EDITORIAL
by Andy Boquet
"Eyeing a dark, towering fortress of villainous clouds marching down from the north, a jetliner crew turned off a right downwind and rolled out on final heading south into soft, summer breezes. Suddenly, without warning, the jet began to fall earthward as the airspeed dropped sharply. Firewalling the throttles, the crew braced themselves for the impact. Grabbing futilely for sky, the jet sank inexorably towards the tolling bells. Wind whipped treetops pulled at the naked underbelly as the jet barely cleared the overrun, and smashed onto the concrete like a fighter grabbing for a wire aboard an aircraft carrier. Turbines screaming in a full‑power touch and go, the jet jumped airborne and the crew steered south towards safer skies...and a laundromat."
A sce out of a William LaBarge aviation action novel? Unfortunately not. This recent incident was almost a repeat of the Delta 191 accident at DFW. Chilling.
I heard about this bounce and go during a pleasant, schedules‑induced, two hour lunch break. Another such break a week later revealed that a 737 enroute to the east coast flamed‑out with fuel in the center tank, since the full center tank fuel pumps were never selected. A silent, heart‑thumping descent to 25,000 feet, a successful APU start, a few gallons of center tank fuel transferred, engines relighted, and the bi‑jet sailed off into the sunrise...probably in search of yet another laundromat. Raise your hands if any of you heard of these near‑disasters. One...two...what about the other 1400 or so SWA airdales?
Had these events happened to any of us, we, too, might have been hesitant to report them; yet their occurrences are invaluable information for other aviators.
In the last CROSSFEED I discussed a circuit breaker that caused me grief enroute LAS‑MCI. One reader asked why it seems that only I have such troubles on the line...good question...what's happening with the other 700 SWA crews during the month? Does anyone else fly around here? Am I the only one carrying the mail? Alas, few folks like to report difficulties: certainly not putting yourself and your captain/copilot (circle one) on report is a time‑honored tradition.
MDW‑PHX‑HOU‑DAL all have well‑paid, SWAPA safety representatives whose numbers are listed in CROSSFEED. No one need report more than "what, why, where"...leave out the "who" and "when" for self‑preservation sake. Put your pricey safety reps to work, let us write of problems on the line. To use a few cliches: "knowledge is power; forewarned is forearmed; the only thing new is the history you don't know."
Help us help you keep SWA accident free: WHEN you have a problem...and you ARE having and WILL continue to have problems (as long as jets fly)...drop a "what, where, why" note to your safety rep, followed by a NASA form, if applicable. Don't forget: turn on your center tank fuel pumps; and, speed is life.
"And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; It tolls for thee."
Trivial Pursuit
by Andy Boquet
1. The only way to monitor proper functioning of an ADF during an ADF approach (help!) in a SWA 737 is to continue listening to the I.D. True/False
2. Enjoying the view over the Mammoth, CA, ski resort, you feel an urge to contact dispatch. Dispatch can be reached by calling what frequency on the downlink phone (aka, "batphone")?
3. HUB runway 04 RVR is 1600. Using the more precise RVR values, you can takeoff on runway 12R even though the visibility is reported at 1/8 mile. True/False
4. Checking the standby power system while aligning the IRS results in an incomplete check of the system. True/False
5. Someone stole the LUV field VOR...it is dead, defunct, tilted, gone. True/False
ATTENTION:
Smokers Reduce the Nation's Deficit
Writing in the Wall Street Journal (6‑7‑93), Peter Parsell suggests that we should not place a "sin" tax on cigarettes. Mr Parsell says that smokers conveniently die before their time and thus contribute a disproportionate share into the nation's pension funds. In social security alone each smoker who dies prematurely, as smokers tend to do, contribute over $20,000 in benefits never paid out (even more is paid in and not taken out by smoking airline pilots).
Mr. Parsell says that while taxing cigarettes ($6/pack in Canada) is a perceived cash cow for the U.S., the tax in Canada resulted in a 40% drop in consumption; thus so in tax revenues.
The article further states that 75% of the U.S. does not smoke, and that the lifetime medical costs of the average male smoker exceeds those of nonsmokers by 32%. - A.B.
