Wing Safety Briefing April, 2008

April 08 NM Wing Safety Briefing CAP Sentinel Notes Aging Gracefully in CAP “Glass” Cockpit CAPSAFE Mishap Summary

April 08 NM Wing Safety Briefing Aging Gracefully Aging brings a gradual loss of performance ability – Hearing deteriorates – Vision gets a little more difficult – Reaction times change – Task loading builds more easily

April 08 NM Wing Safety Briefing Aging Gracefully Counter aging problems by: – Being honest that some things don’t work as well as they used to – Do a self appraisal when mission planning – Let other crew members assist – Be “heads up” for concerns expressed by those around you that maybe you’re not “with it” like you used to be. – Put your pride aside

April 08 NM Wing Safety Briefing Aging Gracefully Know when to quit – Don’t fly demanding missions – Slide into the observer/scanner role – Ground yourself The smart folks know when to back off and quit pressing in the face of physical/mental effects of aging. Commanders: make the tough call

April 08 NM Wing Safety Briefing Glass Cockpit New technology demands a change from purely stick and rudder to “systems management” New systems enhance Situational Awareness if used correctly, and conversely, can destroy it if not used. What’s the key? Learning the systems thoroughly so that they become second nature

April 08 NM Wing Safety Briefing Glass Cockpit A firm and complete systems knowledge only comes from the classroom and hands-on training Information processing is the key to optimizing the systems. Nothing teaches better than hands-on in the cockpit training via actual flying with an instructor, or using the aircraft systems on ground power.

April 08 NM Wing Safety Briefing Glass Cockpit Systems Management is a huge departure from the old ways of managing a flight – Form 5/proficiency flights each month is not enough – Use other assets as they become available, such as CD-ROM’s, AOPA training, CAP instructors, etc. You also have to keep “flying the airplane” in addition to being a “systems manager”

April 08 NM Wing Safety Briefing CAPSAFE Flying – Personal judgment When faced with a choice, give yourself the self-test question, “how would I explain this decision to an accident investigation board?” – If you don’t like your answer, then don’t do it – If you can justify your answer to the NTSB or FAA, then you’re probably OK. Ground – Personal limitations Don’t be afraid to say “No, I can’t do it” – Know your limitations: Physical, Mental

April 08 NM Wing Safety Briefing Mishap Summary Aircraft – Bird strike – no damage – Electrical odor, successful landing – Uneven engine, successful landing – Loss of power – successful landing Vehicle – Hit parked vehicle while attempting to park – Hit concrete pillar while reversing direction Bodily Injury – Slipped on icy patch, broke ankle – After one mile run, cadet became incoherent, no walk – Severe dehydration and muscle fiber breakdown

April 08 NM Wing Safety Briefing In New Mexico Weather’s warming up, and we’re anticipating an increase in our “ops tempo” – Check the machines. After a long winter, now’s a good time to do thorough aircraft and vehicle checks – Keep an eye on the weather. It’s changeable in the Spring – Do some long range ORM to identify hazards during activity planning stages Keep looking ahead and asking “are we ready”