I was sitting in a meeting of Air Force personnel recently talking about the efforts that the Air Force is making to reach its goal for serious accidents of zero accidents and zero fatalities when the subject of “stuff” happening came up. I made the point that there were always things that can happen to pilots in airplanes that they can’t foresee and that they’re powerless to do anything about. Immediately the officer next to me, a German officer on a safety exchange program, bristled and said, “Not true!”
His view is nonsense, of course. There are any number of things that can happen to us that we have no power over, from some unknown and unknowable structural failure to certain kinds of bird strikes to un-forecasted severe clear air turbulence to sudden asymptomatic pilot incapacitation. Unfortunately, the list of bad-stuff-that-can-go-wrong-that-we-can-do-little-or-nothing-about is not a short one, but the good news is, most of these things are rare, some of them exceedingly so.
While the officer’s facts might be wrong, his attitude is commendable. What he was saying was this: “The goal is to eliminate every possible risk, and if you are diligent in that pursuit, then you greatly cut down on your chances of becoming an unhappy statistic.”
Take bird strikes, for instance. Can we completely eliminate our exposure to the risk that our feathered friends present? Of course not. The reason that Sully and crew are so beloved is not simply that they saved the day but because they saved the day after something happened that they had no control over. Had the ditching in the Hudson been done because of a loss of engine power because the pilots had switched off the fuel flow, the public perception of our most famous pilot would be far different today than it happily is.
We can eliminate just about all of our risk by staying at home, of course. But you and I, thank goodness, choose not to do that. Instead, we come up with a series of assessments of our risk that lead us to a safety approach that we’re happy with. And that varies from pilot to pilot. For me, flying on an IFR flight plan (or with flight following) even on good-weather days, is an important part of that strategy. I also avoid flying in certain kinds of airplanes and I have high personal minimums for things like runway length, adding a big fudge factor to the airplane’s max capability to take into account my sometimes less than perfect performance, especially in an airplane that’s new to me. It’s not a short list, but the point is, I do look at as many safety factors as possible in as sober a way as possible in order to plan and execute my flights. A lot of it is done informally, sure, but it is done.
There are, consequently, some flights and some airplanes that I pass on, and as my experience level grows, I learn new things. Coming home from Galveston in an SR20 the other day at between 2,500 and 4,500 feet scouting potential photo locations, I couldn’t help but remark on the fact that I had to take evasive action three times to avoid big, and I mean BIG, buzzards. A couple of them I missed by maybe 100 feet. An unlucky day? Perhaps.
But I’ll tell you what: Next time on that route, I think I’ll try 6,000 feet.
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Submitted by BOOKER455 on March 10, 2010.
AFTER ALL THAT WE HAVE LEARNED.... BY WATCHING HOW THE BIRDS DO IT,
WE NOW FIND THEM TO BE A PAIN IN THE YOU KNOW WHERE,WHEREVER WE
COME ACROSS THEM IN OUR HEAVENLY EXPLOITS,IN FACT INTRUDING
AS GROUND POUNDERS INTO THEIR TERRITORY...!!?..HOW SILLY...!!??
Submitted by robert goyer on March 11, 2010.
I agree that we need to respect bird habitat to some degree, but at the same time, Grizzly Bears used to roam freely through what is now downtown Boise, Idaho. There has to be a middle ground where we can protect our most vulnerable airspace while infringing the least on bird habitat. Here in Austin the county landfill has done a commendable job, thanks partly to the urgings of the local pilot community, to keep bird activity to a minimum. No longer are landfills open dumps where foodstuffs attract large numbers of medium sized to large birds. Things like this, and careful grooming of airport grounds, do the job of cutting down on bird encounters with little negative impact on the bird population.
Submitted by cdome on March 11, 2010.
Robert:
A Cessna 172 made an emergency landing at our local airport. The pilot had only recently received her licence and was taking her husband for a sightseeing flight. Without warning, a large water bird came in from the side, somehow missed the prop, and completely destroyed the windshield. Despite the wind, noise and bird blood, she made a smooth landing.
What made for a safe outcome was that this pilot was obviously well trained. She remembered to "fly the airplane." She also knew she needed to get on the ground quickly. In addition, she made mental notes all along her route regarding potential emergency landing sites. At the time of the bird strike, she was only a couple of miles from our field.
This pilot's experience went right to the heart of your point. There was no way she could have prevented the strike. When it did happen, however, her training and preparation greatly reduced the risk she might otherwise have faced.
Chuck
Tavares, FL
Submitted by jamesbritton on March 11, 2010.
As a sailplane pilot I actively seek out encounters with soaring birds.
More than once they have saved me from an inconvenient landing away from my intended destination. Oftentimes we sailplane pilots are dancing around the edge of a thermal with few clues as to where the real lift is - until we spot a rapidly climbing hawk or eagle. We naturally then adjust our massive circle to surround theirs. We spiral up together - they climb much faster of course - but they dont seem to mind us sharing.
Usually they just climb away and head off to the next thermal, but sometimes they will playfully dive back down below us and climb again. Are they showing off or trying to guide us? Who know - who cares - but its a joy to spend part of my day with them occasionally.
Jim B
Hollister, CA
Submitted by robert goyer on March 11, 2010.
It's a whole different world when the engine is the earth's radiant heat!
Sounds like a blast, Jim.
Submitted by bucsgolf14 on March 11, 2010.
I agree with your point Robert, and that of cdome. There can definitely be events that we are unable to prevent and might be powerless to do anything about, but with a certain attitude toward recurrent training (even in your C-172) and flight risk management we can attempt to minimize the risks presented. If we start off with "the perfect flight" planned, we might hopefully at the worst end up with a slightly less than perfect flight due to one or more unknowns occurring along our trip. I think that is the goal and the way that I prepare for a flight, whether it be around the pattern or on a cross-country.
Bryan - MN.
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