to overcome the without losing much to takeoff, even when flying natural, and human “this time or altitude. solo! can’t be happening to me” For abnormal events • Work with a flight instructor effect. that are not immedi- to train and plan for emer- To test new and/or ately life threatening, gencies. revised procedures, hire a you have time to • Review emergency proce- flight instructor and prac- consult the checklist. dures for your aircraft on a tice on a training flight. regular basis — don’t wait until But it’s still a great idea you need a Flight Review. If you sign up for the to familiarize yourself WINGS pilot proficiency • Sit in your aircraft or a properly with those procedures. program, those hours can equipped Aviation Training Take a look at the Checklist column in this issue for more Device and practice abnormal count toward a WINGS on emergency checklists. and emergency procedures, phase. touch the controls, and visual- Practice both pow- Drill and Practice ize your aircraft’s cockpit. er-on and power-off stalls Practice can improve reaction time and help manage the • Review and practice “what if” with a flight instructor to startle effect. In a safe environment, train and memorize scenarios. understand flight scenar- your response to unexpected events. Review “what if” • Vocalize takeoff, approach, ios in which a stall could scenarios in your head and know your personal minimums and landing expectations: occur and sharpen your by heart. Visualize a situation and say aloud what you will aircraft configuration, recovery technique. An do. Reach out and touch the control or instrument you airspeed, altitude, and route added benefit is becoming just mentioned — the more senses you engage, the better emergency options. familiar with the range of you will remember. Mental drills in a non-stressful envi- • Sign up for the WINGS stall warnings. ronment (like your favorite chair at home, or for added Pilot Proficiency program. Your hours with your flight realism, your airplane while parked safely on the ground) Looking Ahead instructor count toward a will help you develop a pre-planned course of action and WINGS level! The FAA’s Center of test your mastery of abnormal and emergency checklists. Excellence (COE) Partner- “Table talking” through potential emergency scenarios ship to Enhance General with other pilots, at your aircraft type club for example, Aviation Safety, Accessibility, and Sustainability — PEGA- is another good idea. You can also hire an instructor to SAS — is researching the types of problem solving and help you train. Comprehensive upset recovery training decision-making skills that pilots should use in unexpected by a qualified training provider can build confidence and events, and developing procedures for pilots to follow enhance aircraft control in unexpected situations. (bit.ly/2O0hrmm). Flight simulation is another great preparation tool. For Almost anything can happen during a flight. But if you example, a qualified instructor can simulate the experience prepare in advance to manage the startle response and of an engine failure after takeoff, or let you practice dealing correctly deal with an unexpected event, you will come out with an electrical failure. Flight simulation software on ahead.

Jennifer Caron is FAA Safety Briefing’s copy editor and quality assurance lead. She is a certified technical writer-editor in aviation safety and flight standards.

LEARN MORE

WINGS Pilot Proficiency Program www.faasafety.gov/WINGS Advisory Circular 120-111, Upset Prevention and Recovery Training go.usa.gov/xy8Rc

16 FAA Safety Briefing (UN) HOLY SMOKE!

THE NIGHTMARE OF SMOKE, FIRE, AND DEADLY GAS

BY JAMES WILLIAMS

onfession time: What’s the one thing in general smoke inhalation’s deadly effects. You’ll find more infor- aviation (GA) that scares you, I mean really scares mation on CO in this issue’s Condition Inspection depart- you? For me it’s always been fire. Just the thought of ment, but suffice it to say if you were looking to design a C an aircraft fire unnerves me. Luckily these incidents deadly gas, CO is hard to beat. are not common, but they happen enough to be a con- cern. When you look at the National Transportation Safety Mechanisms of Dread Board (NTSB) aviation accident files, you’ll find that there NTSB accident files indicate several common issues leading is a significant overlap among three dangers: smoke, fire, to smoke, fire, CO, or any combination thereof. The most and carbon monoxide (CO). prominent are exhaust system leaks or failures. Releasing a bunch of super-hot exhaust gases into the nacelle is exactly Bad Things Come in Threes as bad as it sounds. In one example, a Bellanca pilot expe- The danger from fire requires no detailed explanation. rienced an exhaust leak that caused an electrical system fire Smoke, on the other hand, not only obscures your vision near the fuel pump and required a forced landing due to but also irritates your eyes and lungs while choking you fuel starvation. Fortunately, the pilot was able to walk away with a mixture of tiny particulates (some still burning), hot with only minor injuries. vapors, and toxic gases. That’s why smoke inhalation causes Another common ignition point is the electrical system. most fire deaths according to the National Fire Protection Short circuits in wiring can start fires on their own, but Association. CO is the most insidious. CO is found in there are also situations where loose wires can chafe against smoke, as well as exhaust, and contributes significantly to other components and cause arcing. This problem is espe-

September / October 2019 17 Wires and Hose: Properly secured and separated wires and hoses Exhaust are critical to Leak: preventing If you see chaffing that damage like can cause fires. this, it is evidence of an exhaust leak that needs to be investigated by an AMT immediately.

Frayed Welds: Insulation: Pay added Damaged attention insulation on to welds wiring can or joints lead to arcing in your which can exhaust cause both system as electrical and they can engine fires. be common failure points.

Photos courtesy of Adrian Eichhorn.

cially dangerous when wiring chafes against a fuel line, and torqued down and that one of them likely came loose due even more if it occurs around the instrument panel. In one to normal engine vibrations and caused a fire in the com- accident, wiring chafed against a fuel flow gauge pressure partment. Because of fire damage in the engine compart- line, ignited the fuel line, and destroyed the aircraft. Luck- ment, investigators could not determine which line actually ily, the pilot was able to make an emergency landing at the initiated the blaze, but neither would have been affected by first signs of smoke, and to the pilot’s recent repair to the fuel system. Prevention is safely exit without injury. Maintenance errors lead far better than Preventive Measures to a significant number of As accident files suggest, the causes of these nightmares are dealing with an smoke, fire, and CO-re- often linked. An exhaust leak can grow. An electrical fire airborne fire. lated accidents. Really can burn a fuel line. But just as the causes are linked, so too simple issues like failing are the . Prevention is far better than dealing with to properly tighten bolts or clamps can lead to catastro- an airborne fire, so here are a few strategies you may find phe. One sport pilot accident illustrates this unfortunate helpful. reality. The pilot was the owner and builder of his exper- The first and easiest is a CO detector. They are rela- imental light-sport airplane and had spent the previous tively cheap and can provide a good early warning sign of four months tracking down a fuel leak. Two days before potential problems. CO detectors can often alert you to the the accident, he reported resolving the issue. The pilot presence of CO even when you can’t smell exhaust fumes. was performing touch and gos when witnesses observed They range from the simple color-changing dot style detec- the airplane on fire before it went down. The investigation tors, to more sophisticated devices that are both portable determined that an oil and fuel line had not been properly and panel mounted. The more sophisticated devices have

