Managing Risks
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OCT 2017 1 MANAGING RISKS Safety in Flight Management of 04 Testing 20 Wildlife in Air Bases Situation Safe Operations 10 Awareness in 25 in Aviation Aviation Ground Support Maintenance Services OCT 2017 | ISSUE 93 | ISSUE OCT 2017 2 FOCUS - ISSUE 93 CONTENTS Foreword from Head Air Force Inspectorate Safety in Flight Testing 04 We encounter risk every day in our lives, and In the third article, 205 SQN shares on it is present in all shapes and forms. It may managing wildlife in our air bases and come from a simple activity of crossing the the measures to prevent wildlife from Situation Awareness in Aviation 04 road, to the complex task of flying fighter jets endangering aircraft flying in and out of our Maintenance 10 at the speed of sound. The billionaire investor air bases. Warren Buffett once said, “Risk comes from Lastly, we end off with an article from our not knowing what you’re doing”, and it is commercial partner ST Airport Services - even more true for us and thus important Safety Activities Aviation Ground Support Services (STARS that we are aware of the risks we face, and 15 AGSS). This article introduces STARS AGSS, how we can overcome or mitigate it. In this their safety culture, and how they keep our issue of FOCUS, we provide our readers an 10 runway and operating platforms at Paya insight to how the RSAF manages the risks Management of Wildlife in Lebar Air Base free of Foreign Object Debris, that we come across in our daily line of work. 20 Air Bases and ensure that our aircraft are refuelled The first article is from the RSAF Flight Test with quality aviation fuel. Centre, where they give us a glimpse into I hope the articles in this issue of FOCUS Safe Operations in Aviation how they mitigate the unknown risks they enlighten you on some of the risks we deal Ground Support Services are confronted with when conducting flight 25 with as we keep our skies safe. It is imperative testing, and safely deliver new operational 20 that we conscientiously continue to manage capabilities to the RSAF. risks carefully as we go about our tasks. 4 PICS 1 WORD Next, 816 SQN explains how situation Mission Success, Safety Always! 30 awareness is used to overcome the risks of errors in aviation maintenance, ensuring that our aircraft are always maintained safely and COL Philip Chionh reliably. Head Air Force Inspectorate Crossword Puzzle 25 31 FOCUS magazine is available on EDITORIAL BOARD these sites: Chairman Editor Internet: COL Philip Chionh CPT Wong Minghua, Donald http://www.mindef.gov.sg/rsaf Members Assistant Editors Intranet: LTC Danny Koh Keng Seng ME3 Vidianand Das Panicker http://webhosting.intranet.defence. LTC Ong Choon Hui REC Goh Zhen Kang gov.sg/web/AirForce/AFI/index.htm LTC Chew Pang Teck Jin Design ME6 Amos Yap Keng Yong OVOC Pte Ltd MAJ Marcus Woo CPT (DR) Benjamin Seah CPT Sim Guo Ping MS Audrey Siah Yushu FOCUS is published by Air Force Inspectorate (AFI), HQ RSAF, for accident prevention purposes. Use of information contained herein for purposes other than accident prevention, requires prior authorisation from AFI. The content of FOCUS is of an informative nature and should not be considered as directive or regulatory unless so stated. The opinions and views in this magazine are those expressed by the writers and do not reflect the official views of RSAF. The contents should not be discussed with the press or anyone outside the armed services establishment. 4 FOCUS - ISSUE 93 OCT 2017 5 ARTICLE ARTICLE INTRODUCTION “On condition!” the Test Pilot called on excellence, efficiency and safety in flight the aircraft intercoms as he stabilised the testing as part of our duty to deliver new test Chinook helicopter within the desired capabilities. airspeed, rate of climb and angle of bank SAFETY parameters. This was the first flight trial where the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) Chinook helicopter was heli-lifting the Army’s Light Strike Vehicle (LSV) for the very first time. The Test IN FLIGHT Pilot had to fly and maintain the aircraft performance and parameters within a very tight tolerance, while the Test Conductor was busy scannning the video TestiNG recording of the LSV to assess its stability and at the same time listen attentively to the on-board Air Crew Specialist’s running commentary on the in-flight load behaviour. Fast forward to one year later, the new capability of airlifting the LSV was put on display for the first time RISK MITIGatioN IN FLIGHT during the RSAF Open House in 2016 TestiNG at Paya Lebar Air Base. What may be relatively unknown is these are just some Risks of Flight Test. Day-to-day flying of the capabilities delivered to the RSAF in the RSAF is inherently risky due to after extensive flight testing. Over the the nature of the operations. However, last three decades, flight test has been flight-testing has the additional element playing a crucial role in