Trivial Pursuit Answers
1. True...there is no "off" flag in the ADF system...check for a steady needle and a proper I.D.
2. 131.7 per the FOM 05.10.04, May 24‑93
3. False‑‑‑Runway 04 RVR is only good for takeoff on that runway...none other. If the winds favor 12R, tough antiskid..12R vis is below 1/4, which is required...takeoff 04 or don't go.
4. All too true...a "gotcha" during simulator rides...don't check the standby power while the FO aligns the IRS system...flags abound the HSI/CDI and will not go away until the system aligns. Then a proper power check can be accomplished.
5. True...seems Big Brother figured LUV didn't need a VOR cuz it handles only general aviation aircraft. PHX and MDW outcasts take note: Don't look for 114.3 around Dallas...it's gone south (real pilots don't need VOR/DME)..
AEROMEDICAL NEWS
From the Flight Surgeon:
TIME TO COME CLEAN
by Joe Battersby, D.O.
(The following article is reprinted with permission from "Arizona Flyways"-thanks to publisher Arv Schultz...L. Kline-publisher)
This month I want to tell you a story about booze. Several months ago one of my airline guys came in and told me about a mistake in judgment he had made. (Actually, he said, "I stepped on my...bleep...")
He had acquired a "drinking while driving" ticket sometime prior to the due date for his medical. He had squared all his incurred obligations with the police and judiciary, and he had cleared the issue with his airline. He was not taken off active flight duty. The offense had occurred on his "own time".
To be on the safe side, he even checked with some doc at ALPA to further reassure himself in the matter of his airman's certificate. That doc said that as long as he reported the problem appropriately on his medical application, there shouldn't be a problem.
I know and trust this pilot. He's a straight shooter. I forgot to add that his previous driving record was clean. We went through our usual physical, and I issued his First Class medical - of course.
OK. Fine
No. Not fine!
A relatively short time later he received a letter from the FAA Civil Aviation Security Division, telling him he had violated a federal reg by not reporting the incident to them within 60 days of the occurrence...and he was in trouble.
The airman in question brought me the letter he had received. We shall call him "Jack", for that is his name. (Joke. Of course it's not his real name!) I got on the phone to a young lady in Ok City who was handling Jack's "case".
I am required as a designated AME to have knowledge of all the regs pertaining to the issuance of airman medical certificates, so I sat there on the phone like a good little boy and took my medicine while she told me "all about it." At the time of our conversation she did not know what action her agency proposed to take. For one of the few times in my life I kept my cool.
I know, "Ignorance of the law is no excuse." I know that "The Law is the Law," etc. etc. I also know that my sense of fair play was outraged at the time. (Yeah, I know outrage is bad for you, but I get that way sometimes.)
Jack and I awaited further communication from the agency. I guess they gave weight to his honest, multiple attempts to clear the matter because no punitive measures were forthcoming, beyond what amounted to a letter of reprimand.
It is my belief that many individuals under given circumstances could flunk a Breathalyzer test. Sometimes it might take a lot less than one thinks. It is also true that when I was a young sailor (sometime shortly after the Civil War) several of my shipmates and I, when on liberty, did not concern ourselves so much with whether we were drinking too much, but rather that we were drinking to little!
My personal judgment has also lapsed on occasion since those early days. I don't mean to say that any of that was wise or good. But rather, that is it possible for humans to make human errors. The key is not to repeat them.
The point of this long story and personal confession is to advise you that should you experience an unfortunate situation like Jack's, you must within 60 days report the event to:
Federal Aviation Administration
Aeromedical Certification Branch AAC-700
Mike Monroney Aeromedical Center
P.O. Box 26080
Oklahoma City, OK 73126
Attn: Civil Aviation Security Division
To conclude, I'm forced to add that while drinking and driving exposes one (and everyone else) to a greater statistical danger, any guy who drinks and drives has got to be too dumb to find his own rear with both hands and the help and a friend!
As for this column, I sincerely hope that it will be of absolutely no value to you.
Deep Thoughts #1 - on health: "I'm not a vegetarian because I love animals; I'm a vegetarian because I hate plants." - A Whitney Brown
EXERCISING MAY INHIBIT AGING
by L. Kline
In the last issue of "Crossfeed", we presented an article that showed how moderate exercise can improve the human immune system. Recent studies by USC show that exercise can also hold back the effects of aging.
