A-D-D'ing To Safety

There have been many advancements in the aviation industry within the last 10 years, especially in general aviation.  Attitude, heading, and reference systems (AHRS), primary flight displays (PFD), multi-function displays (MFD), iPads, ForeFlight, Stratus, electronic engine instruments, and angle of attack indicators are a few examples of technological advancements in general aviation.  Gone are the days of imprecise fuel calculations and general approximations of ETA.  It’s not uncommon to hear a Piper Archer pilot declare that she will arrive at her destination at precisely 13:52 and burn 12.3 gallons of fuel, all while navigating around a minefield of TFR’s, thunderstorm activity, and that pesky Class Bravo that seems impenetrable for VFR flights that are just “passing through”.

This level of precision should make general aviation pilots more informed, precise, and in-tune with their aircraft and the environment in which they operate.  The accident statistics tend to disagree.  The 24th edition of the Joseph T. Nall Report indicates the non-commercial, fixed wing, general aviation accident rates continue to hover around six-and-a-half accidents per 100,000 flight hours.  This accident rate has held steady (actually increased just marginally) since 2003.  Pilot-related accident rates (those accidents caused by pilot error)  have held steady at just under five accidents per 100,000 flight hours.  Looking deeper into the accident statistics we find a few areas of concern: loss of control on takeoff and landing, continued VFR flight into instrument meteorological conditions (IMC), and stall/spin accidents while maneuvering or on descent and approach to an airport.  This really isn’t new information, in fact, these accident types have been the leading causes of non-commercial, pilot-related accidents for decades.  Irregardless of the technology, general aviation accidents continue their trajectory with only small fluctuations.  

It’s time for another acronym in the aviation industry.  A-D-D.  Airspeed, Directional Control, and Decision Making.  Three simple concepts that can have a profound impact on these grim accident statistics.  Let me take some time to explain the merits of A-D-D and how it’s implementation can help keep you safe.

"The scientific laws that pilots leverage each flight are the very same laws that the Wright Brothers so masterfully leveraged at the dawning of the last century.  They haven’t changed."

Airspeed

Science is governed by laws.  A scientific law is a statement that describes a fundamental aspect of the universe.  A scientific law stands the test of time - or more specifically, the repeated experimental prodding of scientists over many generations.  A scientific law doesn’t appear overnight, nor does is change over night.  The scientific laws that pilots leverage each flight are the very same laws that the Wright Brothers so masterfully leveraged at the dawning of the 20th century.  They haven’t changed.  In fixed wing aircraft, we need airspeed in order to remain aloft.  Losing too much airspeed while aloft is similar to holding your breath.  You may be able to do it for a short while, but not for any prolonged length of time.  The accident statistics I quoted at the beginning of this article indicate that pilots are letting their aircraft slow below a safe airspeed.  As pilots we need to manage the scientific laws that keep us aloft (and alive).  Airspeed management is exceptionally important during all phases of flight, and it shouldn’t be forgotten no matter how busy we are.

As a pilot, you should be aware of a speed (or range of speeds) that is the minimum safe airspeed for your aircraft.  VYSE is an example of a minimum safe airspeed in a muli-engine aircraft.  Best glide speed is an example of a minimum safe airspeed in a single engine aircraft.  Unless you are on short final or in the landing flare, you shouldn’t go below that minimum safe airspeed.  And to prevent yourself from inadvertently going below that airspeed, you can trim the aircraft for that speed.  If the aircraft is trimmed for a minimum safe airspeed, you can let go of the flight controls and the aircraft will automatically pitch for that speed.  If you find yourself in a scary situation, (see Decision Making below to prevent that) trim the aircraft for your minimum safe airspeed, keep the ground below you, and collect your thoughts.  

If every general aviation pilot flying today took this advice to heart this year, we would collectively reduce general aviation accidents by approximately 143 total accidents or roughly 16%.  Let’s heed the warning.  Place a Post-It Note on your dash, right in front of your eyes that indicates the minimum safe airspeed for your aircraft.  When you are preoccupied with a problem or maneuvering during a critical phase of flight, trim the aircraft for that safe airspeed.  If you have an autopilot, program it to maintain that minimum airspeed. And if it’s a really bad day, you will be far better off impacting the ground under control with airspeed than in a stall or spin.

"...if it’s a really bad day, you will be far better off impacting the ground under control with airspeed than in a stall or spin."

Directional Control

Loss of directional control is the leading cause of accidents during takeoff, climb, maneuvering, and on approach and landing.  279 accidents were a result of a loss of directional control in 2012.  That’s 32% of all non-commercial, fixed-wing accidents.  If we want to reduce general aviation accidents by a significant amount, this is a great place to start.  It’s a problem for all levels of pilot from Student Pilot all the way up to Airline Transport Pilot.  So how can we reduce the number of loss of control accidents?  Certainly not with the implementation of more technology in the cockpit - quite the opposite in fact.  Let’s look at three ways to reduce directional control accidents.

