| By, Captain Savas Uskent Commander Pilot January 14, 2004 Copyright © 2004 ATP/CFI, Next Generation Boeing 737/800, Boeing 737/400-500, Airbus 310/300-200, BAe146/100-70 (Avrojet-100), Challenger 601-3A, Learjet-60, Learjet-55C, Learjet-35A, Aerospatiale Caravelle SE210 http://www.oocities.org/uskent uskent@yahoo.com You may either use the following article, intact or in extracted forms, in your printed or inter/intra net productions free of charge "only for training purposes". Other intentions of usage, either for commercial or non-commercial purposes are forbidden due to copyright. For the latter, the author must grant further permission. FLYING WITH MINIMAL RISKS "Flying with minimal omitable risks!" Sounds good...Nevertheless, as you may guess, the way to make it, has its own very complex parameters. For me, one of the minimum requirements to be a true pilot is to have a grain of common sense along with flying abilities. However, pilots are not alone in the "management of risks of aviation business". They form the one very ring in the chain, position right at the point of the pistol. Cabin attendants, technical, ground operations, baggage transport, loading and airport security personnel all have very prominent role in the quest of reaching maximum safety. In addition, one can never exclude the responsibilities of passengers in this effort. Overall risk management is vitally important in aviation business, which would unfortunately be inauspicious if any one or any ring ever overlooks. As far as I believe, excluding a few aviation companies, allegedly in contradiction with known safety rules and regulations that are all penned with blood, marking the limits between life and death, most companies play the game. Denying the risks of being airborne is kind of keeping your eyes shut to pretend not to see the potential threats lurking in any phase of your life. Flying do has its own inherent risks nevertheless; most of them are manageable. As the nature of "managing the risks" in different branches of aviation vary dramatically, I shall stick with my objective that is "to put forward the minimum requisitions to be able to fly with minimal risks in today's commercial aviation, including major airlines, regional and business aviation". The parameters and factors affecting to the risk management of commercial flying are numerous. I can recall the most prominent daily risks of flying posing what I would call "standard threats to flight safety". Standard threats to flight safety can be grouped under six separate dimensions: 1. Pilot Errors. 2. Human made material catastrophic breakdowns. 3. Technical / Mechanical maintenance errors. 4. Direct or indirect threats of human. 5. Threats of Mother Nature. 6. Management Errors. Airline brass must always expect the unexpected taking into account contingencies of any possible combinations of the above. An attempted hijack can cause a material failure or concur with a vital or non-vital emergency. This may also easily concur with an adverse weather condition. Unfortunately, pilot errors may tend to coincide with emergencies, direct or indirect unlawful interferences, and adverse weather conditions. While fatigue can easily increase the chances for pilot errors, it mostly combines with management errors. A neophyte, inexperienced commander or a captain in charge can easily worsen a bad luck situation with a possible miscommunication with his/her co-pilot and crew in addition to his possible inadequate manual emergency intervention abilities. This kind would be a combination of above six marked by "management errors". I shall further explain the essential diverse abilities of "standard threats to flight safety" shortly so you can read, understand, and recall easily. 1. Pilot Error: The only job group in the world having to work with "zero-error" is pilots. A medical doctor's malpractice may harm one patient; a misjudged court verdict may put one innocent into jail. However, a vital pilot error may cause loss of lives of passengers, flight crew, and even unlucky people living at or near a possible residential ground zero as well. Humanly inherent "push below the minima" nudge coming from a pilot's basic instinct and the lack of common sense to resist the mortal drive is one of the main causes of pilot errors. Weakling Crew Resource Management, a lacking of a positive energy for synergistic operation of flight crews pose another potential threat to flight safety as a vulnerable weak chain of flight operations. Potential danger lurking underneath such operations is pilot error. Increasing factor is the missing corrective comments by sufficiently experienced co-pilots or co-captains whereas necessary. For me Crew Resource Management (CRM) is to be able to establish and maintain a commensurate functional intercommunication between an assigned flight crew for an assigned flight in a cool environment filled with positive energy. A commander (captain-in-charge), first officer (co-pilot), and even a cabin crew having an optimal psychological health, with a calm mind and a cool mood, can achieve this kind of atmosphere in a jetliner. Undoubtedly, such a flight crew can easily be successful in intervention of vital abnormal situations regardless of the nature or the source of the situ. On the contrary, one of the most dispiriting conditions for a pilot is to be in a stressful, negative energy environment in an aircraft. For this reason, the current laws of ICAO countries prohibit all kind of attempts that would