18 FAA Safety Briefing the advantage of being active, meaning that they sound an If electrical power is necessary and you want to attempt to alarm when potentially dangerous CO levels are reached. restore power, you should: Another good practice is to enhance your preflight when • Turn all electrical switches — OFF it comes to the engine compartment. Scan the exhaust • Turn the master back — ON system for any cracks or holes. Some common failure • points you should pay attention to are the muffler and any Individually turn each switch back ON while waiting a exhaust system joints or welds. If access allows, scan the short time in between to check for signs of a fire. compartment for loose wires or hoses. Sometimes they can come loose from their attachment points and this can lead This procedure assumes that the electrical fire doesn’t cause to chafing or fatigue damage. Check the battery for any an engine fire, which can of course happen when it com- signs of scorching or singeing that might indicate an unsafe promises a fuel or oil line. condition around it. Finally, look for loose connections or hardware. Does that nut look like it has backed off? Is Engine fires are generally that hose clamp secure? These kinds of things can and do happen, whether it’s a mistake during maintenance, or just indicated by smoke or flames the parts wearing out. Undetected and unresolved, these coming from the cowling, simple issues can have deadly consequences. although sometimes they are not visible from the cockpit. What if the Nightmare Arrives? What should you do if you find yourself in a fire and/ While dealing with any kind of fire you will need to find or smoke-related nightmare? The FAA’s Airplane Flying a landing site, since there’s no way to tell how much dam- Handbook has some good suggestions. The first step is to age the fire has caused or if it is fully extinguished. determine what kind of fire you are dealing with. The two CO is a less visible threat, but all the more dangerous major categories are engine and electrical fires. due to its stealthy nature. Should you experience the symp- Engine fires are generally indicated by smoke or flames toms of CO poisoning, or get an alert from a detector, you coming from the cowling, although sometimes they are not should take immediate action. Turn off the heater (if on), visible from the cockpit. Another sign can be discoloration open fresh air vents and windows, and use supplemental or bubbling of the cowling. By the time any of these signs oxygen if equipped. Once those actions are complete, land are visible, the fire is usually well developed. You should as soon as possible. always refer to the manufacturer’s procedures first, but here are some general guidelines: Waking Up • Mixture — Idle Cutoff Smoke and fire issues are truly the nightmares that haunt • Fuel Selector — OFF many pilots. It’s far better to prevent them than to try and • Ignition — ON deal with them in flight with fewer options. Remember that • Ventilate Cabin (unless fire worsens or reignites) fires are an absolute emergency that demand quick, correct action. Memorizing your aircraft’s specific procedures is Do not attempt to restart the engine. Also some highly encouraged as you will likely be required to divide manufacturers will advise that you turn off the master attention between extinguishing the fire, contacting ATC, switch while others may not. This will disable radios, and selecting a landing site. In the case of an engine fire, transponders, etc., that could be useful in getting you will be landing, and in the case of an electrical fire or emergency assistance. But it also could be helpful in CO exposure, you should be landing. There’s no glory in extinguishing the blaze. battling these nightmares. Get on the ground and live to This potential conflict, however, does not apply to tell the tale. electrical fires. Electrical fires can usually be distinguished by the distinct odor of burning insulation. Your specific air- James Williams is FAA Safety Briefing’s associate editor and photo editor. He is craft’s procedures are the key, but in general, steps to follow also a pilot and ground instructor. if an electrical fire is detected include: • Attempt to identify the faulty circuit via the circuit LEARN MORE breaker panel and other electrical systems. • If that fails, and flight conditions permit: Airplane Flying Handbook: Chapter 17, Emergency Procedures Turn battery master — OFF go.usa.gov/xyTtc Turn alternator/generator — OFF

September / October 2019 19 THE DANGEROUS POWER

popular saying is that “flying is the second great- est thrill known to man, landing is the first.” That Tips for Avoiding certainly rings true for the lighter-than-air com- A munity, as nearly every balloon landing involves Collisions and the need to navigate obstacles. Power lines are a big one — contact with power lines is the number one cause of fatal balloon accidents. Close Encounters Pre-flight Prep BY ADAM MAGEE The first step in accident prevention is the critical “go/ no go” decision, which includes use of preflight checklists and decision making tools as part of a proactive strategy. I am an avid believer in the PAVE and IM SAFE checklists. PAVE stands for Pilot, Aircraft, enVironment, and Exter- nal pressure. You can consider the IM SAFE checklist as a branch of the Pilot part of PAVE. It stands for Illness, Medication, Stress, Alcohol, Fatigue, and Eating. These items combine to determine your personal level of risk for a flight, and they could prompt you to cancel or reschedule the flight. Many factors can elevate the risk of a flight, so you need to carefully consider what it’s going to take for you to can- cel your flight. One thing? Two things? Three? I often tell pilots in training that PAVE and IM SAFE are there for you to “be aware of your unawareness.” These elements repre-

