Issue 61 – Winter 2005

ON COMMERCIAL AVIATION SAFETY WINTER 2005 ISSUE 61 THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE ISSN 1355-1523 UNITED KINGDOM FLIGHT1 SAFETY COMMITTEE As Easy As Jeppesen’s EFB provides a flexible, scalable platform to deploy EFB applications and data that will grow 1,2,3 with you as your needs evolve. Class 1 Class 2 Class 3 Less paper; increased safety and efficiency; rapid ROI. Jeppesen's EFB makes it as easy as 1, 2, 3. Get more information at: 303.328.4208 (Western Hemisphere) +49 6102 5070 (Eastern Hemisphere) www.jeppesen.com/efb The Official Publication of THE UNITED KINGDOM FLIGHT SAFETY COMMITTEE ISSN: 1355-1523 WINTER 2005 ON COMMERCIAL AVIATION SAFETY FOCUS is a quarterly subscription journal devoted to the promotion of best practises in contents aviation safety. It includes articles, either original or reprinted from other sources, related to Editorial 2 safety issues throughout all areas of air transport operations. Besides providing information on safety related matters, FOCUS aims to promote debate and improve Chairman’s Column 3 networking within the industry. It must be emphasised that FOCUS is not intended as a substitute for regulatory information or company publications and procedures. Aviation Insurance 4 Editorial Office: by Ed Gough, Willis Ed Paintin The Graham Suite Fairoaks Airport, Chobham, Woking, Surrey. GU24 8HX Tel: 01276-855193 Fax: 01276-855195 UK Flight Safety Committee Annual Seminar 2005 8 e-mail: [email protected] Aviation Safety: Looking Ahead 20 Years Web Site: www.ukfsc.co.uk Report by Ian Sheppard Office Hours: 0900 - 1630 Monday - Friday Advertisement Sales Office: UKFSC The Graham Suite, Cold Weather Operations 13 Fairoaks Airport, Chobham, Woking, by Capt. David Prior, CAA Surrey GU24 8HX Tel: 01276-855193 Fax: 01276-855195 email: [email protected] Web Site: www.ukfsc.co.uk Office Hours: 0900 - 1630 Monday - Friday Working Together to Cut Airspace Infringements 15 by Steve McKie, NATS Safety and Performance Improvement. Printed by: Woking Print & Publicity Ltd The Print Works, St. Johns Lye, St. Johns, Woking, Surrey GU21 1RS Tel: 01483-884884 Fax: 01483-884880 Safety Regulation Versus Consumer Rights? 18 ISDN: 01483-598501 by Richard Gimblett - Barlow Lyde and Gilbert e-mail: [email protected] Web: www.wokingprint.com FOCUS is produced solely for the purpose of Icing on Helicopters 19 improving flight safety and, unless copyright is indicated, articles may be reproduced providing by Capt.Derek Whatling & Capt Mark Prior, Bristow Helicopters that the source of material is acknowledged. Opinions expressed by individual authors or in advertisements appearing in FOCUS are those Enterprise Safety Reporting and Administration Software of the author or advertiser and do not necessarily reflect the views and endorsements for Commercial Aviation Operators 21 of this journal, the editor or the UK Flight Safety Committee. While every effort is made to ensure the UKFSC Members List 24 accuracy of the information contained herein, FOCUS accepts no responsibility for any errors or omissions in the information, or its consequences. Specialist advice should always be sought in relation to any particular circumstances. Front Cover Picture: Bristow Helicopters EC225 1 Editorial During a recent trip to London by train I pleasure to be travelling by train. new system sufficient consideration. For was unfortunate enough to sit next to a the railways it is not too difficult to have a woman who turned out to be a So why mention a train journey in the “Quiet Carriage” but for an airline it will be compulsive user of her mobile telephone. editorial of an aviation safety magazine? difficult to segregate the mobile phone users in the cabin. For 30 minutes she used her phone Currently aircraft manufacturers are continuously. First to the office to tell her planning to make it possible for air We have seen airlines move to a “No colleague that she was on the train and travellers to use their mobile telephones Smoking” service due to passenger would be arriving at the office a little late. whilst flying around the world. To many of pressure. I wonder how long it will take This was followed by a call to another us this may at first seem to be a good and how many arrests for disruptive colleague to give her apologies for her idea as it would mean that if you were passenger behaviour it will take before late arrival at a meeting. I thought that this delayed you could inform those meeting airlines start to provide a “Quiet” service? would probably be the end of her calls you of your impending late arrival. but, no, she then set about calling all her Mobile phone users seem happy to have clients. She had the same procedure for But spare a thought for those who the instrument to dominate their