Tuesday, January 6, 2015

#70: Dec. 16, 2014: Confessions of an Aviation Safety Specialist


"Keeping the Fun in Flying!"

Piper Tri-Pacer, source: creative commons


                                                             

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WingsOfun.com BLOG #70: December 16, 2014


WELCOME PILOTS

     I had a great time at the EAA Chapter 8 Christmas party in Walnut Cove, NC this past Saturday. In addition to spending time with my mentors and friends, it was great to see all the “rag and tube” aircraft at the grass landing strip. Remember: It’s the people that make aviation great!


                                                    Von, Dr. Phil and TW Freeman (left to right)
 
                                             Grass strip in Walnut Cove, NC
 

     A quick shout-out to Marty Heller for sending this information to me to share with fellow subscribers about the Unicom/CTAF frequency change at Cape Fear Regional (Southport/Oak Island, NC):

     "Flying to Cape Fear Regional Jetport (KSUT)? If so, be aware that the CTAF/Unicom changed on 18 Sept 2014, to 123.05 due to conflicts with surrounding airports with the same 05/23 runways. NOTAMS, ATIS, Airport Facility Directory and electronic databases have all been updated on that date. The Charlotte sectional updates in January."
Source: http://www.capefearjetport.com/
 Safe travels.

~TC Freeman
“Keeping the fun in flying!"

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“PILOT AND AIRCRAFT PERFORMANCE"

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WingsOfun Podcast #007: Interview with John Austin,

Discovery Place Museum (Charlotte, NC)

 
 Listen via computer or mp3 player at:

 

 
Show Notes: Discovery Place Museum, www.DiscoveryPlace.org, John Austin – johna at discoveryplace.org 

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COFESSIONS OF AN AVIATION SAFETY SPECIALIST
By TC FREEMAN

     A flight instructor friend commented to me, “Isn't it tough being a safety guy?” Guessing that his question was really one of being constantly scrutinized for safe actions I responded, “I don’t really worry because I have always wanted to be safe, be it flying or otherwise.” One of the comments that my father always received about his flying was that he was very conscientious about safety, and since he is my mentor I try to emulate this positive trait. I have a confession. I’ve fallen short of the goal of personal responsibility with regards to safety.   

     I was having my mid-morning green tea with the guys from work talking about the issues of the world and what-not. Having a good view of the runway this spot is a favorite for discussion and airplane watching. One of the guys commented, “Look at all of those birds circling the runway,” and we all looked to see about 20 birds overhead. While the runway was dormant I said, “Do you think we should call the airport authority to send someone out?” Jokingly, we all responded, “Naaaa!” A couple of minutes later a commuter jet took-off flying through the group of birds knocking one of them to the ground. After a collective gasp we notified airport officials about what happened. It's hard to admit that I let myself become complacent and didn't act until a bird-strike happened.

     Quick sidebar: Airfield managers have tools such as shotgun blanks, air guns, dogs and hawks to scare birds from the area.

    While the commuter continued successfully on its journey I knew the ramifications of such an event could have been a lot worse. In writing this story I was tempted to cross analyze my actions by blaming it on one of my co-workers, lack of a good night's sleep or poor office moral. The truth is I let myself down by not being proactive during a potentially serious situation and taking appropriate action to mitigate the problem.

     I see this complacency happen all over, from ignoring fire alarms while in a movie theater to drivers being oblivious to fire-rescue vehicles trying to get to the scene of an accident. The next time you see a potential hazard take action immediately or you might regret it for a long time to come. I fell short of the goal to have a positive safety culture in my organization that starts with no one other than me.


About the author:

TC Freeman has been flying since he was a teenager and is now an aviation speaker and author. Being employed as an Aviation Safety Specialist for state government, he has a passion for spreading the thrill of flying just for the fun of it via the website, www.WingsOfun.com.

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~TC FREEMAN
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IMPORTANT AUDIO PRESENTATION AVAILABLE:

“OPERATIONS AT NON-TOWERED AIRPORTS”… for pilots flying just for the fun of it.

With the issue of sequestration, the shut-down of many Air Traffic Control Towers is a possibility. Regardless, it is important to know how to safely and efficiently operate at Non-Towered Airports. In this audio book TC Freeman discusses; straight in approaches, dealing with aircraft on extended downwind and traffic pattern entries.



(Run time: 34 minutes)

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Contact your elected officials about the aviation issues that are important to you by visiting: http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml
 
OUR FAVORITE VIDEOS FROM THE WEB ~
Bird Strike Goose Crashes Through Airplane Windshield
 
  
In light of my confession in this week’s article I thought it
appropriate to show the real effects of a bird strike.
 

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