20 FAA Safety Briefing OF POWER LINES sent things that might cause you to second guess some of power lines. your decisions had an accident occurred. For example, you Passengers can might say, “If I had known [fill-in-the-blank], I wouldn’t create distrac- have flown” or, “If I had known there weren’t many landing tions. It’s normal options downwind, I would have rescheduled my flight.” for passengers In essence, PAVE and IM SAFE offer an opportunity to use mobile to review factors and risks that you might be unaware of. phones and social I also tell students to “Always set up your flight for suc- media during a cess!” Use PAVE and IM SAFE, use checklists, plan your flight, but don’t let flight, and follow the balloon flying rule of thumb for 100 that be a distraction feet of downwind distance from obstacles for each knot of to you. Among other wind during takeoff. Give yourself the best opportunity to things, a balloon pilot succeed. Don’t cut corners or allow hurrying, complacency, should not take any pas- and laziness to ruin your day. senger photos during a flight unless the situation is deemed safe Distractions and there is no threat of power lines. A balloon flight can provide many distractions that break Spectators can also become a dis- a normal flow and disrupt standard procedures. One such traction. Waving and talking to friendly distraction is coordinating with a chase crew. I will always landowners can be fun, but one vital lesson remember a time when I was a child watching several bal- that I teach all students is to fly the balloon first, loons take off in a field. There were power lines downwind and always! The rest can wait. but during takeoff one pilot was searching for his handheld radio. Thus distracted, the pilot flew right into the power During Flight lines. Thankfully, the pilot survived by turning off the fuel Even while in compliance with minimum safe and pulling the top to allow the balloon to drape over the altitudes, balloons fly in close proximity to power lines

September / October 2019 21 Avoiding power lines and other obstacles requires the pilot to plan the approach based on winds. One help- ful technique is to have the ground crew release a pibal (helium balloon) to identify wind directions above the ground. I carry shaving cream onboard to help me see the winds below. Be mindful of obstacles 360 degrees around the bal- loon, and maintain awareness of the balloon’s movement during contour flying or on approach to landings. I tell on approach. A pilot should pick a point of no return that students to fly the power poles. Here’s what I mean. It is leaves plenty of space before obstacles. When looking for difficult and sometimes impossible to see the power line an appropriate landing spot and while on approach, use the itself. It is much easier to look for power poles, but that too GPS to keep track of speed. comes with a caveat: “flying the poles” can be difficult in places where aesthetically pleasing power poles blend in What if a Power Line Strike is Imminent? with the environment. The smartest strategy is to expect a “When in doubt rip it out!” If a power line strike is immi- power line to every building — even barns or outhouses, as nent, the safest decision is to turn off all fuel, bleed all well as just about every road or driveway. Count on their remaining fuel from the lines, and “rip out” (e.g., open existence until you are absolutely sure the area is clear. wide) the deflation port. Cooling and descending is a much If you are contour flying, be careful when operating quicker action, which allows for greater chance of survival below tree height as power lines may be hiding. Similarly, in this situation. if there is a gap Making contact with a power line at the basket or flying in the trees on “When in doubt wires level is extremely dangerous. It is considered less approach to dangerous to hit at the envelope level and drape the balloon rip it out!” If a landing, be aware over the power lines. If a pilot “rips out,” there is a better that power poles power line strike is chance of contacting the lines with the envelope. Attempt- could be in those imminent, the safest ing to operate the burners to overfly power lines too often trees with a results in contacting the lines at the flying wires or basket, decision is to turn line going right off all fuel, bleed between the trees all remaining you are planning fuel from the lines, to “split.” I once decided to have and “rip out” the a student prac- deflation port. tice an approach to landing over power lines. I told the student to assume the trees were power lines and to make the approach over them. As it turned out, there were power lines hidden in those trees. The key takeaway is to maintain a healthy respect for power lines. A balloon should always be at an appropriate which increases the risk of fatalities. As all balloonists height above power lines. It should be level or ascending should know, initiating an ascent in a balloon can be slow when approaching and crossing power lines. The pilot must due to the time it takes the burners to raise the balloon’s be aware of wind shear that could put the aircraft into a internal temperature. “false heavy” situation that pushes it down into a power line. To avoid the dangers created by wind shear, keep an Summing it Up appropriate height above power lines and maintain con- Nearly every balloon landing involves the need to navigate trol while in the descent. Precision is especially important obstacles, including power lines. Keep these tips in mind to in order to maintain control while transitioning the wind avoid the dangerous power of power lines. layer upon approach to landing.

Adam Magee is a commercial hot air balloon pilot/flight instructor, an FAA Upon Landing Safety Team (FAASTeam) Representative, and was named the 2019 District and Again, expect power lines everywhere. Scan the area multiple Regional FAA CFI of the Year. He is co-founder/president of The Balloon Training times and ask the ground crew to do the same. The crew use Academy, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and an appointed training radio or hand signals to identify power lines on approach. provider of the FAASTeam.

