Innovation In Aviation

Aviation has long been a contributor to the good things in life, and to technological advances that have benefited people far outside of aviation.

One of those innovators was Clarence "Kelly" Johnson, who ran the "Skunk Works" and developed the U-2 and SR-71 aircraft.

Here is an very interesting post regarding Kelly Johnson:

A look at the design process of aviation innovator Clarence "Kelly" Johnson

Far more than a pioneer, Kelly Johnson designed aircraft that exceeded all expectations. It was a thrill for any pilot lucky enough to fly one of his creations.

Here is an interesting video about Kelly Johnson titled "A letter to Kelly Johnson":

If you love aviation, you will love this video.

We Need More Pilots

As it turns out, not many young people see the romance in becoming a pilot anymore. And, to top it off, there aren't that many military pilots coming out to fly for the airlines and corporations anymore. So, what can be done?

Well, some folks are trying to create more interest in aviation:

Leap Could Inspire Pilot Population Growth

You could also learn more at this post:

How To Make A Great Living Doing What You Love

Let's hope we can find more young people who would like to learn how to fly.

What Features Does World’s Best Brand Of Sunglasses Have? | Health and Healthcare

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Fully-Automatic Execution of Critical Manoeuvres in Airline Flying

Fully-Automatic Execution of Critical Manoeuvres in Airline Flying

The Abnormal Distribution

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From the Flight Deck

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What Features Does World's Best Brand Of Sunglasses Have? | Health ...

Their fame all began with a pair of aviator sunglasses, hundreds of gold-plated metal frames and tear-shaped green glass lenses, commissioned by the U.S. Air Force in the 1930 for its pilots. In the 70 years since this commission, ...
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DAV brings message to the Wings Over Pittsburgh Air Show on the Wings of a B-25

DAV brings message to the Wings Over Pittsburgh Air Show on the Wings of a B-25

Indy Transponder

Pittsburgh, PA – The Disabled American Veterans will once again take to the skies to advance its message of service to disabled veterans.  Now, in its eighth season, the DAV Airshow Outreach Program featuring the B-25 Mitchell Bomber of World War II notoriety appears nationwide at over 25 airshows and reaches over 3 million airshow spectators annually in an effort to promote the DAV’s mission of building better lives for America’s disabled veterans.  The DAV is proud to announce The DAV Flight Team will be making an appearance at the Wings Over Pittsburgh Air Show on September 11-12.

The DAV Airshow Outreach Program was developed to increase public awareness of disabled veterans and to serve veterans in communities across the nation. Using B-25 medium bombers, the program reminds the public of the sacrifices veterans have made and continue to make to keep our nation free.

The B-25 Bomber enjoys the reputation of achieving the impossible during one of America’s darkest hours in World War II.  The medium size bomber was made famous by the daring Doolittle Raid on Tokyo which helped rally America after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.  The B-25 went on to become the most versatile bomber of World War II, seeing combat in every theater of operation.

“The DAV is thrilled to bring our message of volunteerism and support to our nation’s sick and disabled veterans to this air show. We believe the men, women and children who will visit this air show are the patriotic, military-friendly citizens that have helped make this nation so great,” said DAV National Commander Wally Tyson. “The DAV is proud to be among this crowd, and meet those who want to know more about our service to veterans.”

Plan now to attend the Wings Over Pittsburgh Air Show on September 11-12, 2010 to see the B-25 and the accompanying interactive display geared at providing airshow spectators an attractive, efficient experience where they can learn about the volunteer opportunities available. 

The DAV invites all veterans to come enjoy the airshow and to visit the Disabled American Veterans display where veterans are encouraged to autograph a DAV Flight Team poster which will be presented to the airshow on behalf of all those veterans living in the community.

For more information on the Disabled American Veterans, visit www.dav.org. 

     CONTACT:         Lynn May         Lynn@airsupport.com      585-309-9100

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What Does A Budding AF Pilot Do When They Find They Have Cancer?

There seem to be a lot of articles about safety in aviation as we approach the end of the year, and a lot of talk about problems in aviation. But what if you had planned a career in the Air Force only to find you had cancer just before starting your training? Well, this young woman experienced exactly that, and then took a new path with her life. Read more ...

Maria Weybrecht soars with Kids in Flight charity

What a great story! It is wonderful to see someone turn adversity into something great.

Here is a great video about this program:

Enjoy!

Cleveland Air Show 2010 | Damego

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How To Fly Your Aircraft In An Emergency

Ran across this very interesting article which describes in detail how to make the best out of a bad situation. With the aircraft engine faltering, then failing, this pilot manages to save himself and his passenger without completely wrecking his airplane:

Flying The Impossible Turn - Take Two

To add to this I found a blog post with comments that are related to the above incident:

Excessive Amount of Airplane Accidents and Incidents over the USA

The truth is aircraft accidents, in particular fatal aircraft accidents, are very rare. Aviation safety is a primary concern of all of us who fly, and staying current and getting adequate recurrent training a must.

To see a picture-perfect gear up landing, watch this:

Enjoy!

California Capital Airshow Announces Historic Gathering of P-38 Lightnings

California Capital Airshow Announces Historic Gathering of P-38 Lightnings

Indy Transponder

Event to make aviation history, as there hasn’t been this many P-38s in one location in over 60 years

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – (August 31, 2010) The California Capital Airshow (CCA) (www.californiacapitalairshow.com) today announced that it will host every flying Lockheed P-38 Lightning remaining in the United States, as well as the pilots and ground crew who flew and cared for these rare aircraft on September 11 and 12, 2010.  Drawing the attention and attendance of WWII veterans and their families from all over the United States and of photographers from seven countries, this is truly a historic event.

