The prime rule of aviation training is: Train the way you fly and fly the way you train. The rule, taken at face value, seems to be self-evident. Who could disagree? Yet many of the accidents that befall operators of turbine aircraft provide evidence that we don't always fly the way we train. Indeed, the circumstances of some accidents suggest we often spend a great deal of time training for the wrong mission, or training for unlikely events, or training to the wrong set of standards.
I would like to add a few observations to Richard Aarons' excellent coverage and analysis of the U.S. Air Force C-130 accident at Jackson Hole (Cause&Circumstance, December 2000, page 86). Once again, the mishap crews were ``highly qualified'' and ``well respected,'' etc., which begs the question, Then why did they make the mistakes that killed them? It raises another question that doesn't get asked often enough in accident investigations: What would similarly experienced Air Force crews have done in this situation?
As an occupational medicine specialist and senior aviation medical examiner, I read with great interest the article by David Carlisle (``The Pilot's Lower Back,'' November 2000, page 83). This excellent article was well-written and contained an abundance of useful information.
Edited By Paul RichfieldPaul Richfield, in Huntington Beach, Calif.
Dan Catalano says he hates the lasers most of all, because they make his corneas sting. Kids buy them at the mall or through ads in the backs of magazines, and zap him from cars, apartment windows and speeding motorcycles as if he was a flying monster in the video arcade.
If your screwdriver can't remove a damaged screw, the X-OUT screw remover may be a solution. According to the manufacturer, the X-OUT plows into the head of the screw and turns it out with the aid of a hand drill. The bit is chucked into a standard 3/8-inch variable-speed drill set for reverse and is placed on the center of the damaged fastener. It can also be chucked into a 1/4-inch quick bit holder (not provided). The kit contains three bits designed to remove fasteners ranging from No. 6 to No.
It is a simple question of social policy: If a pilot or mechanic makes a mistake that results in an accident, is it better to find out the truth of what happened and why, or is it more important to inflict criminal consequences on those at fault?
Bombardier has appointed Execujet Australia, at Kingsford-Smith Airport, Sydney, as a Learjet Authorized Service Facility. Under this agreement, Execujet will provide maintenance for all of the Learjet models as well as sales support for the entire Bombardier line of aircraft.
What happened is pretty clear -- half the world watched the drama of Sunjet's Learjet 35 unfold on CNN on October 25, 1999. Why this routine business charter, carrying golfer Payne Stewart, ended up the way it did is entirely unclear. Nevertheless, the NTSB believes lessons can be learned from its investigation into the matter.
Commander Aircraft President and CEO Dean M. Thomas has died unexpectedly at the age of 47. The former Piper executive joined Commander as sales and marketing chief in 1995, before being tapped to lead the Bethany, Okla., aircraft manufacturer. Calling Thomas a close personal friend, Wirt D. Walker III, chairman of Commander parent company Aviation General, said he was ``universally well-liked and admired'' and had a ``profound effect'' on the company. Walker will oversee Commander until a successor is named.
The U.K.'s Civil Airworthiness Authority has certified Eurocopter's EC 135 for Single Pilot IFR (SPIFR) operations. The certified aircraft are fitted with Thales (the former Sextant) MEGHAS avionics glass cockpits. Eurocopter boasted that single-pilot certification was unavailable on the aircraft's two direct competitors.
BBA Group plc, the parent company of Signature Flight Support, has agreed to acquire Ranger Aerospace Co. and its associated Aircraft Service International Group (ASIG) for $152 million with assumption of all bonds and debts. The transaction is expected to close this quarter and under that agreement Signature will hold the Ranger stock.
Westchester Air, White Plains, N.Y., has named Bob Tidler as director of operations/chief pilot and Reed Vander Schel as director of maintenance services.
Edited By Paul RichfieldPaul Richfield, in Long Beach, Calif.
After more than 10 years of starts and stops, Advanced Aerodynamics&Structures, Inc. (AASI) says its Jetcruzer pusher-canard turboprop could achieve FAA type certification as early as this June. A non-conforming, non-pressurized prototype (S/N 002) has accrued around 400 flight hours, the Long Beach, Calif.-based company says, and a conforming, pressurized (but unfinished) version of the $1.395 million aircraft ``should fly [this month].''
BFGoodrich, Charlotte, N.C., has appointed David Shaw to the position of president, aviation services division. In addition, Robert Dial was promoted to vice president of maintenance and quality control.
The TKS Ice protection system for Cessna Caravans consists of porous titanium panels installed on the leading edges of the wings, struts and tail surfaces, a slinger ring for the prop hub and a spray bar for the windshield. When activated, the system exudes deicing fluid at a steady rate. Centrifugal action throws the fluid from the slinger ring to the root end of each blade. Two LEDs on the control panel display the operational status of the system. A contents indicator using a digital readout automatically dims for night operations.
October 17, 2000 will live in infamy in the annals of US Airways. A 300-pound pig flew first class from Philadelphia to Seattle on a Boeing 757, Flight 107. The pig fortunately slept through most of the flight. The FAA, presented with this enigma, was at least flabbergasted and issued the following . . . ``We're looking whether or not the airline complied with its own plan for the transportation of animals.'' (Look under ``P'' chaps, for Porcine Passengers.) I would also suggest an interview with this barnyard behemoth as to the nature of his/her business in Seattle.
The first on-demand charter flight of a Galaxy business jet took place at the end of November 2000, within days of completing FAA proving runs. Cleveland-based Avbase Aviation operated the Galaxy from Raleigh, N.C., to Teterboro on November 22. Retail charter rate for the aircraft is $3,700 per hour, although Avbase President John DePalma expects much of the Galaxy's time to be spent providing supplemental lift to Executive Jet's NetJets fractional program. The flights may be a dress rehearsal for NetJets, which is said to be mulling a possible Galaxy order.
China's Shanghai Airlines has taken delivery of the first of three Bombardier CRJ200s. Bombardier recently delivered the first of four CRJ200s to Japan Airlines subsidiary J-Air.
CompletionAir, located at the St. Louis Regional Airport, has opened a 134,000-square-foot completions hangar with the ability to accommodate six Boeing BBJ size aircraft. The new center will concentrate on narrow and widebody aircraft completions for executive/VIP/head-of-state customers and is exploring the possibility of performing maintenance and interior completions on Bombardier and Gulfstream aircraft.
Shandong Airlines in China has ordered three new Cessna Caravans with options for 37 more, a deal that will make it China's first commercial Caravan operator. Deliveries are scheduled to begin with one Grand Caravan and two Caravan 675s on amphibious floats in the spring. Shandong says it plans to use the single-engine turboprops on ``high frequency flights'' between cities with en route flight times less than one hour. Founded in 1994, Shandong also operates Boeing 737s, Saab 340s and Bombardier CRJs.
Swiss regional carrier Crossair has decided to add something new to its passenger cabins: male flight attendants. The airline says the decision to introduce 40 to 80 male flight attendants came after ``careful consideration'' and that the new crewmembers will be assigned to its MD80 fleet. Crossair employs about 1,300 female flight attendants and operates a mixed fleet of MD80s, Saab 340s and 2000s, Avro RJs and Embraer ERJ145s.