22 FAA Safety Briefing SUSAN PARSON CHECKLIST

CHECKING THE LISTS ABC Checklist, Personal Minimums, Passenger Briefing

Emergency Approach/Landing: Preventing Emergencies: — Pilot, Aircraft, enVironment, Alphabet Checklist Use Personal Minimums and External . • Airspeed. Memorize best glide Use personal minimums to prevent • Step 6 — Stick to the Plan! Just as speed and try not to lose any alti- emergencies resulting from conditions with fuel, you shouldn’t attempt a tude until reaching that speed. Once beyond the capability of the pilot flight that requires the “reserve” or there, trim for hands-off glide. and/or aircraft. Think of personal worse, “unusable fuel” level of your • Best field. Note wind direction and minimums as the human factors piloting skill and aircraft capability. strength, then current position. equivalent of reserve fuel. Personal Where are you relative to a suitable minimums should provide a safety Preparing the Passengers: field (e.g., high, low, downwind, buffer between pilot skills and aircraft S-A-F-E-T-Y Briefing base, final)? capability required for a specific flight, Always review critical items with and pilot skills and aircraft capability passengers in an emergency. Here’s a • Checklist. Start with a flow pattern available through training, experience, slightly adjusted version of the Pas- across the panel. If altitude and currency, proficiency, and airplane senger S-A-F-E-T-Y Briefing checklist circumstances permit, review the performance characteristics. To create we have previously presented: written restart checklist. Under all personal minimums: circumstances, fly the airplane first. • Seatbelts. Secure seatbelts and safety harnesses. • Declare an emergency. Note • Step 1 — Review Weather Mini- current position and then tune the mums (VFR, MVFR, IFR, LIFR). • Air. As appropriate, ask passengers radio to 121.5 MHz, which should • Step 2 — Assess Your Experience to help with opening or closing air already be in the standby position. and Comfort Level. What are the vents. This item is also helpful if the When making the mayday call, state lowest weather conditions that you situation involves airsickness. who (tail number), what, where, have comfortably experienced in • Fire Extinguisher. Brief passengers and how many aboard. Set the tran- the last six to twelve months? on location and use. sponder to 7700. • Step 3 — Consider Other • Exit, Emergencies, and • Exit preparation. Prepare passen- Conditions. Similarly, what are the Equipment. Make sure passengers gers: secure seatbelts, brief passen- most challenging environments or know how to open the door(s). gers on exit procedures, move first conditions you have comfortably (Note: You can also prevent an aid/survival equipment to a conve- (and recently) experienced in terms emergency by ensuring that doors nient place, and prepare the aircraft, of wind, turbulence, high density are properly closed!) Brief emer- e.g., cracking doors if the Pilot’s altitude, challenging terrain, busy gency equipment and evacuation Operating Handbook/Aircraft airports, or short runways? plans. Flight Manual so directs. • Step 4 — Assemble and Evaluate. • Traffic and Talking. Let passengers • Fire prevention. Shut the fuel off, Use these numbers to develop your know when you need them to mini- along with the three Ms: mixture, baseline personal minimums. mize conversation. mags, and master. Ensure the fire • Step 5 — Adjust for Specific Con- • Your Questions? Especially in an extinguisher is close at hand. ditions. Any flight involves almost emergency situation, be sure to • Ground plan. Touch down at the infinite combinations of pilot skill, resolve any questions. slowest possible airspeed and then experience, condition, and pro- evacuate the aircraft. Account for ficiency; aircraft equipment and Susan Parson ([email protected]) is editor of everyone and use the first aid/sur- performance; environmental condi- FAA Safety Briefing and a Special Assistant in the vival equipment as needed. tions; and external influences. Make FAA’s Flight Standards Service. She is a general adjustments based on changes in aviation pilot and flight instructor. the PAVE checklist factors

September / October 2019 23 WHEN MINUTES COUNTCOUNT

The crew loads a “patient” into the EC135 for transport to a hospital.

Modern Helicopters Speed Up the “Golden Hour” | BY JOHN CROFT

inutes count — especially when it involves getting a Wuerker oversees a helicopter transport program that critically ill patient to the proper hospital, particu- hospital operator, MedStar Health, primarily uses to M larly in dense urban areas. transfer patients between Maryland, Virginia, and Wash- “Time is of the essence,” says Dr. Christopher Wuerker, ington D.C. hospitals. As in other major metropolitan executive director for Medical Shock-Trauma Acute Resus- areas, gridlock is a common feature of surface transport in citation (MedSTAR) Transport at MedStar Washington D.C. The advanced navigation and surveillance capabilities Hospital Center. “Minutes count and that’s where helicop- deployed by the FAA are a key part of the helicopter success ters come into play.” equation.

24 FAA Safety Briefing MedStar 1 flight crew with Schubert, Cleckley, and flight nurse Joan Kubelius-Hogan, pose with a simulated patient on the MedStar Washington Hospital Center helipad.

I recently flew on two different MedSTAR flights to operating with ADS-B for more than a decade, starting see how the program benefits from industry-leading risk with the FAA’s Safeflight 21 program in 2006. “We get an management processes and advanced technologies like audio callout when [the traffic] is close,” says Schubert. “Air Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) traffic controllers do a tremendous job pointing out traffic, and Performance Based Navigation in its operations. but sometimes there are too many aircraft and having the MedSTAR supplies flight paramedics and flight nurses information on a display is extremely helpful.” but contracts the flight operations to Shreveport, Louisi- At the hospital center, the crew demonstrated the ana-based Metro Aviation. MedSTAR has four Eurocopter transportation of a patient to the Level I trauma center. A EC135s based in three locations for the 24/7/365 opera- typical round trip for the tions. Three helicopters, each with a crew of three — pilot, To have ILS-like Tipton Airport team is 0.2 medic, and nurse — are on call every day; one helicopter is flight hours to the outly- a hot backup. The crews and the helicopters are equipped capability is ing hospital; 0.2 hours to for instrument flight rules flights as well as night vision really a game MedStar Washington or goggle operations. changer. MedStar Georgetown, and On March 18, 2019, I accompanied a crew out of Tipton 0.2 hours back to Tipton. Airport in Fort Meade, Maryland for a demonstration On a later second flight, we flew with a Metro pilot from flight in VFR conditions to MedStar Washington Hospital a MedSTAR base at the St. Mary’s County Regional Airport Center to simulate helipad operations and patient loading in southern Maryland to learn how Metro benefits from and unloading into the hospital’s Level I trauma center. the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) approach A MedSTAR flight typically begins with a hospital capability in two of its four helicopters. physician’s “flight request” call to MedStar’s communica- Jeremy Fryer, an ex-Army AH-64 Apache pilot, tions center in Lanham, Maryland. The call center links the explained that by having WAAS and helicopter approaches requesting doctor with an “accepting physician” at one of with localizer performance with vertical guidance (LPV) MedStar Health’s nine acute care hospitals. If the doctors minimums, crews have more assurance that they can safely agree that the patient should be flown, a request is sent to reach the hospital in lower visibility conditions. “With the iPad of a Metro Aviation pilot. The pilot completes a WAAS giving us an extra 200 feet compared to a GPS using the iPad, which also serves as the electronic flight bag. The risk assessment includes ques- tions on weather, route, pilot’s readiness, and the crew’s fitness for the flight. The completed assessment goes to Metro’s operational control center in Shreveport, Louisiana where communications specialists review and evaluate the score. Once they approve the flight, Shreveport sends a dispatch number to the pilot, and the flight launches. It’s typically less than ten minutes from first notification to skids-up. During the demo flight, pilot Steve Schubert demon- strated how he uses ADS-B Out and In to boost situa- tional awareness in the cockpit, but also to give air traffic control and Homeland Security agencies more precise surveillance data inside the highly secure airspace near the White House and the Capitol. MedSTAR has been Flight paramedic Ryan Cleckley scours the landing area at MedStar Washington Hospital Center on arrival.