“The CCA is truly honored and humbled to be hosting such a remarkable event in partnership with Lockheed Martin (www.lockheedmartin.com), the Reno National Championship Air Races (www.airrace.org), the P-38 National Association (www.p38assn.org) and the 475th Fighter Group Historical Foundation,” said Darcy Brewer, executive director of the California Capital Airshow.  “We have set out to create an outstanding occasion to showcase the airplane and pay tribute to the designers, manufacturers, maintainers, and the brave aviators who trusted their lives to the ‘Forked-Tailed Devil’.”

There has not been such a gathering of Lightnings in over 60 years, and because of the high operating costs of the aircraft, coupled with the dwindling numbers of men and women originally associated with the P-38, it is very likely that such an event will not happen again. 

P-38 pilots, F-35 Lightning II pilots, the Fork-Tail Devil’s organization and up-close and personal access to the P-38s, including ‘Glacier Girl’, ‘23 Skidoo’, ‘Thoughts of Midnight’, ‘Tangerine’, ‘Ruff Stuff’, and Allied Fighters No. 981.  Additionally, representatives and displays from Lockheed Martin, the company that designed and built the revolutionary P-38, will also be in attendance and available at the P-38 National Association pavilion.     

This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and the attention it will generate will help provide the means to continue to tell the story of this unique aircraft, while reinforcing its significance as one of the most innovative and important designs in the history of manned flight.

“Each one of these airplanes, and the men associated with them, has a story to tell, and our venture will provide the opportunity for those tales of valor, sacrifice, and heroism to be shared with young and old alike, to make their honor and courage tangible to this generation and those to come. As you well know, sadly, the numbers of these honorable men and women are dwindling at an alarming rate. With over 300 P-38 veterans from WWII planning on attending, this event will ensure that their memory will never be forgotten,” added Brewer.

To sponsor or provide financial support to help defray the costs associated with this opportunity, please contact CCA headquarters at (916) 876-7568.

The Airshow website will be updated regularly with news, attraction information and more.  Community members and attendees can also follow the Airshow on Facebook and Twitter (#calcapairshow). 
High resolution photos are available online at http://www.californiacapitalairshow.com/event-features/photo-gallery.  To request press credentials for the event go to http://www.californiacapitalairshow.com/about-cca/media-access#credentials.

About California Capital Airshow
Established in 2004, the California Capital Airshow has become one of the largest and highly- respected shows in the nation.  As part of its community relations, the non-profit organization has awarded over 70 scholarships to deserving students from our region with an interest in aviation, aerospace, aeronautics and related fields.  For more information about the California Capital Airshow, please visit www.californiacapitalairshow.com . 

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Air Racing History

Cleveland always played a large part in the early days of racing, and this Labor Day Weekend at the Cleveland National Air Show the Society of Air Racing Historians will put on a display to preserve the complete and accurate records of air races, race pilots and race planes. You can read all about it here:

Society of Air Racing Historians

Air shows are always a big part of the summer, and the Cleveland National Air Show is no exception. Attendance at all of the air shows around the country are up, and hopefully this will result in an increased awareness and interest in aviation and flying.

One of the most interesting races in the country are the Reno Air Races. View this video of the 2008 Reno Air Races:

Thrill to hearing the sounds and seeing fire spew from starting a P-51 Mustang. Racing around pylons at hundreds of miles per hour, these aircraft are truly amazing and spectacular!

And the winner was Strega at over 483 mph!

Enjoy!

Aircraft live forever

The idea of this post was born when I saw the next raffle plane of the 1940 Air Terminal in Houston. This is a vintage 1957 Cessna 172. 1957… This aircraft is now 53 years old, and it flies like a new one. It has been well taken care of, and even if its panel is not the most modern around, it has all what is needed to fly safely. The radios have been updated and a GPS has been installed, but the airframe is unchanged. The original engine was probably replaced when it reached its maximum certified time, according to the certification standards.

I don’t know if some Airworthiness Directives required changes that affected the aircraft’s structure, but if not it is simply the same good old Cessna 172 that was built back in 1957. I love the idea that a 53 years old aircraft is still flying. This makes an aircraft a great investment. Unlike a car that has lifetime somewhere between 5 and 10 years, aircraft (or at least airframe) have an unlimited lifetime.

This at least applies to good old aluminum airframes. But what about the new, composite airframes like the ones of all Diamond and Cirrus aircraft. Composites react to long exposure to the sun differently than metal. This is why these aircraft have to be mostly white, to reduce effects of the sun. Composite airframes have been around for fifteen years now and until we’ll have “real life” data, the discussion will probably remain open. If you’re interested in a deeper details check this post on Oshkosh365.org, the discussion board of the EAA. Some of these guys build aircraft themselves, I’m sure they know what this is all about.

And if you want to own a 1957 Cessna 172, you can buy tickets for the 1940 Air Terminal raffle plane for $50. Get a chance, and this is to support a great museum!

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This is so cool! It reminds me of the airplane I flew when learning to fly in San Angelo, Texas back in 1960!

Make me want to grab my aviator sunglasses and go fly!

John and Martha King in Cuffs--Second Time Police Make Same Mistake!

the second time a pilot has been detained and handcuffed for flying N50545!

In January 2009, Jim Pitman, a friend of mine who was a Cessna employee at the time, posted an account on Facebook of his run in with police. While he was handcuffed, he was detained in a far less threatening manner than the Kings were. Here’s information from his posting: “So I got to spend some time handcuffed in the back of a police car on the ramp in Wichita today.