cause disastrous distraction of flight crews, which may endanger human lives very seriously. Unruly passenger unrests in cabin are in this category as well. Deviance out of related aviation laws, rules, regulations, and related AOM limits is another factor affecting risk management as either a pilot or a management error. I feel there is no need to mention the importance of required mental healthiness of pilots. Pilots never need a gun or a bomb to threaten the flight safety at all. The speculations on the CVR (Cockpit Voice Recorder) and FDR (Flight Data Recorder) records of Egypt Air accident (B767-366 ER, SU-GAP, Departure KJFK, destination HECA) on Oct/31/1999 form a very clear example for this fact. Remember best countermeasures against pilot errors are to have; sufficient experience, proper training, discipline, cool CRM, and proper calm flight crew mind. 2. Human made material catastrophic breakdown: The possibility to encounter a vital or non-vital emergency occurrence is very remote nevertheless always present as you fly on today's high technology jetliners or business jets. This may break out in a perfect day or night, or in a crummy, marginal, or stormy weather. You never know... The availability and distance to the enroute alternates play an important role in urgent or catastrophic cases. I strongly believe there would always be a chance to make it if you still have; two wings, two stabilizers, and one engine left for you. 3. Technical / Mechanical maintenance errors: Avoiding technical and/or mechanical maintenance errors is vitally important in the minimization of risks of flying. For me, there is no difference between a mechanic or maintenance error and a deadly pitfall. Providing a proper and very careful maintenance in accordance with current regulations with proficiently trained preferably experienced maintenance personnel, is under the direct responsibility of the company management in succession. 4. Direct or indirect threats of human: Possibility of unlawful interference (attempted hi-jack and/or commandeer), bomb scare, bomb threat or bomb hoax to airliners due to undesirable security deficiencies on the phases of passenger embarkation, passenger baggage, or cargo loading is an important risk factor to flight safety in today's conjuncture. A deliberate subversion or sabotage attempt in any ground phase of airliners is accounted in the same category. However, the protective measures are mostly in the hands of ground security and safety personnel, excluding some confidential peculiar flight crew countermeasures planned and taken as means to locate and stop the possible auspicious intentions. I am not going to go in the details of the nature of those counter measures due to confidentiality, but you can be sure those are very well known and taken by each airline crew for each flight. Maximum-security, again confidential, protective/counter-measures is always taken throughout world's major airports to eliminate all kind of ominous threats you can imagine. Brand new structural measures are also being taken such as reinforcement and renewal of flight deck doors, missile defense systems for commercial airplanes etc. 5. Threats of Mother Nature are well known and today's airliners and business aviation aircraft is very well equipped to avoid Mother Nature's bad temper. The only disadvantage of adverse weather would be a coincidental combination with other risks. Thus, pilots, increasing safety margins accordingly, must never ignore a possible break out of other risks as they approach and/or fly through adverse weather conditions. By the way, from the viewpoint of a passenger, keeping seat belts fastened any time he or she is seated regardless of the signs may not mean much. On the contrary, from the viewpoint of a pilot or cabin attendant, it is crucial and is one of the major protective measures for contingencies of unexpectedly turbulent Mother Nature. 6. Management Errors: Poor management, mismanagement, and/or misemployment policies of airline or aviation department managers regarding or regardless of economical concerns may create dangerous accident potential for their own companies. Deviance out of related aviation laws, rules, regulations, and related AOM limits is another factor affecting risk management as part of management error as well as a Pilot in Command (PIC) error. I believe in the complex nature of aviation, which has been combined of many diverse parameters there is no room for any error at all. As founders of aviation companies would want to survive and make profit out of aviation business itself, well-selected management teams must clearly avoid errors staying in accord with the valid regulations and employing proficiently trained, satisfied and devoted flight crews, ground, and technical personnel. When we can correctly estimate the capacity, mental and physical ability of our enemy, we may be able to beat it. Now, here is our enemy: "standard threats to flight safety"... In other words; "the risks of aviation"... We have no margin for an error at all. But we still have a very great chance to pre-plan and execute accordingly... No deviances are allowed. By, Captain Savas Uskent. January 14, 2004 Copyright © 2004 Commander Pilot ATPL/CFI Next Generation Boeing 737/800, B737/500-400, Airbus 310/300-200, BAe146/100-70 (Avro 100), Learjet-60, Learjet-55C, Learjet-35A, Challenger 601-3A, Caravelle SE-210 http://www.oocities.org/uskent uskent@yahoo.com |
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