Professor Robert Wiswell, PhD., has undertaken a monumental study of the effects of aging on athletes. The study, begun in 1987 and designed to cover 20 years, features almost 200 master athletes-people 40 and older who compete in at least one sanctioned event each year.
According to Dr. Wiswell, "We're focusing on the whole concept of the retention of strength and how strength is an important component of fitness...important components of fitness being flexibility, endurance, strength, and body composition. We've found that (as one ages), independent living may be more a function of strength (training) than endurance (training). We're finding a couple of things that's surprised us. Number one: We are seeing a maintenance of (muscle) fiber size in individuals well into their 60's; whereas we used to think that a person would start to lose fiber size early in the late 30's and early 40's."
According to the preliminary results of the research, Dr. Wiswell feels that as one ages, it is important to maintain a healthy balance of proper nutrition, rest, endurance and strengthening exercises. "Far too many people think that as they retire, they need to slow down. Retirement is the time to speed up a little and do things outside our normal routines to help maintain the muscles and bones."
Deep Thoughts #2 - on aging: "I'm at an age where I think more about food than sex. Last week I put a mirror over my dining room table." - Rodney Dangerfield
FIT OR FAT?
by Andy Boquet
Back in the Corps, tiring of the other evils that abounded military bases, a few of us jogged our brain cells and meniscus to pulp; later making the runner's pilgrimage from Hopkington to Boston 26.2 miles distant. Years have passed, that 150 pound bag of bones has been augmented by more than a few corpuscles, and I yearn for the days when I crested Heartbreak Hill enroute to the finish line in distant Beantown.
For a decade at SWA I've been trying to run off slovenly eating habits with high mileage, biking, racquetball, and swimming, and the results have been one knee operation and no weight loss. Conclusions: a data point of one that you can't burn off fat with exercise alone...the only way to drop weight is to eat right and exercise in moderation...seems every time I exercise hard I get hurt, then I eat to deal with the depression from not getting my runner's high...just not a good cycle. And, although I consume little meat and less spirits, the calories were coming in somewhere and they were winning the race. Perhaps advanced age and a worn body has something to do with this phenomenon.
A new book sheds some light on the subject: The Fat Tooth Fat Gram Counter, by Joseph C. Piscatella, which explains why an active widebody like myself gains weight: FAT intake.
Seems that beloved Midway Airport bran muffin, while seemingly healthful, contains around 12 grams of fat; those miniature SWA morning muffins at the gates run about 6 grams of fat; an egg (yolk) is 8 grams; a slice of cheese is 8 grams; an 8 ounce glass of whole milk is 9 grams, those SWA peanuts are 9 grams; Sun chips are 8 grams; two large Grandma's cookies total 35 grams! Munch on such fare all day, then have a burger biggie, fried rice, and/or a pile of steak fajitas, and the result is an overgross of daily fat grams.
According to author Piscatella, an active 66" male should weigh 166 pounds, with a daily intake of 2490 calories (166 pounds times 15 calories/pound) to maintain that weight. No more than 30% of our daily calorie intake should be in fat: thus 30% of 2490 is 747 calories daily in fat. Divide that by 9 calories per gram of fat, and you have 83 grams of fat allowed daily. 30% is a maximum, and a better amount would be 56 grams (20%), or 41 grams (15%). NOTE: your daily fat intake should be at least 20 grams to ensure proper bodily operation...unfortunately, those of us with a camel's supply of fat cannot exchange the fat on our waists for the recommended daily amount. Our bodies require at least 20 grams of fat intake daily...otherwise you'll go tilt, stall, crash & burn, and lose the race.
By establishing your daily fat gram goals, e.g., 41 grams for a 15% intake, and knowing what a burger biggie deluxe plus fries runs (lots), you can choose foods that are low in fat grams, and pace yourself throughout the day.