“Here's the story... I pick up my new Skyhawk (N50545) at the factory in Independence Kansas and head for Wichita for some company meetings. As soon as I land the cops are there to greet me, saying they need to ask me some questions. I first think some of my friends are playing a practical joke, but they assure me they are serious and proceed to handcuff me. By this time I knew it was not a joke, and of course, was completely cooperative.

“Apparently N50545 is a tail number that used to be assigned to another airplane that was reported stolen several years ago. The officers were very friendly and it only took about 20 minutes to clear everything up. I was smiling the entire time knowing what a great story this was going to be :-)”

The incident over the weekend with the Kings was far less cordial and is getting far more attention. AOPA President Craig Fuller was understandably outraged. “Simply put, this incident is as outrageous as it is inexplicable and raises serious questions about the coordination of information among federal and local authorities. A $2 app for an iPad and 30 seconds would have discovered sufficient information to raise serious doubt that John and Martha King, who filed an instrument flight plan in a Cessna 172, were instead flying an older stolen Cessna 150 whose N number had long ago been retired and reissued by the FAA.”

I followed up with Jim a few minutes ago by phone, broke the news to him about this second incident, and asked for his thoughts. He said that “it was shocking that this could have happened again years later. My flight was the plane’s very first flight away from the factory in Independence and I then flew it for several months around the West, including into Santa Barbara, without incident.” Asked about the difference in the way he was treated versus the Kings he said “The police in Wichita were totally cool with me and there were no guns drawn.”

So pilots beware. In the post 9/11 era, small planes continue to be regarded by the public and sometimes law enforcement as objects of terror. If confronted by law enforcement, remember to use the words “Yes sir” frequently until things get sorted out. Hopefully there won’t be a third incident in which pilots are detained for flying N50545. You can hear Martha describing the incident in a 15 minute podcast at avweb.com.

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We live in an age where general aviation is under attack. Anyone who believes that the attacks on 9/11/2001 are over and have not had the desired effect have been living on another planet.

The convenience and use of aircraft for transportation has gone from great to awful, and getting worse by the day!

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Only a trail remains: At least 70000 attend air show over two days; crowds pleased - Foster's Daily Democrat | "A beautiful weekend, great weather and the Blue Angels were a great combination." For most of those estimated 70000 people, bathrooms, shade and mapping ...

Mexico, MO Salute to Veterans Air Show from The Aero Experience by Carmelo Turdo:

Winds trim Offutt air show - Omaha World-Herald | One of the show's highlights was the Air Force Thunderbirds demonstration team, which performs aerial stunts in tight formation. The Thunderbirds have been ...

Flypast offers a new view of show - The Northern Echo | A FLYPAST by a Second World War Dakota aircraft proved to be the star attraction at an agricultural show in the heart of the North Pennines. ...

United States - Oregon - Oregon International Air Show 2010 - Hillsboro (Portland) - 08/20/10 from FenceCheck Forums:

Nation loses another hero - Sun-Sentinel | He was a B17 navigator in World War ll. He was truly part of the Greatest Generation. Try to imagine climbing into your B17 aircraft knowing you will be ...

Review: A2A Simulations' B-17G Flying Fortress - FlightSim.com | The Boeing B-17 could be called the greatest aircraft in history. It was produced and shot down in vast quantities, housed a crew of around ...

Scrapbook: Legend of the skies. 25th Aug 1943 - RantRave | Published Opinion.| Didn't he win the Kings Cup Air Race in 1938? And now he is more than ever a legend for all the ants on the ground, who never cease to be astonished when ...

Aviation Celebration Honors Alabama's First Lady of Flight Video from Alabama Aviator - Aviation News | BIRMINGHAM AL- On National Aviation Day the Birmingham Aero Club hosted an evening event honoring Alabama's First Lady of Flight- Nancy Batson Crews (1920-2001) with a new exhibit at the Southern Museum of Flight. Award winning author and featured speaker, Sarah Byrn Rickman, highlighted Nancy's story from her recent biography as told to her by her late friend and mentor. Aero Club President, Holly Roe opened the program with Dr. Ed Stevenson from the Alabama Aviation Hall of Fame introducing Sara Rickman. Dr. Jim Griffin, Director of the Southern Museum of Flight presented the new Crews exhibit…

The DC-3, A Real Man's Airplane from All Things Aviation by JetAviator7 | Every now and then you run across an article you just have to read, and so it was with an article in Flying by Martha Lunken titled "DC-3, A Real Man's Airplane." Without a doubt this is one of the best articles written about this wonderful 75 year old airplane, and which brought back memories [...]

Happy 40th Birthday To The DC-10 from Flying With Fish by flyingfish | If you're a regular reader of Flying With Fish you may have noticed I am a 'three-holer' fan.  While my favorite three-holer, the Lockheed L-1011, is all but gone from the skies, the long serving three-holer workhorse of the skies is celebrating the 40th anniversary of its very first flight…

Video: Sumptuous 747 Landing In 120fps Slow Mo - Wow! by Martt | I'm a freak for great video, and for great airplanes... guess you could say that makes me a 'super freak' for great video of great airplanes! That's exactly what youtuber GatwickSpotting has here. Shot from over 4 miles away, this slow mo 747 landing is a real treat to watch…

A Fine Day's Cataloging from AcroCamp by Stephen Force (Steve Tupper) Another fine day of editing here at Airspeed Studios. I got most of Day 2 (15 May) cataloged and ready to link up with alternate camera angles and the cockpit audio. And I found several of the Easter eggs that the cast left for me. Like this shot of Jim Rodriguez and Don Weaver giving the thumbs up, er, down, er up. The tech frame evolved when Roger Bishop gave in to the ham that's in all of us and gave the camera a wave. Being a guy with a true sense of lighting and composition, I'm sure that he couldn't resist stepping out into the near-perfect lighting of one of the early flights of that day…