September / October 2019 25 MedStar 1 with pilot Steve Schubert arrives at the MedStar Pilot Schubert arriving back at the Fort Meade Tipton airport after a flight. Washington Hospital Center helipad.

approach, there’s a significant increase in the flights where traditional concept of “the Golden Hour,” a reference to the we can get into the hospital,” says Fryer. benefits of getting a trauma victim to the hospital in the Minimums are a key consideration for MedSTAR dis- first hour after an accident or medical crisis. patchers and pilots deciding whether to move a patient by “With advanced technologies, we can intervene more helicopter or ground transport. “To have ILS-like capa- quickly on acute strokes and heart attacks in the pre-hos- bility is really a game changer,” says Fryer. “It removes a pital environment,” says Wuerker. “We now deal in Golden significant portion of the workload and allows me to better Minutes.” monitor what’s going on, and to think further ahead.” Wuerker says modern helicopters with advanced avi- John Croft is a flight instructor and a speechwriter/editor in the FAA Office of onics and the medical technology and human expertise Communications. Croft uses ADS-B in the Piper Archer he co-owns with two they carry on board have created a paradigm shift on the other pilots, and he regularly flies a small team of FAA communicators to talk to pilots and other stakeholders about FAA safety technologies.

(left) The pilot’s iPad performs many functions including first alert, risk assessment platform, and flight navigation display.

(below) The magenta course line shows a typical flight between two hospitals in the dense urban environment of Washington, D.C.

26 FAA Safety Briefing JENNIFER CARON NUTS, BOLTS, AND ELECTRONS

LURKING BENEATH THE SURFACE A Guide to Hidden Damage Inspections

“Just because you can’t see something doesn’t mean it isn’t NO PART OR AREA OF THE AIRCRAFT SHOULD GO UNCHECKED there. It’s just waiting for the right time to show itself.” AFTER AN ACCIDENT OR INCIDENT. — Emma Hart

Incidents such as a hard landing, prop nose steering mechanism. strike, an overspeed, lightning strike, On fabric-covered airplanes, or excessive turbulence can hide dam- a bent member can often be age that is not immediately evident detected by fabric looseness upon visual inspection. After any such or wrinkling. Wood or metal event, it is important to verify that no skin may become wrinkled, internal damage is lurking beneath While on the ground, the force of gravity places an cracked, or distorted. the surface. aircraft’s wing under compression and tension. crush an object. Check for compres- Hidden Damage — The Regs It’s Not “Just a Scratch” sion failures appearing as bulges, bows, If an owner/operator tells a part 145 Even if you cannot see evidence of air- bends, ridges, or breaks in the paint. repair station that the aircraft was in craft damage or deem visible damage an accident, the repair station has a to be cosmetic, the fact is that excessive Torsion legal obligation to follow the hidden loads can result in failure or deforma- Certain landing gear types employ damage inspection procedures in tion of the structure. This deformation a torsional member referred to as their repair station or quality con- may be “just a scratch,” but deformed a “scissor,” “nut cracker,” or “torque trol manuals. Part 145 requires that parts can overload structures or parts link.’’ Carefully inspect this assembly certified repair stations have proce- adjacent to the damage. for loose bolts and cracks, especially dures to inspect for hidden damage To detect and classify damage, note if the aircraft has landed in a rough or to articles involved in accidents, and that certain appearances are specific rutted field. you must comply with service bulle- to one of the five types of structural tins and FAA Airworthiness Direc- stress: tension, compression, torsion, Shear tives. Certain post-accident/incident shear, or bending. When an overload occurs, the part inspections are mandatory based on with the least resistance will be the first manufacturer requirements, but no Tension to fail. Examine bolts, rivets, and clevis part or area should go unchecked after Tension overloads can occur when pins for signs of failure. These parts can an accident or incident. an aircraft has a hard landing, taxis shear or partially shear and yet appear on a rough field, or operates in very perfectly normal to the casual observer. Jennifer Caron is FAA Safety Briefing’s copy editor turbulent air. Examine all attachment and quality assurance lead. She is a certified fittings for tension failures or defor- Bending technical writer-editor in aviation safety and flight mation. Closely inspect welds. In Overloads that cause bending usu- standards. metal aircraft, check for wrinkling of ally result from abnormal landing the skin around wing, stabilizer, and and flight loads, or improper ground LEARN MORE landing gear attachment points, plus handling of the aircraft. Bent com- deformed or cracked fittings. Carefully ponents result from: stepping or examine wing strut attachment points. Advisory Circular 20-106, Aircraft pushing on lift or other struts; lifting Inspection for the General Aviation the aircraft by the stabilizer; jacking Compression Aircraft Owner or placing supports under longerons; go.usa.gov/xyYd4 Compression is a force that tries to or exceeding turn limitations of the