Takeoff

On takeoff, it’s rare that we won’t have some amount of crosswind that we need to correct for.  Improper crosswind correction on takeoff can result in a loss of directional control.  To prevent this, we need to be aware of the wind direction (check the windsock which is almost always 2000’ down the runway on the right-hand side) and make appropriate crosswind aileron and rudder inputs.  As the aircraft accelerates down the runway, these inputs will need to be slowly reduced and by liftoff, it is likely that you will still need to have some aileron application towards the wind and a small amount of opposite rudder.  Once the main wheels leave the runway surface and you reach a safe altitude, slowly let these corrections out so that the aircraft “weathervanes” into the wind.  There’s a fine line between removing the corrections too soon and too late.  The most critical time to have proper wind correction in place is when the nose wheel is off but the main wheels are still on the ground.  Maintain the wind correction inputs until the main wheels leave the ground, then, at a safe altitude slowly relax your control inputs.

Emergencies

During emergencies, it’s critical to maintain directional control above all else.  Multi-engine aircraft provide a unique challenge when one engine fails.  Maintaining directional control in a multi-engine aircraft while operating on one engine comes down to two things: airspeed and rudder input.  With sufficient airspeed (VYSE at a minimum) a pilot can do nearly anything.  Bob Hoover could fly loops and rolls while operating his Twin Commander on one engine.  This is only possible with sufficient airspeed.  The rudder requires airflow in order to be effective - give it plenty of airflow by maintaining at least VYSE during one-engine inoperative maneuvering.  And if maintaining VYSE results in a 1000 foot per minute descent, so be it.  You are far more likely to survive an impact with the terrain while maintaining directional control.

Approach & Landing

Maintaining directional control on landing is quite possibly one of the most challenging skills that a pilot has to perfect, especially in Grand Forks, North Dakota where strong crosswinds are the norm.  Unfortunately, we don’t get a lot of time to practice the landing technique; one or two minutes on each flight at most.  Proper crosswind technique on landing is critical.  It’s also a fairly basic concept that hasn’t changed in years.  On landing, the longitudinal axis of the aircraft (an imaginary line that runs from nose to tail) has to be aligned with the runway centerline.  The forward inertia must be dissipated while rolling down the center of the runway.  That’s it.  End of story.  But how?

It’s important to remember that the rudder is the only way that we can align the longitudinal axis of the aircraft with the runway centerline.  In a no wind condition, this is pretty simple.  When there’s a crosswind however, we need to apply a combination of aileron (to counteract the drifting caused by the wind) and rudder (to keep the longitudinal axis of the aircraft aligned with the runway centerline) to achieve a safe landing.  Too much of one or the other will yield undesirable results and possibly lead to an excursion from the runway surface.  It’s also important to remember that you aren’t done flying the aircraft until you have it safely parked in the hangar.  So these wind corrections will need to be maintained all the way through the flare and rollout (and taxi) and as the aircraft slows, these controls become less effective.  This means that these inputs will need to be increased slowly as the aircraft slows in the flare and rollout phases of the flight.  Remember, the aircraft isn’t done flying until it’s parked in the hangar.

"Technology doesn’t replace decision making.  Technology informs decision making."

Decision Making

Alright, we are chipping away at those accident statistics.  Let’s take care of another 129 accidents (14.8%).  Fuel management and weather-related accidents persist despite all of the detailed information that pilots have at their fingertips.  There’s a very good reason for that.  Technology doesn’t replace decision making.  Technology informs decision making.  Decision making is an acquired skill very similar to flying an ILS approach however, it’s far more complex and individualized.  For this reason, the development of a decision making skill set takes time.  It takes practice.  We need to make good decisions, bad decisions, horrible decisions and most importantly we need to alter our behavior as a result of these decisions.  Ideally, the bad and horrible decisions should be made under the observation of a qualified instructor who can safely manage these decisions and make them strong learning experiences.  Regardless when and how these decisions are made, we need to be making a point of learning from each one of them.  If you aren't sure what decision to make, consult an experienced flight instructor who can help you ,are an informed decision. 

Fuel Management

Fuel related accidents have decreased somewhat over the last decade.  This is good, but the fact that pilots mismanage fuel is still concerning. Fuel related accidents should be zero.  There are no good reasons for running out of fuel in an aircraft.  There are only excuses.  The winds were stronger than forecast.  I didn’t want to top off at my last airport because the fuel prices are so much higher.  The fuel gauges still said there was 2 gallons in the tanks.  All excuses for poor fuel management.