John And Martha King Held At Police Gunpoint (Really) from AVwebFlash Current Issue - Aviation's most prominent husband and wife team is calling on government agencies to keep their databases up to date and warning pilots and aircraft owners they could be next to be surrounded by heavily armed police, handcuffed and detained because of a bit of miscommunication. John and Martha King say there's a lesson to be learned after they spent about 30 scary minutes in the custody of Santa Barbara, Calif., police at the Santa Barbara Airport Saturday…

Guns, Handcuffs and John and Martha King from AVWeb Podcast - Podcast | Think it can't happen to you? John and Martha King (of King Schools) beg to differ. Aviation's best-known couple were the subject of a bizarre case of mistaken identity on Aug. 28 that resulted in them having guns drawn on them, being handcuffed and held for about 30 minutes. As always, there are lessons to be learned from Martha King as she goes through the bizarre event at the Santa Barbara Airport in this unedited and, at 15 minutes, longer-than-usual AVweb podcast.This podcast is brought to you by Bose Corporation…

Strange But True Aviation News from Things with Wings by fail…

How Did An IPhone Take This Picture? - Gizmodo Australia - Unless the blades of this aeroplane propellor can defy gravity and float, the iPhone's camera totally distorted ...

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ICAS FAST FACTS August, 2010

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ICAS ACADEMY AT HILLSBORO DELIVERS ABUNDANT INFORMATION, INSIGHT

A dozen representatives from military and civilian air shows throughout the United States converged on Hillsboro, Oregon last weekend for the ICAS Air Show Academy, held in conjunction with the Oregon International Air Show on August 19, 20 and 21.

The eleventh in a series dating back to 2000, the ICAS Air Show Academy in Oregon last week provided participants with an up-close and extremely detailed look at one of the most well-managed and successful air shows in North America. From finance, administrative and staffing issues to marketing, sponsorship and media relations to air operations, ground operations and logistics, representatives from the Oregon International Air Show shared virtually all of their hard-earned lessons, successful tactics and useful insights.

“The ICAS Air Show Academy continues to be both an incredible value and the most useful learning opportunity that ICAS offers each year,” said ICAS President John Cudahy. “And the folks from Hillsboro were extraordinarily helpful and incredibly hospitable. It was definitely one of our best Academy programs ever.”

The ICAS Air Boss Academy program is scheduled to be held on October 28, 29 and 30 in Fort Worth, Texas, in conjunction with the Fort Worth Alliance Air Show. Details on this program are available on the ICAS website or from ICAS headquarters.

CAF UNVEILS PLANS FOR RED, WHITE AND LOUD TOUR

Late last month, the Commemorative Air Force released details on an ambitious new program to celebrate America’s freedom using country music, air shows and one of the rarest and most extraordinary warbirds flying in the world today.

After a massive engine-rebuild, the B-29 Superfortress FIFI will return to the skies early this fall. Country music recording artist Aaron Tippin will be “checked out” in the aircraft and will fly it all over the United States. At each stop, he will hold a special Red, White and Loud concert in front of the world’s only flying B-29. FIFI will also be available for guided tours and a lucky few will have the opportunity to purchase a ride in this unique and recently restored warbird.

Click here to see a short video of the first flight of the CAF’s B-29 Superfortress after its engine rebuild. Click here for additional details on the CAF’s Red, White and Loud tour.

PETITION DEADLINE APPROACHES

The deadline for ICAS members to place their names on the ballot for election to the Board of Directors as a petition candidate is Thursday, September 9, 2010. In accordance with Section 9, Paragraph B(2) of the ICAS Bylaws, candidates making use of this process must submit a petition signed by ten (10) voting members that arrives at ICAS headquarters by 5:00 p.m. EDT on September 9.

For those interested, Section 9 of the ICAS Bylaws (which can also be found on page 16 and 17 of the 2010-2011 ICAS Industry Guide) provide specific direction on the nomination and election process. The Board of Directors selects a Nominating Committee Chairman from among those directors not eligible for re-election that year. The Chairman, in turn, identifies members for the Nominating Committee, at least two of who must be former members of the Board. The Nominating Committee then solicits potential nominees from among the membership. It considers a number of issues and criteria.

For instance, the overall ICAS membership is comprised (roughly) of 40 percent event organizers, 40 percent performers and 20 percent support service providers (air bosses, concessionaires, photographers, etc.). Typically, the Nominating Committee seeks to ensure that the make-up of the Board reflects the general make-up of the larger organization with an appropriate and proportional number of event organizer, performer and support service provider members sitting on the Board. The Nominating Committee also considers things like previous business or board experience, reputation and experience within the air show community, specific expertise or experience that might be useful to ICAS and the air show community, and the ability of prospective Board members to put aside their own personal or organizational concerns to work for the greater good of the entire air show industry.

This presents the Nominating Committee with both a difficult assignment and a great deal of responsibility. Juggling dozens of considerations to come up with a qualified slate of candidates that will be elected to help lead the organization is a considerable challenge. In 2009, the committee included four past chairmen of the ICAS Board of Directors and one past Board member. The 2010 Nominating Committee is chaired by current ICAS Board member Judy Willey from the Oregon International Air Show. Serving with her are past Board Chairmen Harry Wardwell and Charles Hutchins and former Board members Mike Berriochoa and Sean Tucker.

When it concludes its review of potential candidates and in accordance with specific direction in the Bylaws that obligate it to, “…evaluate and recommend a slate of qualified director candidates to the voting membership for the annual election of Directors,” the Nominating Committee makes recommendations on whose names should be included on the ballot to be voted on by the general membership. Typically, the committee recommends three candidates to appear on the election ballot to fill three vacancies. There will be four vacancies to fill in December of this year.