September / October 2019 27 ANGLE OF ATTACK TOM HOFFMANN

IN AN EMERGENCY, FIND YOUR SEA OF TRANQUILITY

It’s hard to believe it’s been 50 years This plan of action coincides neatly anomaly or problem that might arise. since the United States’ historic land- with one of the recurring aviation While we should continue to train for ing on the lunar surface. The accom- safety messages in this emergency-fo- common emergency scenarios, we plishment of the crew and supporting cused issue. As Susan Parson writes in should also endeavor to keep learning cast of the Apollo 11 mission was her “Keep Calm and Carry On” arti- about the aircraft and the potential indeed a testament to human ingenu- cle, “For any incipient or full-blown pitfalls of technology (glass cockpits, ity, know-how, and perseverance. But emergency, [...] step one always has to angle of attack indicators, engine save for the quick thinking of “a few be keeping your wits about you.” monitoring systems, etc.) Know your good men,” it could have gone down A common piece of advice dis- equipment — including the gadgets quite differently. pensed in aviation training is to wind you bring on board and your Auto- If you (like me) weren’t able to your watch when facing an emer- matic Dependent Surveillance – watch this dramatic event unfold gency. While that might confuse those Broadcast (ADS-B) equipment. live, multiple specials that relive who have never had to actually wind Thankfully, the Apollo 11 crew had every nail-biting moment have aired an analog watch, the point is simple: Mission Control to help troubleshoot in recent months. The Eagle lunar stop and take a moment to process the 1202 alarm code. While pilots module was in its critical final landing what’s happening before you make don’t have the luxury of engineers phase before the now infamous “1202 decisions or take action. In some and scientists being at the ready when Alarm” began flashing for all the cases, you may simply be a flick of a something goes wrong, we do have world to see. The seemingly incessant switch or a turn of some knob from access to a vast network of aeronauti- warnings caught the astronauts off returning to ordinary flight. So when cal expertise in the air traffic control guard. They remained calm but were faced with aeronautical adversity, system. ATC can help with anything understandably anxious — Neil Arm- strive to be calm and methodical in from directions to the nearest airport strong’s heart rate reportedly peaked your immediate actions, and don’t let or suitable landing area, to obstacle at 156 bpm during the descent. The any labored limb-flailing cause addi- awareness, to coordinating a first alarm turned out to be an indica- tional problems. responder rendezvous. Just browse tion of computer overload and was Another Apollo 11 precept is the numerous “saves” that controllers not deemed as abort-worthy. learning to address the unknown. have made over the years for Moments later, Neil was The astronauts trained tirelessly for all types of inflight emergencies moon-walking. every conceivable type (bitly.com/ArchieL). Last year’s top Despite months of of emergency before save award included controllers from intensive training in their mission. But Fort Worth Center who successfully simulators and going things happen, and aided a Cessna Cardinal pilot during a over every possible they happen complete electrical failure. , the when you least While your next flight might not Apollo 11 crew never expect them. carry challenges on an interplanetary once encountered a As pilots, we scale, with the right training, tools, 1202 alarm. Although can’t possibly and mindset, you’ll be prepared to initially bewildered by train and handle any earthly airborne errors the mysterious warn- prepare that come your way. ing, the crew worked for calmly and ratio- every Tom Hoffmann is the managing editor of FAA Safety nally with Mission single Briefing. He is a commercial pilot and holds an A&P Control to deter- certificate. mine the best course of action.

28 FAA Safety Briefing SCOTT TYRRELL VERTICALLY SPEAKING

HELICOPTER N123, STATE YOUR EMERGENCY

There’s some simple, time-tested UIMC and IIMC are the same thing. saving advice about what a pilot’s priorities When a UIMC/IIMC event occurs, precau- should be when flying: aviate, navi- it usually follows a common pattern. tionary gate, communicate. The advice doesn’t A pilot who is neither instrument landing to change in an emergency situation. rated nor instrument proficient takes prevent UIMC The first priority is to fly the aircraft. off in a helicopter not certified for could have been Sometimes that means knowing when IFR flight. The weather is marginal, made in roughly enough is enough and it’s time to land. but the pilot decides to “give it a try.” the same amount For the first six months of 2019, Once in flight, weather is as bad as of time. the safety record of the U.S. helicopter forecasted or even worse, but the pilot Helicopters have the unique industry was sobering with 15 fatal feels committed to pressing forward, ability to land almost anywhere in the helicopter accidents including 27 fatal- even when it means flying lower and event of a hazardous situation. Always ities, a frightening pace that could rank slower. Eventually, the helicopter ends be prepared to execute a precaution- among the community’s worst years in up at a low altitude, low airspeed, and ary landing before conditions create a decades. NTSB investigations typically in the clouds. Panic, spatial disorien- UIMC event. The Helicopter Associ- take 12 to 18 months, so only prelim- tation, loss of aircraft control, and a ation International (HAI) promotes a inary reports are available on these crash typically follow. “Land & Live” program encouraging events. However, these reports offer The USHST analyzed 104 fatal acci- pilots to execute a precautionary information suggesting that continued dents from 2009 to 2013 and identified landing when a potentially unsafe sit- flight in marginal VFR conditions can a need for increased emphasis in han- uation is developing. Taking this pro- quickly lead to inadvertent flight into dling various “emergency” scenarios. gram a step further, some situations IMC (IIMC), which contributed to They developed Helicopter – Safety require us to “Not Take Off and Live.” about half of the fatal accidents. Enhancements (H-SEs) to address Don’t take off until the weather is not The United States Helicopter Safety high threat situations like UIMC. For only above the regulatory minimums, Team (USHST) classifies these events example, H-SE 127A is focused on but also above your own personal as Unintended Flight in Instrument training for recognition of spatial dis- minimums. Meteorological Conditions (UIMC), orientation and recovery to controlled An applicable quote from Stephen which is a relatively new term for the flight. The H-SE includes emphasiz- Coonts, naval aviator and author is: industry. This classification was devel- ing use of all available resources (to “Mistakes are inevitable in aviation, oped by the Commercial Aviation include automation). H-SE 123 is especially when one is still learning Safety Team (CAST)/International focused on increased use of simula- new things. The trick is to not make Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) tion to rehearse “at risk” scenarios and the mistake that will kill you.” Contin- Common Taxonomy Team (CICTT) develop safe decision making. ued VFR flight into IMC is a mistake for standardization worldwide. UIMC A quick look at NTSB fatal accident that will kill you. The data proves it. If is applicable when a pilot is flying reports indicates that the life span of the weather is outside the capabilities VFR, and for any reason, ends up an unprepared VFR pilot entering of your helicopter, your rating, or your inadvertently in IMC. However, IMC in a helicopter is less than 60 proficiency, don’t take off. If you find there should be no misunderstanding, seconds. The sad irony is that a life- yourself in weather worse than you expected, remember that your highest priority is to aviate: fly to your first NTSB FATAL ACCIDENT REPORTS INDICATE THAT THE LIFE SPAN OF opportunity to land safely, and wait for the weather to improve. AN UNPREPARED VFR PILOT ENTERING IMC IN A HELICOPTER IS Scott Tyrrell is a continued operational safety LESS THAN 60 SECONDS. specialist/accident investigator with the FAA’s Aircraft Certification Service.