Weight loss depends on calorie intake: there are 3500 calories in one pound of weight. IF, using the above example, you, like me, are 66" tall but are above the ideal of 166 pounds, you have to have a calorie intake that is less than 2490 calories daily to lose weight...not counting calories burned exercising. Multiply your personal weight goal by 15 calories/pound, and you will have your own daily intake allowance, IF you already weigh that much. If not, take in less calories and at the rate of 3500 calories/pound you will lose weight. My personal, totally unqualified medical opinion is that if you deal with the fat grams and ignore calories (more or less), the weight will come off slowly, but permanently.
The above information is given for general health information only, and is not a SWAPA endorsement of The Fat Tooth Fat Gram Counter. Your health is a rather personal matter and before deviating from your present program (if any) you should see your friendly flight surgeon and discuss a sensible weight loss program. Personally, I continue to lose weight slowly, while sleeping more soundly, exercising longer and harder, and feeling more alert...from a data point of one...watching fat grams is the only way to fly.
INDUSTRY NEWS BRIEFS
by L. Kline
NEW FAA ADMINISTRATOR NOMINATED - David Hinson has been nominated by President Clinton to become the new Administrator of the FAA. Mr. Hinson learned to fly in the Navy and has accumulated over 9000 hour of military and civil flight time. He most recently served as an executive for Douglas Aircraft (V.P.-Marketing and business development). He was also formerly head of Midway Airlines.
FIXED TERM FOR FAA HEAD OPPOSED - DOT Secretary Federico Pena opposes new legislation that would provide a seven year fixed term for the FAA Administrator's position. The Secretary has commented that he wants someone who "wants to make a commitment, but you can never guarantee how long a person will be willing to serve in the job." The average tenure for an FAA administrator is 2.3 years, with five administrators over the last decade.
BUT HE KNOWS A PLANE FROM A TRAIN - the White House named Jim Hall, a real estate developer and aide to Senator H. Matthews (D-Tennessee), to fill the vacancy on the NTSB. According to the Clinton Administration, Mr. Hall has no professional experience in any transportation mode nor in accident investigation. We hope that he will be as successful as Ms. Susan Coughlin in becoming a knowledgeable, enlightened member of the NTSB.
GPS-BASED NAVIGATION SYSTEM TO BE TESTED - Continental Airlines will be the first U.S. 121 carrier to install and test Global Positioning System satellite navigation on revenue flights. The GPS receivers will be installed on several ATR-42s, Dash-7s, and MD-80s. The FAA will be observing these operations in an effort to set standards for certification of GPS nav systems.
SAFETY BOARD REPEATS CALL FOR MANDATORY CHILD SEATS - a recent aircraft incident which injured an infant passenger during a turbulence encounter has prompted the NTSB to ask the FAA to reconsider the decision to not require child restraint seats. Earlier this year, the FAA rejected the NTSB's request to mandate use of the seats.
NEW DENVER AIRPORT RUNWAYS CAUSE CONFUSION - when the new Denver airport opens later this year, flight crews will have to exercise extra vigilance. The runway enumeration doesn't seem to have much basis in logic. Apparently Monty Python had a hand in this project for the FAA.
[insert diagram 1 here]
LEGAL DECISIONS - the NTSB reaffirmed the decision of ALJ Jimmy Coffman supporting the FAA's 45 day suspension of a Continental captain's ATP license for violations of FAR 91.5 and 91.9.
The charges came in connection with a flight in 1988 where the captain is alleged to have failed to familiarize himself with information regarding an inoperative center fuel tank on his B737. The tank had been drained and deactivated due to leaking, and the fuel gauge in the cockpit had been placarded with the appropriate MEL sticker. The MEL stated that the crew was to occasionally operate the tank's boost pumps to pump out any residual fuel coming from the wing's surge tanks. Upon landing, the aircraft was inspected by two FAA inspectors, who questioned the captain and noticed his lack of knowledge about the MEL placard and its requirements. Upon questioning, the captain indicated that he thought that the center tank fuel gauge was inoperative, not the tank.
When operating under relief of the MEL, be sure to read all the crew requirements in the MEL and comply with the stated requirements. (Administrator v. Simonton)
...AND YOU THOUGHT YOU HAD TO HAVE A BIG WATCH TO BE A PILOT - the NTSB has affirmed the suspension of a pilot's first class medical certificate for failure to furnish the Administrator with information previously requested.
