Pilots welcome new year with safety in mind

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Amanda Mills
  • Public Affairs
Vance Air Force Base, Okla. --  Student and instructor pilots began 2006 with a reminder Tuesday to fly safely.
Wing safety, guest speakers and Col. Bryan Benson, 71st Flying Training Wing commander, spoke to the pilots in the auditorium.
"In May 2003, the Secretary of Defense (Donald Rumsfeld) directed Department of Defense components to reduce their mishaps by 50 percent by 2005," said Maj. Tom Ferenczhalmy, chief of flight safety. "Air Education and Training Command came very close to meeting that goal." The command reduced its rate from .72 to .5. He also reviewed from fiscal 2004 to 2005, showing an AETC rate reduction from .53 to .5 over the Air Force which increased its rate from 1.18 to 1.42.
"We came very close and made significant strides towards that goal, but now we have a new challenge," the major said. Included in the Secretary's direction was a further reduction to 75 percent by 2008.
To reach this goal, safety professionals, leaders and individuals each have things to do, Major Ferenczhalmy said. Safety educates individuals and provides useful tools, while leaders should stress operational risk management and lead by example. Everyone should know their limits, know the books, avoid complacency and ask themselves if the risk outweighs the reward.
Major Ferenczhalmy then briefed the audience on AETC mishaps for each airframe before Maj. David Siress, flight safety, informed them about safety investigations and privilege. Safety's goal is to prevent mishaps, but when they happen, safety privilege restricts release of information, which encourages frank and open communication with witnesses and contractors, allows a commander to quickly obtain accurate mishap information and helps ensure appropriate corrective action.
To put the importance of safety into perspective, Maj. William Riddle, 8th Flying Training Squadron, talked about an incident he was in during pilot instructor training at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas, where his instructor inadvertently ejected himself.
Major Riddle offered two "take-aways" from his situation.
"One, checklists are in their sequence for a reason," he said. "And two, always dress to egress. You never know when or where you'll have to egress the aircraft."
Another guest speaker, retired Col. Joseph Kittinger Jr., Aviation Hall of Fame member, told some of his experiences. According to the U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission, Mr. Kittinger's work using high-altitude balloons helped the nation in the earliest days of the space program. He reached into the highest layers of the atmosphere and provided information on how humans would react to the rigors they might encounter. Through his high-altitude parachute jumps, he helped increase their chances of survival.
In 1955, Mr. Kittinger flew the T-33 observation plane that monitored the "rocket-sled" experiment of aircraft medicine pioneer Col. John Paul Stapp.
"To determine a person's physical response to deceleration, Dr. Stapp accelerated to 632 miles per hour and then braked," Mr. Kittinger said. "When pilots eject from their aircraft at low altitudes, there's a tremendous deceleration. It's like running into a brick wall."
Mr. Kittinger also worked with Colonel Stapp on Project Man High, a project that used balloons capable of high-altitude flight and a pressurized gondola to determine if humans were physically and psychologically capable of extended travel at space-like altitude.
"In 1957, I piloted the first Man High balloon, which launched to 97,000 feet in 90 minutes," he said. He remained in the air for almost seven hours, communicating to the ground by Morse code.
Colonel Benson then concluded the briefing.
"Colonel Kittinger, we can't thank you enough," he said. He then told pilots to keep up their safety record.
"We haven't earned the Frank P. Lahm trophy three years in a row by accident, pun intended," he said. "We've earned it by being good wingmen, maintaining vigilance and training students well. We're trying to earn the trophy for a fourth year -- let's do this with one team, one fight.
"You now have a blank slate, but remember, safety starts with you. Three people in AETC are gone because we lost track of our professionalism. Go back, revisit the decisions you make and take caution in approaching safety this year."