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Safety Letter
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Helicopter Safety Letter
March 2006
Hello again all,
This month’s letter covers TWO things I think every helicopter pilot should do on EVERY flight without fail! Yes, there are many more than two things we all need to be doing, but I am assuming that we are all more than qualified to move the controls, ensure good decision making and otherwise ensure the safe outcome of each flight. Otherwise, we would not be on a recurrent training program, have good maintenance support and otherwise hold our pilot certificates.
What
is that on that guy’s back?
And why is that pilot wearing a rabbit hat?
Must be cold, hum, does that give cause for concern?
An interesting flight taken this February in an R44! 40 jumpers in all!
The things I speak of are often either omitted or taken too lightly.
The first is a COMPLETE, METHODICAL, EXPANDED, CHECKLIST DRIVEN, Pre-Flight Inspection. (don’t forget a good pre-flight can begin with a good “post flight”)
Take extra time to look in detail at some new part of the ship that is not easy to see.
Take a mirror and bright light and look around the corner or behind that bolt head at the nut and safety side.
Find where that pesky little oil leak is originating at.
Ensure your paper work is actually in the aircraft and in the proper order (Flight Manual, Airworthiness Cert., Registration, Charts, etc.) I am not going to discuss the currency of chart and legal issues, but we all know that the RIGHT thing to do is to have a current chart, so that we have current information
Second is your own personal FLIGHT FOLLOWING procedure.
Yes, some of you have a required procedure, but many of you are on your own to develop this key piece of your safety program. I suggest that each of you, either through your office or your family develop a written flight following program. What we use here at the Air Center is a form that covers Call Sign, Pilot, Time of Departure, Fuel on Board in Minutes, number of passenger planned route, landing stops and other items. The pilot calls just before climbing in and then calls within 10 minutes of landing at each stop (NO EXCEPTIONS) If the cell phone does not work, the pilot finds a landline and calls in because the person back at base WILL INITIATE lost aircraft procedures 30 past planned arrival time!
The problem is that if you have to land off site for any reason and nobody knows where you are at or are supposed to be, then your well being and your passengers’ could be at risk.
Here is a scenario:
Flight is planned from Home Base to Restaurant in the Woods. Flight leaves at 12:00 noon with a planned arrival of 12:30 with pilot and 3 passengers. Pilot tells fuel guy from FBO that they are going to eat at Restaurant in the Woods. Flight leaves as planned, but on the way, passenger # 2 asks to go about 5 miles east of route to look at property. A quick look see at the property the pilot hits DIRECT to the Restaurant again. About a mile more and a caution light goes on that requires a precautionary landing in a good field. The pilot does a post landing check and sees that aircraft requires maintenance prior to departure. Darkness is about 90 minutes away, and guess what, the cell phone does not work.
About 2 hours later one of the passenger’s family members calls the airport to see if the flight has returned. No site of the helicopter at the base. Concern grows and a call finally goes out to Search and Rescue, but it is night and nobody will launch until day break. Next day, a futile attempt to locate the aircraft between the base and restaurant produces no results.
You fill in the blanks and what if’s,(weather, etc) then consider how simple this scenario could have turned out, had the pilot simply left a good “flight following plan with someone dependable and then followed the plan precisely or called in to make a change when the decision was made to deviate from the route.
Many times the pilot must do more than just fly the aircraft….you must command the aircraft and think of your passengers and their well being!
Just some food for thought….keep your guard up and fly safe!
Mark
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