September / October 2019 29 DRONE DEBRIEF DANIELLE CORBETT

DRONE’T YOU FORGET ABOUT ME

Drones are everywhere these days. We often think of them as fun toys, fancy cameras, or (more ominously) big brother’s eyes. There’s no doubt that drones are changing the culture and the skies. It can be unsettling to see one flying by your kitchen window or near your child at the park, but it’s important to remember that most drone technologies being developed today are meant to improve or even save our lives in some way. Drones are used every day to prevent or respond to emergencies.

DRONES ARE POWERFUL TOOLS THAT OFTEN COME WITH AUTOMATION FEATURES THAT ALLOW THEM TO PERFORM COMPLEX TASKS, BUT THEY old man went missing in a densely true for drones. Drones are powerful STILL NEED TO HAVE A wooded area. Using a drone with tools that often come with automation PERSON IN COMMAND OF high resolution cameras and infrared features that allow them to perform sensors, the police were able to locate complex tasks, but they still need to WHAT THEY’RE DOING. him in just 20 minutes. In Texas, have a person in command of what the public safety agency was able they’re doing. If you’re flying a drone to drop a life vest to a mother and and asking yourself, “What’s it doing Emergencies are often unexpected, her 15-year-old daughter who were now?” you are not in control and you but they can be prevented or man- stranded in a rising river because they are not flying safely. If an emergency aged. Drones are helping us do this didn’t know how to swim. These are situation arises, you have already sur- important work. Public safety person- just two examples of disaster scenarios rendered your ability to manage it. nel can quickly launch drones to con- that could have ended very badly but This all assumes that the person duct search and rescue operations that for the use of drones. flying the drone understands how it cover more ground more efficiently It’s clear that drones are good works. If you’re flying a drone, be sure and safely than teams of people ever tools for preventing and responding you do know how it operates, so you could. Victims get help more quickly to emergencies, but do drones also can be sure you and your drone are and public safety personnel and cause emergencies? It can’t be over- never part of the problem. volunteers are freed up to perform stated that even a simple mishap can other important tasks that do require quickly turn into a dangerous situa- Danielle Corbett is an aviation safety inspector with a human touch. tion through poor piloting. This fact the FAA’s Office of Unmanned Aircraft Systems. In Virginia, for example, a 92-year is true for manned aircraft and it’s also

30 FAA Safety Briefing FLIGHT FORUM

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times as you’d like — and it’s free! Here’s some feedback from Fifteen to 30 minutes after a flight, go members of our new GA to adsbperformance.faa.gov/PAPRRe- Safety Facebook Group! EQUIP NOW! quest.aspx to request a PAPR report. faa.gov/go/equipadsb Facebook.com/groups/GASafety It only takes a few minutes to get the report by email. If the report identifies 4 Months Left As a student pilot in my 40s, I any issues, you can take it straight to DON’T to make the appreciate all the information and your avionics installer to help rectify GET4 ADS-B Out real-world scenarios discussed here. any problems. Keep in mind that flying Deadline! Lots of things to learn simply by near the surface or at the fringe of LEFT IN THE being a member of this social media ADS-B coverage areas may negatively Starting January 1, 2020, you sub-page. Especially since the FAA impact the metrics provided in your gets involved often. PAPR Report. must be HANGARequipped with ADS-B — James Out to fly in most controlled airspace. Free FRAT App No More? I just joined this group not long ago. By January 1, 2020, you must be In two weeks, I will start my training The Flight Risk Assessment Tool equipped with ADS-B Out to to get my private pilot certificate and (FRAT) in the Apple App store is not flyQ: in Should most Icontrolled purchase an airspace. ADS-B other ratings. I love this group for all free as stated in the video presen- transmitter that allows me to the support and passion everyone has tation “Introduction to Safety Risk enter a call sign? and has shown me thus far. Thank Management.” Where can one go to ExperienceA: If you always a newuse your level plane’s of you, guys! find the “free” app? situationalregistration numberawareness: for air traffic — Nick — S. Gcontrol Weather communication,G TFRs you can Guse Traffic an ADS-B transmitterG NOTAMs with a Thanks for your email. Unfortunately, non-changeable call sign. How- Check Your ADS-B For Free the FAA does not own the FRAT App. ever, pilots involved in specialty The developer made it available free Seeflying shouldand consider be anseen. ADS-B How do I make sure [my ADS-B] of charge for an initial period of time unit that has a pilot-programma- #ADSB is working properly? that has now expired. You can find ble call sign feature. If you take — David free automated FRAT Spreadsheets this route,FOR you’ll MORE also INFO want VISIT to inte- for Windows Excel and Apple Numbers grate the call sign update task into Hi David, faa.gov/go/equipadsb in the FAASafety.gov library at your normal preflight checklist so The easiest way to check your ADS-B bit.ly/2ZVv9Iu. you don’t forget it. Also, consider system is to run a PAPR report after that if/when you want to sell your any flight. PAPR, or Public ADS-B aircraft,EQUIP NOW! the buyer might want to faa.gov/go/equipadsb Performance Report, is a quick and Let us hear from you! Send your com- use a call sign. easy way to check your system as many ments, suggestions, and questions to