Importantly, the Bylaws also provide direction on how a member who is not recommended by the Nominating Committee may have his or her name added to the Board of Directors election ballot. This process requires the prospective nominee to submit a petition with signatures from ten (10) dues-paying members to endorse the nomination. Introduced into the ICAS Bylaws in December of 1993 as a mechanism to ensure that every member had an opportunity to stand for election to the ICAS Board if he/she was interested, this process has subsequently worked as intended. Without exception, on every occasion that a member has made use of the petition process, his name has been included on the election ballot to run against those nominees recommended by the Nominating Committee.

Each year, at the ICAS Convention and in accordance with the ICAS Bylaws, an election is held to determine which members will fill vacancies on the Board. The names on the ballot include the slate recommended by the Nominating Committee and any candidates who are nominated using the petition process.

The ICAS Board periodically reviews the Bylaws and election process to affirm that it remains current and accurate. Recognizing this, the ICAS Board has authorized the creation of an ad hoc committee of ICAS members and has asked that group to review both the election-related verbiage in the ICAS Bylaws and the manner in which this direction has been executed by the organization during the last several years. Importantly, the new committee will be asked to recommend changes to the Bylaws that allow for electronic voting by e-mail and/or the internet. Generally, the group will be tasked with making any and all recommendations on changes it may have for improving the process.

MACLEAN KILLED IN TRAINING ACCIDENT

Red Bull Air Race pilot Alex Maclean died on Tuesday, August 17 near his home in Spain while practicing aerobatics for an upcoming air show. The former captain of the Spanish national aerobatic team, Maclean had been competing in the Red Bull Air Race series since 2003. Spanish regulatory authorities are investigating the cause of the accident.

ROY DAVIS: NEW ICAS MEMBER

Gyrocopter pilot Roy Davis of Roy Davis Gyrocopter Demonstrations is one of our newest ICAS members.  Davis flies a high energy gyrocopter agility demonstration that demonstrates the unique capabilities of the gyrocopter while entertaining the audience and providing a new and different flying act for air show spectators. You can reach Roy at 9975 SW Green Ridge Lane, Palm City, Florida 34990, office phone 772-486-1005, e-mail: gyronautical@bellsouth.net.

CONVENTION REGISTRATIONS COMING IN AT NEAR ALL-TIME HIGH RATE

With three and a half months to go before the 2010 ICAS Convention, registrations are at a near record level for this time of year, exceeded at this point only by the pace of registrations for the 2004 ICAS Convention.

“Segments of the air show community continue to suffer from the economic downturn,” says ICAS President John Cudahy. “But convention registrations so far this summer suggest that the air show industry is already preparing for a very successful 2011 air show season.”

To use the quick and easy ICAS on-line convention registration process, click here.

MAKE YOUR HOTEL RESERVATION NOW TO GET LOWEST RATE

The 2010 ICAS Convention will once again be held at the Paris Las Vegas Hotel and, if this is your first convention or your twenty-first, staying at the headquarter hotel enhances your convention experience. As it did last year, the hotel is once again offering an early bird discount rate, but this rate won’t be good for long. To learn more about the host hotel for the 2010 ICAS Convention, click here.. To make your hotel room reservation at this discounted rate, click here.

GOOD BOOTHS STILL AVAILABLE

Fifteen weeks out from the air show industry’s big event, there are still nearly 50 booths on the ICAS Convention exhibit hall floor still available. This year’s exhibit hall will include a total of 323 booths.

“We are a bit ahead of last year and on pace to sell out by early or mid-October,” said Exhibit Hall Manager Karen Connors.

To reserve your booth or to learn more about the ICAS Convention exhibit hall as a marketing tool for your air show organization, contact Karen Connors at 703-779-8510 or by e-mail at connors@airshows.aero.

ICAS RELEASES MARKETING COMPETITION INFO

Detailed information on the 2010 ICAS Marketing Competition is now available through ICAS headquarters or by clicking here.

This year’s ICAS Marketing Competition will include a number of changes, including the addition of a new category for “Best Overall Air Show Marketing Plan.” Judging for this award will be based on a number of criteria, including the type and effectiveness of marketing tools and tactics used by the show, cross promotions, trading/bartering to increase marketing reach/visibility, the impact of media and retail partnerships, and data/statistics that indicate effectiveness of marketing programs and improvement from one year to the next.

Other changes: The dividing line between small shows and large shows has been moved to 50,000 spectators to better balance out the categories. The following competition categories have been eliminated: event brochure, performer press kit, souvenir programs, and sponsor solicitation package.

RED BULL AIR RACES ANNOUNCE ONE-YEAR HIATUS

Organizers of the Red Bull Air Races announced earlier this month that the race series will not be held in 2011. Two of the last three races in the 2010 series were cancelled abruptly earlier this summer. And the race suffered its first accident (non-fatal involving Brazilian pilot Adilson Kindlemann during a race in Perth, Australia) and a near accident (Australian pilot Matt Hall in Windsor, Ontario). Race organizers were also known to be concerned about a number of planning and venue issues.

"Following 10 years of rapid growth, the organization had decided that it needed to make the tough decision to take a break for 2011 in order to implement the changes required with regard to the restructuring of the organization and, importantly, to develop the various commercial areas of the business," said Red Bull spokeswoman Barbara Proske.