On his medical application, the pilot noted he had a record of traffic convictions and "other" convictions on alcohol-related charges, and he had received a penile implant earlier that year. A medical certificate was issued by the pilot's AME. Several months later the pilot was asked to furnish the FAA with all records relating to the traffic convictions and to any care or treatment he received for alcohol abuse, as well as medical records regarding the implant. The pilot furnished most of the requested information including a statement from the surgeon that did the surgical procedure. Subsequently, the FAA suspended the airman's medical certificate for failure to fully comply with the request for more information.
The pilot's appeal was based on the untimely request from the FAA for more information (over 60 days) since the issuance of the medical certificate. Further, the pilot questioned the degree to which his having the prosthesis negatively impacted on his ability to operate an aircraft.
The NTSB ruled that there were no time limitations of a suspended (not reversed) medical. Also the Board ruled that the FAA had good cause to inquire as to the problem that led to the implant. "The board believes that the physical, laboratory and psychological findings reported in the records may aid the Administrator in...determining whether a disqualifying condition exists." (Administrator v. Woznick)
NTSB FINDS FOR FAA IN MORE REVIEW CASES - NTSB has started ruling in favor of the FAA in a much higher percentage of certificate enforcement cases reviewed on appeal, according to the NTSB Bar Association. The group says that of the 179 cases on appeal to the NTSB in 1992, the pilot prevailed in only 14 (less than 8%). This contrasts with prior years, where the pilots prevailed in 28 percent of the cases reviewed.
Deep Thoughts #3 - "We find the defendants incredibly guilty." - The foreman returning the verdict on Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder in Mel Brooks' movie "The Producers".
IT MAY BE SHORT, BUT IT SURE IS NARROW - no its not Pee Wee Herman's latest movie, but a common comment of flight crews operating into DET (City Airport). Since the company has chosen to cease operations there this fall, it is fitting to reflect upon our group's performance into this marginal facility. Operating safely for over five years into this airport is a tribute to all of you. Thank you for your good judgment, superior airmanship, and good humor.
FROM THE TRAINING CENTER
EPT
by Jim Federer
SWA Training Department
[insert Federer article here]
CHARLIE'S CORNER
by Charlie Marcell
SWA Training Department
AUTOSLATS
Taxiing out from Gate 5 to runway 13R at DAL, the Autoslat system shows to have a dual channel failure. You check the MEL and find there is no relief. You pull back into the gate and the mechanic replaces the Autoslat Computer with no help fixing the problem. You may ask the mechanic to check the Alpha vanes. If the Alpha vanes are out of position it will give an Autoslat failure indication. If you have the dual autoslat failure at a non-maintenance station, check the alpha vanes for being out of position thereby saving maintenance cost.
AIRCRAFT BATTERIES
The first officer walks out to the aircraft for an originating preflight and the battery barely shows 21 volts. May he attempt to start the APU?
Answer: YES, the 23 volt limitation for minimum battery voltage is for dispatching the aircraft. It is necessary to observe the D.C. ammeter for an indication of a positive charge rate after the electrical busses are powered up. First officers should pull the battery charger circuit breaker on thru flights or if the aircraft is previously powered up in order to check the battery for minimum voltage of 23 volts.
737-200 COMPASSES
If you switch compasses Both on 1 or Both on 2 on the 737-200 aircraft, the opposite compass RMI will drive off approximately forty five degrees. It will be necessary to slew the RMI to align the compasses.
FROM NASA
(Publisher's Note - the following article is reprinted with permission from NASA's "ASRS Directline" by Don George. It has been edited for publication in "Crossfeed".)
One Zero Ways to Bust an Altitude...Or Was That Eleven Ways?
[insert ASRS article here without graphic on page 6]
FROM THE SAFETY COMMITTEE
...And Nature Rumbas
by Jack Kittleson - PHX Safety Representative
[insert Kittleson article here]
Deep Thoughts #4- on thunderstorms: "A quiet Arkansas town was disrupted one day when frozen ducks fell from the sky. By the time it was over, nearly 100 lay scattered about. The birds had been skirting a thunderstorm when they were caught in a severe updraft, carried aloft in the storm and frozen to death." Business & Commercial Aviation 6/93
THE LAZY, HAZY DAYS OF SUMMER...
