Premium On Safety - Issue 17, 2015 - 5

ASI MESSAGE
Countermeasures...
(continued from page 4)
It doesn't matter if you're driving a car or flying a plane,
distractions can get you into trouble. One may argue that the
average driver isn't a highly trained professional pilot.
to keep distractions like PEDs out of pilots'
hands at noncritical phases of flight, we
may be setting a norm that it is okay to use
these devices in the cockpit at any time.
This could be especially true with younger
crews who generationally are more apt to
multitask. So what do you do? PED policies
must either ban devices from the cockpit
or ensure they are turned off. If policies
only limit their use there is no guarantee
that they will not be buzzing or ringing at
the most inopportune times, such as when
phones acquire signals during approach
and landing. At our company, L.J. Aviation,
electronic device policies have evolved rapidly
over the last four years. We first started
testing iPads as Electronic Flight Bags (EFB)
in early 2011. We developed a comprehensive
manual for these company devices
that outlined our operations and expectations.
Nevertheless, early in the iPad testing
phase, we realized software controls
were needed when we started seeing apps
like Netflix appear on the initial cadre of
devices. We then enrolled all of the devices
into mobile device management, allowing
us to limit their content to only flight related
material. Soon after we finalized our iPad
EFB program the demand for in-flight Wi-Fi
became very popular. Shortly after installing
Wi-Fi on our large and midsized fleets, we
began seeing emails arrive from crewmembers
while they were inflight. We immediately
instituted restrictions on the use of Wi-Fi
by limiting the flight crews' use to only flight
related activities on company EFBs (checking
weather, flight planning, emergency situations,
etc.).
Last year we followed the FAA's lead
and developed a comprehensive personal
portable electronic device policy. Our
policy requires that no personal devices
are to be used during aircraft preflight,
and crewmembers' devices are to be
stowed and OFF from the beginning of the
Before Engine Start Checklist until after
shut down. We then combined the basics
of all three policies (EFB, Wi-Fi, and PED)
into a section of our standard operating
procedures under the statement that "The
use of electronic devices shall not diminish
safety or crew situational awareness." PED
policies will continue to evolve with every
technological advance-I anticipate making
changes to ours as wearable devices such
as smart watches become more popular.
In the NBAA survey mentioned earlier,
almost half of the operators stated that
their organizations had a PED policy that
is either not followed completely or frequently
violated. We must focus on a culture
within our organizations and cockpits
that promotes professionalism and regulating
each other. The environment must
include the idea that everyone is in it for
the common good, not to point fingers.
Without a culture that promotes doing the
right thing, we will have a normalization of
deviance that will undermine any policy-
especially a policy that takes someone
away from their most commonly used possession,
their smart phone.
Terry Lascher is Manager of Training
and Standards for L.J. Aviation based in
Latrobe, Pennsylvania. He is an ATP-rated
pilot holding PIC type ratings in the CE-500
/ BE-300 and SIC type ratings in the BBD700
/ DA-2EASY. He can be reached at
tlascher@ljaviation.com.
FAR 121.542 (d): www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/
text-idx?SID=876a5479e164189676f6
34d8a24aa1d4&node=se14.3.121_15
42&rgn=div8
FAA InFO 14006: www.faa.gov/other_
visit/aviation_industry/airline_operators/airline_safety/info/all_infos/
media/2014/InFO14006.pdf
The
State
of Training
BY GEORGE PERRY
A few weeks ago, I went down to Orlando,
Florida, to realize a lifelong dream of attaining
a jet type rating. Although I had thousands
of hours in high performance jet fighters,
and just about as much time in light
general aviation piston aircraft, I'd never
had the opportunity to add a type rating to
my airman's certificate. To say I was excited
would have been an understatement.
Right off the bat, I'll start by saying
I was very impressed with the level of
professionalism and the thoroughness of
the curriculum this well-known training
provider had to offer. The quality of training
exceeded my expectations.
What did surprise me was the amount
of time we trained using the autopilot systems.
I'm not saying that's right or wrong,
just different from what I'm used to. My
days undergoing military flight training put
a much higher level of emphasis on basic
stick, rudder, and energy management
skills. In the jet type rating course, the focus
was on systems management and autopilot
functionality-not hand flying.
I couldn't help myself: I felt compelled to
ask, "Why?" The answer surprised me: "Well,
we are preparing you to pass a checkride
and the autopilot will make sure you keep it
within standards." This struck me as an odd
thing to say. I understood the rationale, but
found it odd nonetheless. I've always been a
believer that autopilots and automation are
part of the equation but not the foundation
for safely moving a plane through the air.
Whether you believe hand flying is a relic
of the past or stick and rudder skills never
go out of style, the simple answer is both
arguments have merit. Whichever side of the
debate you come down on, I think the important
lesson learned is that technology is great
and something to embrace-but we can't
lean too heavily on it, because it can always
fail. Basic stick and rudder skills should provide
solid backup when it does. Fly Safe!
George Perry, Senior Vice President
AOPA Air Safety Institute
5
http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=876a5479e164189676f634d8a24aa1d4&node=se14.3.121_1542&rgn=div8 http://www.faa.gov/other_visit/aviation_industry/airline_operators/airline_safety/info/all_infos/media/2014/InFO14006.pdf
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