THANK YOU SPONSORS

Air show organizations that have already signed on as sponsors of the 2010 ICAS Convention include: Air Boss & Consulting International; ASB.tv; Mike Goulian Airshows; Julie Clark's Chevron Mentor T-34; John Klatt Airshows; Team Chaos Extreme Airshows; FedEx Express; AirSupport, LLC; Jim Peitz Aerosports; Insurance Technologies and Programs; Mach 1 Productions; Commemorative Air Force/Tora, Tora, Tora; Air Boss, Inc. – George Cline; Shannon & Luchs Insurance Agency; Jacquie 'B' Airshows; Team Rocket; Nalls Aviation; Mohr Barnstorming; Geico Skytypers; Gordon Bowman-Jones; Aerostars Aerobatic Team; Tim Weber Airshows, Inc.; Greg Poe Airshows; Rob Reider, Air Show Announcer; and OnBoard Images.

If your organization would like more information on the many benefits of sponsoring the ICAS Convention, please contact ICAS headquarters.

© International Council of Air Shows, Inc.

750 Miller Drive, Suite F-3

Leesburg, Virginia 20175

Phone: 703-779-8510

Website: www.airshows.aero

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Human error in aviation: An introduction - AviationKnowledge

FoldUnfold

Table of Contents

Human Error

What is human error?

Reason’s ideas on human error

Human error or human reliability?

Human Error

To this day the majority of aviation accidents are attributed in some way to some form of human error. Surprising when you consider all the effort and expense put into management, research, training and the development of new technologies such as automation. Yes, safety has vastly improved over the last 50 years, making flying one of the safest methods of getting around our planet. But still human error related accidents occur. For those interested in safety in aviation, from pilots and trainers to managers and human factors researchers, a good understanding of what human error is and how it can manifest itself as an aviation accident is fundamental.

What is human error?

Errare Humanum Est- To Err is Human

Early psychological researcher Sigmund Freud saw error as being a behavioural artefact of unconscious drives within a persons mind (Strauch, 2004). He regarded people who erred as being less effective, a theory that tainted early research on human error. Certain people were seen as being ‘accident prone’ simply because of particular traits they displayed. But later research showed these ideas to be flawed.

Researchers such as Donald Norman and Jens Rasmussen based their research on the cognitive and motor aspects of error and also reflect on the setting in which errors occur (Strauch, 2004). Indeed Norman differentiated errors into slips and mistakes, with slips being errors of execution generated by schemas, experiences, knowledge and memories, whilst he classified mistakes as errors relating to actions or decisions.

Rather than using the terms slip and mistake, Kern (1998) prefers the idea that there are errors of omission or commission. Errors of omission occur when crew members fail to carryout a required task. For example the NTSB investigation into American Airlines flight 1420, which overshot the end of the runway at Little Rock, Arkansas, in June1999, showed that a major contributor to the accident was the crew’s failure to arm the MD-80’s ground spoilers, which are designed to dissipate lift and improve braking (Dismukes, Berman & Loukopoulos, 2007). An error of commission occurs when a crew member carries out some task incorrectly or perhaps does something that is not required. The crash of Southwest Airlines flight 1455 was attributed to the crew’s execution of the approach, their excessive airspeed and an incorrect flightpath angle being primary causes of the accident.

Reason’s ideas on human error

James Reason further developed ideas on error, defining slips as minor errors of execution and introducing the idea of lapses, which can occur when a pilot becomes distracted and doesn’t complete a task or omits a step whilst performing it (Strauch, 2004). Reason is now often cited as providing the classic definition of human error;

“Planned actions that fail to achieve their desired consequences without the intervention of some chance or unforeseeable agency” (1990, p.17).

As well as slips and lapses, where actions deviate from a plan, Reason (1990) argues that mistakes; where actions conform to an inadequate plan, and violations; where actions deviate from safe procedures standards or rules, be they deliberate or erroneous, can also be the underlining elements of a human error.

For instance if a checklist item is missed or not performed, as occurred in 1996, when Continental Airlines flight 1943 landed ‘gear up’, a lapse has occurred (Dismukes et al, 2007). A mistake on the other hand is the result of a judgment failure, as happened in 1990 when Avianca flight 052 ran out of fuel because of the pilot’s decision to persevere with a landing at JFK (Helmreich & Merritt, 1998). A violation however occurs when a pilot contravenes a rule or SOP as occurred when the captain of Gulf Air Flight 072 did not adhere to standard operating procedures (SOPs) when executing a non-standard and unplanned orbit to try and avoid a go-around (Wikipedia, 2010a).

Reason (1990) also affirmed the idea that the operators, those who commit errors, do not do so in a vacuum. We can rightly assume that the vast majority of operators don’t want to have an error, especially if they are sitting at the ‘pointy end’ high above the ground. But as we mentioned earlier, errors still occur, this is because other factors or antecedents influence the operator’s performance (Strauch, 2004). These can include, but are not limited to the equipment being used, other operators in the system and even any cultural influences which may exist.

When a false stall warning occurred as TWA flight 843 lifted of from JFK in 1992, the equipment, an L-1011, became the antecedent to the pilot’s error to abort the takeoff and unsuccessfully stop the aircraft on the runway (Dismukes, et al, 2007). When American Airlines flight 1572 struck trees on approach to Bradley International Airport the antecedent was another operator in the system. The pilot’s error to proceed below the minimum decent altitude was exasperated by the approach controller’s failure to report a current altimeter setting at a time of rapidly falling barometric pressure. A cultural antecedent was present when Korean Air flight 801 flew into a Guam hillside (Stanley, 2006). The first officer’s failure to monitor and check the captain’s execution of the approach was put down to the high power distance culture within the airline.

Human error or human reliability?