By Mark Monse‑Dispatcher
Dispatch Liaison to the Safety Committee
CIS 75320,3457
Summer's here, along with more frequent problems with MATOGS, fuel stops, max quick turn weights, and landing performance limits--all the stuff that makes for a totally smooth operation for us here in Dispatch--NOT! Some information and helpful hints to help ensure SWA's summer operation really -is- a smooth one:
Positive Communications:
Dispatch continues to grow, and we'll be adding a 10th desk (sector) in August. We're often busy, as each desk is now working about 17 aircraft, and releasing 60-80 flight segments per shift. Efficient communications are important, as our workloads and time frames are often compressed, especially in bad weather or with OTS aircraft. To expedite things, it'd be very helpful if you would direct your phone/radio calls to your dispatcher at the specific desk number noted on your dispatch release. Sure, it's easy to ask a local "what's the number for Dispatch?", but it may not be for the desk/dispatcher working -your- flight. City-pair assignments vary with each schedule change, and some jetway phone lists may not be current. Please positively identify who/what/where you are, and the nature of the problem. Your dispatcher will endeavor to solve that problem ASAP, thus making them available for other calls yet to come. Watch for a future FOM change on this subject.
Max quick turn weight:
Affecting primarily the -200's planned for flap-15 landings, especially at hot-and-high airports, we still get many questions on this. Assume you're on a DAL-ABQ flight with your trusty -200, your burnoff is 9.0, you're good for 115.5 off DAL, and ABQ is planned to be 80F at your arrival time. The landing performance limit for flaps-15 for 80F is 101.8, so adding the 9.0 burn yields a 110.8 release MATOG. This does -not- mean you can load right up to 110.8 limit and blast off, as if you do, you'll discover upon landing at ABQ at 80F/101.8 that you're 5,200 pounds over the max quick turn weight (96.6) for that temperature. What happened? Rather than finding yourself with 50 minutes to contemplate that question, here's some perspective from our end.
We do not limit release MATOG due max quick turn weight (i.e. using 96.6 for max landing weight versus 101.8 in the above scenario), but we do assume it for tankering calculations. Continuing the example, 96.6 + 9.0 = 105.6, then minus an assumed full aircraft with an 87.0 ZFW, that should allow for a max fuel of 18.6, while still keeping you below 96.6 when you arrive. However, Dispatch is -not- currently informed in advance of any freight, COMAT, or airmail which may be on your aircraft, so while we might assume an 87.0 ZFW during tankering calculations, your actual weight at departure time may be higher.
To prevent these kinds of situations from sneaking up, page 8.48 of the -200 PHB performance section sensibly requires that we add a release remark. When you see "ATOG is above max quick turn weight", it's advising that you'll exceed max quick turn weight
-if- you depart at that release MATOG and the planned temperatures exist at your arrival time. Tankering isn't the only potential "gotcha"; high single fuel loads (due actual/forecast weather) can also nail you should you make it in unscathed. Also FYI, we base our tankering/max quick turn weight equation based on the assumption that the flight will land into the wind--something to think about the next time ABQ winds are 0807 and you consider that visual approach to 26 for your fully loaded DAL-ABQ Luvjet...
VHF Communications:
In the last CROSSFEED, Andy Boquet discussed ARINC communications during his LAS-MCI flight "one dark and stormy night." To update everyone, we now have SWA remote radio sites deployed along this route, at Page, AZ (PGA), La Junta, CO (LHX) and Hays, KS (HYS), and these 3 all utilize 131.175, a new frequency for us. For you J101/J180 regulars in the HOU-STL/BNA corridor, there's also a new site at Monroe, LA (MLU) on good old 131.7. For the PHX to southern California crowd, there's a new site at Yuma, AZ (YUM), also on 131.7. Operations within the central/northern California and RNO areas are now nicely covered by a site high atop the Mammoth Mountain, CA (MMH) ski area (11,000' MSL), also on 131.7 (see Trivia Pursuit this issue-Publisher), and we are now accepting applications for the winter repair team. The en route coverage of these remote sites are quite good (especially MMH), and should prove very helpful in the exchange of information.