The technological advancements in fuel measurement have not done us any favors.  In my opinion, we were better off when we had fuel gauges that bounced between empty and a half full regardless of the amount of fuel in the tanks.  In fact, I wonder if we’d not be better off without any fuel gauges in the aircraft.  The fact is, pilots could take three simple steps that forever prevent fuel starvation: predict fuel burn prior to flight, ensure sufficient fuel is on the aircraft prior to departure (physically check the tanks), and periodically check fuel burn and fuel remaining throughout the flight.  If I were to put emphasis on one of these three steps, I’d place it on the last item; checking fuel periodically throughout the flight.  Be constantly aware of how much fuel you have on board and how much you need to safely complete the flight.  If you get sent to the penalty box (holding pattern), determine how long you can hold before you need to proceed to your alternate.  Military pilots (and airline pilots) call this Bingo fuel - the point at which you need to go somewhere to get more fuel.

My grandfather used to write down his mileage and gallons used every time he filled up his car.  He kept it in a little logbook in the glove compartment.  This is a great habit to acquire if you take pride in your vehicle.  It’s an even better habit to acquire if you want to eliminate the potential of fuel starvation in an aircraft.  I can’t think of a better way to stay in tune with your aircraft than to do fuel checks at various phases of flight (prior to pulling onto the runway for takeoff, top of climb, each hour in cruise, top of descent).  Calculate how much fuel you've burned, check it against how much you planned to burn, and determine how much fuel you will have on board at your destination.  Write it down.  Keep a log of your fuel consumption.  Be methodical about it.  You will be surprised by how much you learn about your aircraft in the process.  If you have imperfect fuel gauges, or no precise fuel burn indications, you will have to rely more heavily on your planned fuel burn calculations - all the more reason to complete a detailed fuel plan prior to flight.

Weather

Technological advancements are delivering precise weather information right to our fingertips.  Once again, technology has not yet replaced the need for decision making - in fact it’s actually made decision making more difficult.  In the good ol’ days when we could drop into the dimly lit beehive of a Flight Service Station (FSS) to chat with a weather briefer prior to our flight, much of the weather-related decision making was shared by the briefer and pilot.  A good briefer would mentor the pilot along in their decision making process, highlighting the perils that hide in the 800 foot overcast layer.  For better or worse, the current generation of pilot must be able to make weather-related decisions on their own or actively search out some assistance in making this decision by calling a weather briefer or seeking advice of a flight instructor. 

The lion’s share of the weather-related accidents occur when pilots attempt visual flight rules (VFR) in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC).  VFR into IMC typically ends in fatalities.  We need to be more cognizant of the weather hazards along our entire flight if we want to reduce these weather-related accidents.  All too often, pilots focus their attention on the current and forecast weather for their departure and arrival airports and make very little consideration for the weather enroute.  Thunderstorms, cloud layers, icing, and many other perils can lie somewhere along our route of flight.  The accident statistics indicate that over 80% of weather-related accidents can be attributed to thunderstorm penetration or deficient instrument technique during IFR flight which are typically encountered enroute.

On board NEXRAD (digital radar representation) provides pilots with a very detailed representation of hazardous thunderstorm activity, and it’s great.  You need to know two things about NEXRAD though: 1) it’s a summary of what the ground-based radar systems are sensing, 2) it takes time to update.  Let’s talk about the first point for a little bit.  a NEXRAD summary is just that, a summary.  Ground-based radar stations are positioned strategically throughout the country but they do not cover every inch of the air over the United States (or Canada for that matter as you will notice).  These “holes” or blanks in radar coverage are filled with an estimation of what is actually occurring.  Additionally, these ground-based radar stations are sensing base reflectivity, they aren’t able to provide dimension.  When you are looking at a NEXRAD depiction of the weather, you are essentially looking the bottom layer of the cloud layer.  There are many dangers that lurk above this cloud layer that will not be represented on a NEXRAD depiction.  If you are attempting to navigate around convective activity, nothing should replace what you see out the window.  If you are attempting to navigate convective activity at night, plan your flight so that you stay at least 20NM (preferably 50NM) away from the storms, keeping in mind that you may not be able to see the activity once you are airborne.  The second thing you need to know about NEXRAD is that it takes time to update.  There’s a delay between what you see on the NEXRAD depiction and what you see out the window.  You can reasonably expect the NEXRAD depiction to be 10-15 minutes behind what is actually happening outside.

Let’s make a resolution to be better aeronautical decision makers this year.  Make fuel management a habit, and beware of the perils of the new age of pilot weather briefings.  Let’s also be aware of our airspeed at all times during the flight and don’t let the aircraft get below your minimum safe airspeed until you are safely on the ground.  Let’s also maintain directional control at all times, from startup to shutdown and everything in between.  Together we can reduce non-commercial, fixed-wing, general aviation accidents.  Next time you fly remember, A-D-D; Airspeed, Directional Control, Decision Making.  Add it up for a safe flight!