Not surprisingly the occurrences of human error incidents like those noted above are often seen in a rather negative light. Traditional approaches to human error rectification and management tended to centre on blame, training and quite possibly punishment (McDonald, 2003). But as our understanding of human error and human factors in general has improved the term human error has being replaced by ‘human reliability’ (Wikipedia, 2010b). This is because the reliability of human performers is seen as a major factor in the ‘resilience of systems’ especially in large socio-technical systems such as aviation, and it is better to manage and train for improved reliability than just finding out why errors occur. So research now tends to focus on more proactive and positive ways of understanding human error.

References

1. DISMUKES, K., BERMAN, B., & LOUKOPOULOS, L. (2007). The limits of expertise: Rethinking pilot error and the causes of airline accidents. Burlington, USA: Ashgate Publishing Co.

2. HELMREICH, R., & MERRITT, A. (1998). Culture at work in aviation and medicine: National, organizational and professional influences. Aldershot, England: Ashgate Publishing Ltd.

3. KERN, T. (1998). Flight discipline. New York: McGraw-Hill.

4. McDONALD, N. (2003). Culture, systems and change in aircraft maintenance organisation. In G. EDKINS & P. PFISTER (Eds.), Aviation: Selected contributions to the Australian Aviation Psychology Symposium 2000. (pp. 39-57). Aldershot, England: Ashgate Publishing Limited.

5. REASON, J. (1990). Human error. New York: Cambridge University Press.

6. STANLEY, B. (2006, January 9). Korean Air bucks tradition to fix problem (Electronic version). The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved August 26, 2010 from the World Wide Web: [http://online.wsj.com/article/SB113676875085241209.html]

7. STRAUCH, B. (2004). Investigating human error: Incidents, accidents and complex systems. Aldershot, England: Ashgate Publishing Ltd.

8. WIKIPEDIA (2010a). Gulf Air Flight 072. Retrieved August 26, 2010 from the World Wide Web: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_Air_Flight_072]

9. WIKIPEDIA (2010b). Human reliability. Retrieved August 26, 2010 from the World Wide Web: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_reliability]

Want to know more?

Pilot Error

More examples of aircraft accidents attributable to pilot errors

Human Reliability

A Wikipedia page which introduces the concept

Crew Resource Management (CRM)

A good overview of CRM from AviationKnowledge

Contributors to this page

Authors / Editors

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global gypsy

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Of Airplanes and Such

As a DC3 pilot I am always interested in the Douglas DC3, and recently an article in Flying had a nice article about flying the DC3.

The author, Martha Lunken, takes a look back at how the airplane has survived for 75 years.  You can read more here:

DC-3, A Real Man's Airplane

Makes me feel warm all over!

So, let's take a flight in a DC-3:

Enjoy!

JetAviator7

Green Aviation Summit

NASA is planning a "Green Aviation" summit for this coming September as more pressure is brought upon aviation to "go green".

How realistic is green aviation anyway?

Read more about the summit at NASA's Green Aviation Summit.

Meanwhile, solar powered aircraft continue to make progress as the Swiss prepare for round the world flight:

Despite my misgivings and thoughts that this will never work, solar powered aircraft continue to improve in performance and capabilities.

I guess I need to write more posts about flying solar powered aircraft!

Planes of Fame: LIVING HISTORY FLYING DAY

This is really cool with historical aircraft from Russia:

Planes of Fame: LIVING HISTORY FLYING DAY

On the first Saturday of every month Planes of Fame Air Museum, a 501(c)(3), hosts a Living History Flying Day featuring an aircraft from our extensive historical collection.  Museum members are free.

The FAA And American Airlines Honor Tulsa Mechanics For 50 Years ...

August 10, 2010 - The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and American Airlines has honored two mechanics into an elite group of FAA "Master Mechanics" for their five decades of service in the airline industry. The special awards ceremony took place at American's Maintenance and Engineering base in Tulsa.

On Friday the FAA present retired Quality Assurance Supervisor C. W. "Bill" Denton and Leonard Hoosier, retired Outside Services Tech Representative, with the prestigious Charles E. Taylor Award.

The Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award is an honor presented by the United States Federal Aviation Administration in honor of Charles Taylor, the first aviation mechanic in powered flight. The award recognizes the lifetime accomplishments of senior aviation mechanics. Taylor served as the Wright brothers' mechanic and is credited with designing and building the engine for their first successful aircraft.

To be eligible for the award, a recipient must have served 50 years as an accredited aviation mechanic and have been an FAA-certified mechanic for a minimum of 30 years.

"To receive this award, it not only tells the world that its recipient is dedicated to the craft of aviation mechanics, but it also demonstrates that the ever-evolving aviation industry requires this type of commitment to continue its success," said Mark Easton, American's Managing Director � Aircraft Overhaul Maintenance.

"Bill Denton's and Leonard Hoosier's service over the past 50 years serve as wonderful examples of Charles Taylor's enthusiasm for aviation. We are grateful for their service to the industry and hope others will follow in their footsteps."

A distinctive certificate and lapel pin is issued after application review and eligibility requirements have been met. The certificate is signed by the FAA Administrator. Upon request, a stickpin similar in design to the lapel pin is also provided to the award recipient�s spouse in recognition of his or her support to the recipient�s aviation maintenance career. Once the award has been issued, the recipient�s name, city and state will be added to a published �Roll of Honor.

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One of the best careers in aviation is that of aviation maintenance mechanic. It is a great way for young people to earn a great living while doing something they love. There are many communities with very active programs to train aircraft mechanics or you could study and learn on your own.

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Exhibiting Aviation’s State of the Industry

An EAA AirVenture Oshkosh participant every year since 1978, I started spending the week there in 1989, when I began a decade-long tenure as Flight Training magazine’s booth boy.  I spent roughly half that time in the old exhibit buildings, now the Federal Pavilion and GE Aviation Learning Center, and the remainder in one of the current exhibit hangars.

