Richard Aarons’ column about Asiana Airlines Flight 214 and the NTSB’s recommendations ( Cause & Circumstance, August 2014, page 68) was well done and his takeaway spot on. There were many elements to this accident; the NTSB had a lot on its plate and shared it around. Fatigue (it was 3 a.m. body time for the crew), automation and manual flying skills are significant topics.
“Weather-Related Loss of Control” ( Cause & Circumstance, July 2014, page 54) was a great piece! I’m so glad you referenced the NOAA/TNWS Storm Prediction Center (SPC) Convective Outlook. As you are aware, I’ve hawked the value of it for 35 years. First thing I look at when I get to the office each morning. It tells me everything I need to know about convective weather for the day. Editor’s note: The writer is a former B&CA editor-in-chief.
High-performance aviation organizations set the bar for crew discipline and error prevention by using comprehensive safety management systems (SMS) that trap errors before they can develop into safety risks. The process initially starts by creating a comprehensive flight department operations manual, one that promulgates detailed standard operating procedures as well as general policies. (See “The Flight Department Ops Manual,” B&CA, July 2014, page 44.)
“Preserving Value” (August 2014, page 62) was well-written and informative. However, I don’t believe the basic premise is correct. I would not want to work for a company that thought the flight department’s most valuable asset was an airplane.
The General Aviation Manufacturers Association named Jonathan Archer director of engineering and airworthiness. Archer brings 24 years of aviation industry experience to his new role, formerly serving as an associate with Booz Allen Hamilton where he provided support to both the FAA and Joint Planning and Development Office. There he helped facilitate a pilot study involving safety management systems for FAR Part 21 design and manufacturing organizations as well as on NextGen air traffic management initiatives.
Light plane and business jet shipments increased across all categories in the second quarter of 2014, according to the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA). A total of 592 aircraft were delivered by GAMA members in the period, up 5% from the 567 shipped in the same period last year. As a result, billings inched up from $5.723 billion in second quarter 2013 to $5.739 billion in the most recent quarter.
While I always enjoy your Fast Five columns, I noted a couple of glaring errors/misstatements by International Council of Air Shows President John Cudahy (June 2014), namely: 1. “. . . no North American air show spectator has been killed in over 60 years.” How about the P-51 crash at Reno, Nev., on Sept. 6, 2011, that killed the pilot and 10 people on the ground (I was there), or the F-86 departure crash into a Sacramento, Calif., ice cream parlor on Sept. 24, 1972, that killed 22, including 12 children?
