|
 Each
year the May issue of Sport Aerobatics is dedicated to
safety articles relating to our sport. A few months prior to
the May publication date, the editorial staff of Sport
Aerobatics sits down to determine what areas of safety
that year’s issue will address. The May 2000 issue received
a heavy amount of attention on spins because of the high
number of spin accidents in 1999. If you reviewed the
"Mishaps Data" articles of Sport Aerobatics from
the year 2000, you would find 18 aerobatic mishaps that
resulted in 23 fatalities. Of these mishaps, eight of them had
low altitude as a factor, two were spin related, two were
mechanics related, and six had undetermined causes as of this
writing. There were two known bailouts with a 50 percent
success rate. The successful bailout involved one of the
mechanical mishaps.
Historically,
mechanical mishaps have a higher rate of bailout. With a
mechanical failure, it is easier for pilots to perceive that
they are no longer in control of their aircraft, and therefore
they will more quickly take an alternate action, which is to
leave the aircraft. It is a wise choice. There are other
flight scenarios where pilots are no longer in control and
where the same decision must be made. One of these would be
the unrecoverable spin. However, in few spin accidents is
there an attempt to bailout. Is this because pilots do not
have a clear perception that they are not in control? Do
pilots feel there is some hope that they may regain control?
We, as pilots, need to paint a clear image in our minds of
when our control of the aircraft has been lost. We need to set
parameters that, when exceeded, make us know it is time to
leave the aircraft
Plan A:
Risk Assessment
Many times in
the past we have advocated that pilots "plan their flight
and fly their plan." We’ll call this Plan A. Before we
go out to fly we must determine to what level we will practice
and how and where to conduct our flight. By doing this we can
assess the risk of our flight. Once we are airborne, it is
highly recommended that we adhere to the plan devised on the
ground. Emotions can sometimes, while airborne, short-circuit
a proper risk assessment. Plan A is the most important part of
the daily flight, and by thorough planning, the pilot will be
prepared to recognize when the aircraft is no longer
performing as intended.
Plan B:
Training
When Plan A
is no longer proceeding as intended, such as when one falls
off into a spin from a hammerhead, the pilot must
instantaneously react to the deviation of the planned flight.
Here, through proper training, the deviation can first be
recognized, and then the pilot can properly manipulate the
controls for a recovery. Obviously, the better the training,
the higher the odds of success. It cannot be overemphasized
that a proper training program must be received prior to
performing aerobatics that can lead to a departure of
controlled flight, in particular the resultant spin from a
botched maneuver.
Plan C:
Bailout
What happens,
for whatever reason, when Plan B doesn’t work? You better
have another plan to fall back on. This is the last option: bailout.
That’s
not a $1,500 seat cushion you’re sitting on; it’s a parachute.
And it’s your last chance to save your life. The
decision to use it rests with you, and it must be made prior
to ever leaving the ground. When it is time to leave the
aircraft, there is precious little time to act. You must set
a bailout altitude—"the floor"—and when your
uncontrolled aircraft passes through it, the decision to leave
has to be automatic with no regard to conditions: It’s
time to go.
As a former fighter
pilot I never hesitated for a moment to consider an ejection
when it was needed. I knew if I ejected Uncle Sam would buy me
a new aircraft. In every instance that I found myself out of
control, I checked the altimeter and gave myself until my
minimum bailout altitude to correct the problem. Fortunately,
each time I gained control prior to the floor. However, make
no mistake, I would have gone. This is why I have full hull
insurance on my Pitts. I want no question in my mind that
Packer and Associates will buy me a shiny (used) Pitts if this
one decides to become fatal and wants to take me with it.
Of
last year’s mishaps, five were non-air show low altitude
related. These are classified as discipline problems. As
top-end general aviation pilots, we must shun this behavior
and counsel those who engage in this type of flight. Assessing
your flight risk must certainly exclude any type of low
altitude aerobatic maneuvers. In the two spin accidents, one
involved an attempted bailout by both occupants. Sadly, they
were unsuccessful and are discussed in another article in this
issue. Of the accidents that are currently listed as having
unknown causes, a few have suspicious characteristics of spin
involvement. If a spin is entered at a safe altitude and the
corrective action is unsuccessful, then when the minimum safe
altitude is crossed, a bailout must be initiated
immediately! What is my floor? 2,000 feet in practice and
1,500 in competition.
Follow the ABCs of
aerobatics, plan your flight, and fly your plan; get the
proper training, including spin training; and be mentally
prepared to immediately leave your aircraft when you pass the
floor.
|