lives. each. “How are you? I am fine thank you. happen to be passengers on a flight with They seem oblivious to the fact that they I was wondering if you have had an those incessant mobile telephone users. cause annoyance to those around them. I opportunity to look at my proposal”. And If after 30 minutes on a train my stress hope that we do not see an increase in so it went on and on. For half an hour level was high, I can just imagine what Air Rage as a result of airlines providing there was non stop chatter in a most you would be like after several hours in an mobile phone links on board aircraft. annoying, whining voice. aircraft where you are not able to move to another seat. By the time the train arrived at Paddington station my stress level was unusually high. Would this new facility provided to make the passengers flight more convenient not By contrast on the way home that evening lead to a new form of air rage? In this I made a point of sitting in the “Quiet case the disruptive passenger would be Carriage” of the train. What a difference. the usually quiet passenger who has There were a couple of people whispering travelled for years without incident, to each other and many others working threatening or even assaulting his fellow noiselessly on their computers. Some passenger. elderly men took the opportunity to nap whilst most chose to read their It makes you wonder if anyone has given newspaper or magazine. It was a real this aspect of the implementation of the UKUK FLIGHTFLIGHT SAFETYSAFETY COMMITTEECOMMITTEE OBJECTIVESOBJECTIVES ■ To pursue the highest standards of aviation safety. ■ To constitute a body of experienced aviation flight safety personnel available for consultation. ■ To facilitate the free exchange of aviation safety data. ■ To maintain an appropriate liaison with other bodies concerned with aviation safety. ■ To provide assistance to operators establishing and maintaining a flight safety organisation. 2 Chairman’s Column But once a pilot begins commercial flying, how much of the basic skills are retained? It is sometimes difficult to see where it is in the system operators continue to maintain their pilots basic flying skills. One only has to look at most companies’ Standard Operating Procedures to see how soon the autopilot should be engaged after take-off, to when it is disengaged to exit the destination runway. Technology will soon, no doubt, arrange for the aircraft to taxy onto the stand and shut itself down. Experienced pilots of today have many thousands of logged hours, but how many of those are actually flying the aircraft? Excellent as modern simulators are, even they cannot replace the ‘feel’ of genuine flight. I am not against technology – far from it, but I think that the aviation industry must grab the market, used all the technology The 2005 UKFSC Seminar attempted to not, whilst welcoming all of these they could to develop it, adding more and look ahead 20 years in aviation safety, improvements, lose sight of what we more features that had nothing to do with covering a range of issues from Air Traffic expect our pilots to be able to do when all telling the time! The same can be said of Control to Passenger Handling. It was around is failing – AVIATE! evident by the end of the Seminar that the cell phone. The days of the ‘brick’ are long gone and the next generation of technology has been gaining rapid Have you noticed how modern digital ‘phones do everything short of preparing ground over the last few years (maybe watches now actually tell the time and do the evening meal! more than we realise), and will continue very little else? over the next 20 years. But is the The new generation of pilots have to learn technology always improving Flight by Stuart McKie-Smith how to operate complex systems at the Safety? Chairman flick of a finger and most, with their IT Undoubtedly, advances such as Traffic skills learnt almost from the cradle, are alert/Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) adept in the use of Flight Management and Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning Systems and their ancillary components. Systems (EGPWS) have added Is life in the cockpit of a modern aircraft immensely to safe passage of aircraft, but becoming a serious video game? are we in danger of losing sight of the basics of how to fly? Air Traffic, In order to prepare these pilots for the Engineering and Ground Handling have modern age, training aircraft have to keep benefited hugely from technological up with the times and many are now advances, and in most cases, made the equipped with ‘glass cockpit’ instruments, workload less painful (I didn’t say easier!), and various other ‘state of the art’ and safety has improved. But what about systems.

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