Premium On Safety - Issue 21, 2016 - 1

PREMIUM ON SAFETY
ISSUE 21 YEAR 2016

IN THIS ISSUE

Best Practices: Zika Virus-Aircraft Disinsection 03
Single-Pilot Safety 04
Flight Vis: Don't Play the Odds 05
ASI Message: Balancing Drone Safety
and Opportunity 06
When Medical Emergencies Strike 07
USAIG Offers Safety Poster Screensaver/
Desktop Wallpaper 08

A MESSAGE FROM USAIG
Greetings! "Here's your license to
learn." That's how my commanding
officer described my first PIC
designation letter as he handed it over
with a handshake. Hot off a year-long
matriculation, I wasn't exactly seeing
it that way. Ever notice how time and
experience turn your mentors into
prophetic geniuses? Some pilots view
captaincy as their aim point. When
it's reached, the learning environment
rather abruptly gets less structured and
mostly self-directed. The temptation
to drop the learning pack can be
strong when nobody's seeing you as a
trainee anymore. So are you actively
challenging yourself in your aviation
knowledge? If not, it's time to lean in.
Let your curiosity, interests, or perhaps
a topic you're feeling a little "iffy" on
point you. Continuous learning, no
matter your qualification, is a bit like
your aircraft's powerplant. If it stops,
you drop. The last words on that letter
were: "Fly smart and fly safe!"

Paul Ratté
Director of Aviation Safety
Programs, USAIG

Loss of Separation

Best Practices to Avoid Incursions, Incidents,
and Accidents BY CINDY YOUNGBLOOD
Aviation is a dynamic environment. From flight
decks to control towers, a great deal of advanced
skill, effective management, and clear communication is required to navigate safely within the
airspace system. While the FAA is continuously

environments. The number of aircraft operating
in close proximity makes taxiing one of the most
potentially dangerous phases of flight operations.
Incursions resulting in a LOS occur almost daily.
More than a third are due to a breakdown in com-

Airport runways and taxiways are complex environments. The number
of aircraft operating in close proximity makes taxiing one of the most
potentially dangerous phases of flight operations.
working to provide the safest, most efficient aviation system in the world, pilots must adhere to
best practices to ensure the highest degree of
safe operations within that system.
Loss of Separation-Are You on a Collision
Course? (Premium on Safety, Issue 20, Year
2016) discussed that the best method for minimizing loss of separation (LOS) is to emphasize
and promote situational awareness (SA).
In a 2012 presentation, FAA Air Safety
Investigator Tony James described the top 10
causes of general aviation accidents. SA was
a contributing factor in nine of them. While it's
impossible to predict every threat, potential problems can be vetted in advance by understanding
the unique risks within each phase of flight and
adhering to best practices.
Studies conducted by the FAA conclude the
greatest opportunity for LOS is human error in
the terminal environment.
Terminal area
Airport runways and taxiways are complex

munications with ATC. All it takes is a minor distraction or pilot deviation, so crews must operate
with a great deal of vigilance.
Best practices to minimize a LOS threat in
the terminal area:
- Clearly state your location prior to taxiing
- Read back all clearances and taxi instructions
- If in doubt, ask for clarification or request
progressive taxi
- Apply professional CRM to brief and discuss
airport knowledge
- Study the airport diagram when at busy or
unfamiliar airports
- Write down taxi instructions if necessary-
especially during low visibility
- When crossing runways, monitor tower and
scan both takeoff and departure paths
- Both pilots verbally concur "All is clear" before
entering a runway
- Maintain a sterile flight deck to minimize
distractions
- Properly use aircraft lights while taxiing
(continued on page 2)

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Premium On Safety - Issue 21, 2016