We don't -normally- monitor these remote sites (or any SWA station site) on a continuous basis, but we can access them when needed via a phone call. Crews can also use the "batphones" with them. Once other VHF communications improvements are in place, we hope to have a formalized procedure and detailed map in the FOM to enhance monitoring, and thus our ability to provide you with timely, quality information. "Stay tuned" for further developments.
Say Again, ad. inf.
When using a radio patch, please keep in mind that there's a slight delay between every keying of your mike and the connection of the electronic relay that allows us to actually hear you, and vice versa. For example, when we ask you for an FOB in a holding situation, all we often hear is your "point 8", and not the thousands. If you start your transmissions with a brief "uuuhhh..." to allow the relay to close, we can get all the info the first time and avoid wasting precious airtime with repeat transmissions. Concluding each transmission with "go ahead" signals the other you're ready for a response, and helps avoid us stepping on one another. Try it, you'll like it...
ASOS Update:
We currently see these Automated Weather Observation Sites in use at AMA, OKC, and TUL, and they're scheduled to pop up everywhere over the next few years. The thunderstorm season highlights a major difference between ASOS observations and those generated from a human being on a conventional SA/RS/SP, mainly, intermittent "remarks" on the ASOS observation. The AO2A-class ASOS sites are supposed to be augmented by a human observer (who can add remarks) but this doesn't seem to consistently be the case. An ASOS observation is much like one taken while laying flat on your back. You'll see weather straight up in the conical view, but you won't see what's out in the periphery. Neither will the ASOS equipment detect minor stuff like CB's and fog banks moving toward the airport. Our new SWIFT system, while a great tool, is still under development, and its data-feeds and/or features can occasionally be down, and thus its functionality temporarily impaired. SWA pireps are always welcomed, but they can be especially important at ASOS-equipped airports, or in western areas that lack weather radar coverage. Fire up that batphone and make direct, immediate contact with your dispatcher should you observe significant weather and/or have pireps to offer, as the more eyes, the better, for everyone.
[insert cartoon A here]
HUMAN FACTORS
by Captain John Otiker
Chairman - Human Factors Group
What is Human Factors?
Doesn't CRM cover all we need regarding behavior?
What is the scope of the Human Factors Committee?
Who's the shrink?
Dr. Malcolm Knowles begins one of his seminar text books thus:
"... if you have no questions about the quality of Human Resources
Development in your organization, if you are sure it's the very
best it can be, I'd suggest you cancel you reservation and get a
refund." Dr. Knowles explores adult learning theories defined as
androgogy . His Human Resources Development is used to mean adult
and continuing education in business and industry, government
agencies, health agencies, voluntary organizations, labor unions,
mass media, and by commercial providers and all institutions.
Does Human Resource Development define Human Factors?
The word factor is defined as an element that actively
contributes to an accomplishment, result, or process. Would it
hold then, that our SWAPA Human Factors Committee has a scope of
exploring the elements which contribute to our professional
behavior?
Culture has as one of its definitions : the arts, beliefs,
customs, institutions and other products of human work and thought
created by a people or group at a particular time. Is our Human
Factors group a culture study group?
Do pilots have natural talents common among themselves?
Does the hardware we manipulate: seat placement, lighting
controls and types, instrumentation placement and display,
quantity and presentation of paperwork, have an effect on our
behavior?
These are few of the questions and thoughts which I explore
during the shaping of this committee. What questions might you
have?
I have taken as my first goal the gathering of as much
objective data as possible (with dread that the illusory field will
soon and surely over run me). I am establishing contact with other
pilot groups to understand their scope and to learn of their
special projects in Human Factors. I have talked with a handful
of you, who I thought might like to help in this work, and I ask
now that anyone interested , please get in touch.
lwfohb
John Otiker
Deep Thoughts #5 - "My wife and I were happy for twenty years. Then we met." - Rodney Dangerfield
GEE!.......No RLG!
by Captain Rob Haynes
(Publisher's note: this article was written by then-First Officer Rob Haynes a number of years ago and was recently found languishing in the archives of the Safety Committee. It is an informative article that should have been published long ago...with apologies to the author.)