September / October 2019 31 POSTFLIGHT SUSAN PARSON

UNCOMMON SENSING

In this increasingly fast-paced world, course, Her- question asked. If you ask the wrong there is an increasingly intense man uses question, you are going to get the competition for a particularly limited museum wrong answer.” item: your attention. Casual online art to help I won’t spoil the book for you by window-shopping leads to ads that sharpen repeating Professor Ryan’s list of stalk you all over the Internet. Exter- visual anal- essential questions. But I will say that nal activities are even more disrup- ysis, critical while they all appear to be quite gen- tive, as daily life brings constant, thinking, eral, reading the chapter devoted to multi-sensory efforts to divert your and com- each one offers plenty of observations attention from your intended activity. munica- applicable to strengthening mental We survive by filtering. In sheer tion skills. “pay attention” muscles. self-defense, we have all learned to The book look without really seeing; to hear provides Listen to Your Instincts without really hearing. While that numerous exercises to help you with I have long been a fan of author Mal- can be a useful, even essential, habit a skill that every pilot needs: “Rec- colm Gladwell, because I have learned in some aspects of modern life, it’s onciling larger concepts with more so much from the piercing percep- positively dangerous in aviation. As specific details, articulating visual and tions and keen insights in his body noted throughout these pages, most sensory information, and conveying of work. One of my favorite Gladwell aviation emergencies are long in it in an objective and precise manner.” books is Blink, which explores the the making. Noticing and promptly It doesn’t take much imagination to reasoned underpinnings of so-called attending to small problems keeps see (so to speak) how a high level of snap judgments and gut feelings that them from becoming large and very perceptual intelligence can help avert a narrow definition of reason would loud problems that can put you and airborne emergencies, as well as han- compel us to dismiss. your passengers at risk. dle incidents that truly occur without In essence, Gladwell contends that If you are looking for ways to warning. human beings take in a great deal strengthen your mental “pay atten- more information than we can con- tion” muscles, if only for aviation Ask the Right Questions sciously, or “rationally,” process. Nev- purposes, here are a few tips from a There is no shortage of ways to ertheless, other parts of the brain do trio of books I’ve enjoyed. explain what “critical thinking” note, process, and catalog information requires, but my favorite is the sim- that might eventually be served up Learn to Look plest: ask the right questions. In this in the form of eye-blink conclusions, The key point in a 2016 book called connection, I especially enjoyed James or in the kind of diffuse but gnawing Visual Intelligence: Sharpen Your E. Ryan’s Wait, What? And Life’s Other sense of unease. I encourage my fellow Perception, Change Your Life by Essential Questions. As Professor Ryan aviators to always remember “all avail- author-artist and teacher Amy Her- observes, “many of us spend too much able information” might well include man is that “we can train our to time worrying about having the right those instant “doesn’t look right” see more, and to observe more accu- answers. […] The simple truth is that observations, and that listening to the rately.” In her The Art of Perception® an answer can only be as good as the “doesn’t feel right” instinct might be key to safe flights and happy landings.

Susan Parson ([email protected]) is editor of WE HAVE ALL LEARNED TO LOOK WITHOUT REALLY SEEING; TO HEAR FAA Safety Briefing and a Special Assistant in the WITHOUT REALLY HEARING. WHILE USEFUL IN SOME ASPECTS OF FAA’s Flight Standards Service. She is a general aviation pilot and flight instructor. MODERN LIFE, IT’S A DANGEROUS HABIT IN AVIATION.

32 FAA Safety Briefing PAUL CIANCIOLO FACES

BRUCE WRIGHT, PH.D. Airman Education Team Lead, Aerospace Medical Education Division

No, Bruce Wright is not related to the cation Division at CAMI, Bruce Wright Brothers. But he shares both is responsible for training airmen their passion for aviation and their and aircrew in global survival Midwestern roots. and how to manage physical As a child, Bruce enjoyed build- and psychological challenges of ing model airplanes and helping his the flight environment such as neighbor restore a 1947 Bellanca , spatial disorientation, Cruisair, a project that inspired him fatigue, and dehydration. He to earn his private pilot wings. In also supports aviation medical his spare time, Bruce now works on examiner (AME) training for a full-size, experimental light-sport physicians and personnel from Rans S-7S Courier kit plane. the military and other federal “I’m not currently flying because agencies. I am building another experimental Bruce’s team also contrib- aircraft,” he notes. “As I get closer to utes to FAA Safety Team safety finishing, I will get a flight review seminars and conducts hypoxia and a few hours of dual instruction to demonstrations at major air- refresh my tailwheel skills.” shows using a Portable Reduced Though not a career pilot, Bruce Oxygen Training Enclosure has been employed in the aviation (PROTE). industry from the start. He was “My biggest source of accom- commissioned in the Air Force after plishment comes from aviators college and spent 22 years in the mili- who step out of our hypoxia demon- In the future, Bruce sees an oppor- tary. As an aerospace physiologist, he stration,” Bruce said. “They tell me tunity to measure cognitive perfor- taught aviation physiology to aircrew that they have felt those symptoms in mance in the cockpit, which could members, performed physiology the aircraft before but didn’t realize lead to some form of pilot perfor- research at the Air Force Research that they were experiencing hypoxia. mance indicator. Laboratory, and became an assis- It’s a great feeling to know those we If you are at one of the major fly- tant professor at the U.S. Air Force trained are safer pilots because they ins, then stop by to chat with Bruce Academy. While on active duty, Bruce are much less likely to succumb to and take a turn in the altitude cham- also earned his master’s and doctorate hypoxia.” ber. Another free opportunity his from Texas A&M University. If the budget allows, the team is team provides to pilots are one-day After retiring from the Air Force, hoping to upgrade to a larger and aviation physiology and post-crash he transitioned to civilian employ- faster PROTE that can accommodate survival courses at CAMI. Airmen can ment with the Department of Defense. more airmen. The permanent cham- call (405) 954-4837 to check available Another 11 years of research work ber at CAMI and portable system dates and enroll. This kind of training led to a position with the FAA’s Civil allows for training approximately could very well save your life! Aerospace Medical Institute (CAMI) in 5,000 pilots a year, a small portion of Oklahoma City, where Bruce is today. the pilot population. The only way to Paul Cianciolo is an associate editor and the social “I got an offer I couldn’t refuse discover your personal hypoxia symp- media lead for FAA Safety Briefing. He is a U.S. Air from CAMI! They wanted me to do toms is to experience them in a safe Force veteran, and a rated aircrew member and the same thing I had done for military training environment, which teaches volunteer public affairs officer with Civil Air Patrol. aircrew, but for the civilian aviation pilots to recognize their symptoms community.” and perform corrective actions that As the airman education team lead prevent the situation from developing for the FAA’s Aerospace Medical Edu- into an accident.

September / October 2019 33 U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration 800 Independence Ave., S.W. Washington, D.C. 20591 FORWARDING SERVICE REQUESTED

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