the integration, of unknown risk from the uncertainties testing and delivering of new capabilities associated with prototype designs to the RSAF. or aircraft/system modifications. For instance, in the above example of the underslung flight trial, the underslung FLIGHT TestiNG IN RSAF load may become unstable and affect The RSAF Flight Test Centre (FTC) is the controllability of the aircraft. The the main authority in the management aerodynamic performance of the load of all flight test related operations. FTC is also a concern as a trailing load could helps to ensure that new capabilities are strike the aircraft’s belly. Aircraft are also delivered safely and timely for the overall seldom flight tested to its design limits success of the RSAF’s mission. Our motto and the absence of actual flight test MAJ Joseph Hee “Test and Deliver” reflects FTC’s drive for data increases the risk of catastrophic Heli Trials Pilot RSAF Flight Test Centre FTC helps to ensure ME5 Tee Kok Heng that new capabilities are Heli Flight Test Engineer delivered safely and timely RSAF Flight Test Centre for operational needs and contribute to the overall success of the RSAF mission. 6 FOCUS - ISSUE 93 OCT 2017 7 ARTICLE ARTICLE structural failure arising from aerodynamic risks are identified and managed. All risk profiles before proceeding to perform more Exceed (NTE) fuel was instituted such that forces. Examples of unfortunate accidents management processes follow the same demanding test profiles projected to exhibit at the first point of heli-lifting the LSV, the during flight test programs include the guiding principles of Risk Identification, undesirable flying qualities. This is to ensure remaining fuel in the aircraft never exceeds AgustaWestland AW609 tiltrotor prototype Risk Evaluation, Risk Mitigation, and Risk that the Test Pilots have the greatest possible the NTE value. (Italy) and Bell 525 (USA) crashes in 2015 and Acceptance. For all flight test programmes chance of recovering the aircraft safely Technical Airworthiness Forums – “D- 2016 respectively. in the RSAF, there is a requirement for the should the aircraft exhibit objectionable 60 days”. After the Test Plan and Safety Project Management Team (PMT) to conduct behaviour during flight testing. This approach While Flight Testing is inherently risky, FTC Review Board approves the test plan and a Hazard Analysis. The PMT consists of a team is demonstrated during an underslung has managed to reduce the risk of flight procedures, the PMT is required to prove that of managers and system engineers who are trial, whereby the handling qualities of the testing to As Low As Reasonably Practicable the LSV is technically airworthy. This means in charge of providing technical expertise Chinook heli-lifting the LSV are first verified (ALARP) by adhering to established safety that based on the technical specifications to the project. In their review, the PMT must in the low-speed regime2 in order to arrest processes, leveraging on advances in and requirements, the LSV is safe to be identify all possible hazards, analyse the worst any undesirable handling qualities before technology, and maintaining a pool of highly tested in an airborne environment. The possible impacts of the hazards, formulate proceeding to the forward flight regime3. This skilled and professional flight test personnel RSAF airworthiness framework consists risk mitigating measures to reduce the risks incremental approach allows the discovery through specialised and rigorous training. In of several technical airworthiness forums, to ALARP, evaluate the residual risk levels, and resolution of many aircraft and system the following sections, we will illustrate using the requirements of which the PMT has to and seek the appropriate authority for risk deficiencies in the early stages of many flight the recent Chinook-LSV underslung flight satisfy depending on the nature of the flight acceptance. This systemic process ensures test programmes, thus allowing the test team trial as an example, how we prepare ourselves test programme. The members of these that the risks are eliminated or mitigated to gradually discover, understand and resolve to undertake flight test activities, and the technical airworthiness forums will analyse before the commencement of the flight test. the deficiencies as they move towards more importance of specialised training that our Test and assess the safety assessment report This process also allows the risk acceptance complex test profiles. Pilots and Flight Test Engineers receive. We will for the LSV, which documents the technical authority to review the risk mitigating efforts also share how FTC leverages on technology, airworthiness compliance for the LSV from from a supervisory perspective before granting Test Plan and Safety Review Board – “D- such as Flight Test Instrumentation (FTI), to various aspects, ranging from weight and approval to commence flight testing.