[insert Haynes article here]
Deep Thoughts #6 - "A 'Bay Area Bisexual' told me I didn't quite coincide with either of her desires." - Woody Allen
FROM THE VICE-CHAIRMAN
by Stan Humphrey
[insert Humphrey article here-the copy I have is missing a paragraph-LK]
Deep Thoughts #7 - Didya hear about the dyslexic pilot that was always high going into OAK.....tried to cross 2 dme at or above 6000 feet! - ??? (For those of you not familiar with the OAK arrival, the usual restriction going into OAK is cross 6 dme at or above 2000 feet-Publisher)
THE VISUAL APPROACH: FRIEND OR FOE
By Captain A. Soderman
SWAPA "Go-Team" member
[insert Soderman article here]
FROM THE SAFETY CHAIRMAN
by Captain Howard Dulmage
VISUAL APPROACHES: There is a very good article on visual approaches in this issue. Our thanks to Captain Soderman for taking the time to write it. Over the last year, we have had several instances were crews have gotten themselves into uncomfortable situations flying visual approaches. Two of these occurred in the Los Angeles Basin. One was a close encounter with terrain and the other was a close encounter with company traffic. At busy airports, consider letting ATC provide terrain clearance and traffic separation until you have time to assess the situation. Sometimes we get in a rush to call the field in sight. A delay of 30 seconds to be sure both pilots really have the field in sight and a little time to listen up on the ATC frequency to develop a mental picture of where surrounding traffic is in relation to you may be the best 30 seconds you ever spent. Several studies of airline crew coordination problems have shown that visual approaches in marginal VFR conditions, especially at night, are the most dangerous. The crew is lulled into not flying the instrument approach, but does not have sufficient visual cues to fly a safe visual. According to ICAO about 60-70 percent of the worldwide accidents are Controlled Flight Into Terrain. Most of these are in the approach segment and many are during marginal VFR or light IFR conditions.
ANTICIPATED TURBULENCE: We made mention of this in the August Reporting Point. We wanted to again stress the importance of quality communication between the cockpit and the cabin. Try to give the flight attendants the ole what, where, when, and how. That is what is anticipated, where you want them to ride out the turbulence, when you think you will encounter it (and how long), and how you are going to tell them they can resume duties (an all clear signal). We have had F/A's get up thinking it was safe because no bumps had been forthcoming only to get hurt a few moments later. Also, it does not hurt to stress what to us as pilots might be the obvious and ask whoever you brief to make sure they tell the others. When briefing possible for anticipated turbulence, conduct the briefing over the interphone or in person. While the PA is an effective tool especially for unanticipated turbulence, it is difficult to hear in the rear galley. We have had situations where the Captain has asked the F/A's to sit down and one or two who were in the rear galley did not hear the PA. Good CRM skills will help you keep your crew safe from injury.
APA: We like to joke about the "Klingons" and they like to joke about how fast we taxi and our paint jobs (the color of money), but the guys from Allied Pilots Association Air Safety are actually interested in working with us. So far this year they have hosted two safety meetings and invited us. Last month, their head of accident investigation offered help if we ever needed it. One favor, we hope we never have to take someone up on. For the most part, pilots are pilots and when it comes to safety related issues, paint schemes and union cards are at least temporarily forgotten. Maybe Ernest Gann's book title "Band of Brothers" (no offense ladies) still has some meaning. We have got to watch out for each other out there.
PPF: We wanted to go on record that the Air Safety Committee supports the fine work Captain Bert Yetman is doing on behalf of all pilots with regard to the Age 60 Rule. Last issue's reprinting of Len Morgan's article about pilot's longevity was in no way an attempt to make a statement against the work of PPF. The last comment in Captain Morgan's article about the stresses of today's airline pilot needs to be kept in proper perspective. Hopefully, all of us are learning or are already doing that so that we can fly past age 60 if Bert's efforts are successful and we so choose.
Hugh Knighton: We have had the pleasure of working more closely with Captain Hugh Knighton as the Flight Operations Management Liaison to the Air Safety Committee. Hugh has served as Assistant Chief Pilot in Houston. Recently, he was designated Manager of Flight Safety. He will still fly the line out of Houston but will work on safety projects for Paul Sterbenz. He will continue as the Liaison to our committee. We wanted to thank Hugh for all his hard work on many safety projects on behalf of the pilots and the Company.