To pass the time when not talking to readers, and when roaming the aisles on my breaks, I began to take note of the changes from year to year. In the early years, when aviation was growing and stuffing another exhibitor into the old sheds seemed impossible, EAA built the new exhibit hangars and redesigned the outside spaces. And they quickly filled up.

Over the past three years the signs of an eroding aviation industry have been slight, but this year they were shockingly apparent, especially when I walked into Hangar C. Vast pools of open floor spilled from each of the large doorways. The aisles between exhibitors were maybe a third wider than last year, and for the first time in my memory some aisles were formed by the backside of the other aisle’s booths.

The migration of exhibitors with tenuous ties to aviation from the Flymart to the exhibit hangars has been gradual—and constant. Given the economy and the decline of the pilot population, this trend will surely continue. Some of the products displayed, demonstrated, and for sale were pretty cool, however. My favorite was this electric powered RC model that reminded me of the flying machines in Avatar.

Perhaps the loneliest exhibitors at AirVenture 2010 were the flight schools and companies that sell flight training courses and supplies. Apparently, learning to fly for recreation or a career seemed to interest few at AirVenture. During the week I spent upwards of an  hour or more circulating past them to see if traffic had picked up. Nope. Two schools did attract some interest however. Kansas State at Salina, with its Citation parked beside its tent, did some traffic by giving away a $2,000 scholarship every day.  And inside, people lined up at the University of Dubuque’s booth to fly its Redbird flight simulator. The booth boys, however, spent most of their time talking to each other.

While people didn’t seem interested in flying lessons, they were interested in the idea of flight because they mobbed many of the exhibit aircraft. Light-sport aircraft were the primary draws, and one and two on the list of people magnets were the Icon A5, who had people waiting for its exhibit to open every day, and the Cessna Skycatcher, which attracted the curious after hours, with only the info board to answer their questions. Other aircraft, especially prototypes like the futuristic Cobalt, were, for the most part, as lonely as the flight schools.

Without a doubt the attendance this year was down, thanks to the weather, but those who showed up were interested in all that AirVenture had to offer. After talking to a number of exhibitors whom I’ve known for years and are not apt to BS me, it was a good year for business, and they all hoped the trend would continue. –Scott Spangler

Related Posts:

• LSA Sales Down, but Fleet Still Growing
• LSA Surpasses Expectations at Oshkosh FBO
• Training & Technology’s Transitions
• Icon Aircraft Preaches to the Congregation (Finally!)
• When an Aviation Expert is Needed, Mr. Know-It-All Responds

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010 at 5:24 pm and is filed under Airports, Aviation Marketing, Blogging, Flight Training, General, Light sport aircraft, sport aviation. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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EAA AirVenture Videos - Day #3 New Products

Today I started flying back from Oshkosh to home in California. Flying low and slow, I enjoyed seeing hundreds of farms and ranches as i flew over Minnesota, South Dakota and Nebraska. Many of these farms are growing a new crop: windmills. I saw dozens of these and most were much taller than the now decades old ones we see in California. Most weren't turning, but I still experienced about 10 knots of headwind for the first half of the trip.

I made three major deviations around thunderstorms using the Mark 1 eyeball. Just look out the window and if you don't like what you see turn and fly in another direction. Tonight I'm overnighting in Valentine, NE. Shortly after I chained the plane down, a moster thunderstorm I'd outrun swept through with gusts to 70 mph. Hail blew nearly sideways and visibility was at times nil. Downtown streets flooded with 1-2 feet of water.

Storms like these are almost non-existant in California, so it was fun witnessing the power of mother nature from the safety of the ground. The sunset that followed was spectacular.

Here's a link to the videos we shot on Day #3. If you’re on Facebook and the “Like” button appears below the video, click on those videos you enjoy. More videos coming your way tomorrow.

SkyRadar, a moving map application for the iPad, provides free in-cockpit weather in combination with a separate ADS-B receiver.

ACR SARLink View, a new 406 MHz Personal Locator Beacon that includes a display that gives the user information about its current location and the status of the device when it is activated to seek help.

SpiderTracks is a new device that continuously tracks your aircraft position, updates a web site with position information, makes notifications if a crash occurs, and offers a social networking capability for sharing photos of your trips.

Dynon’s SkyView glass cockpit solution offers large displays, new features including synthetic vision, and a new autopilot that integrates seemlessly with SkyView.

New Avidyne DFC90 is a pin compatible replacement for the STEC 55X autopilot in Cirrus aircraft. It offers new modes including IAS mode for constant airspeed climbs

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NASA makes big commitment to greener skies

NASA makes big commitment to greener skies

By KATHERINE BUTLER

Mother Nature Network (mnn.com)

Related:

• http://www.mnn.com

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More News

Air pollution is a major problem plaguing this planet. But now the agency most concerned with outer space is taking up the cause for clean air. Scientific American reports that NASA is commissioning eco-friendly airplanes, investing millions into the effort.

NASA's cleaner plan initiative is called N+3, and it hopes to develop cleaner planes by 2035. Under this project, NASA will fund designs for planes that use 70 percent less fuel than current aircrafts. The planes would also emit 75 percent less nitrous oxide, produce much less noise pollution and would require less space for takeoff and landing.

In 2008, NASA awarded $12.4 million to six teams to develop cleaner sonic and subsonic transport vehicles. These teams include representatives from Lockheed Martin, Boeing, GE Aviation, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). NASA is expected to hand out more money in April 2011. These groups will be encouraged to reduce fuel consumption and rethink the general design of commercial airplanes.

Currently, airlines are attempting to retro-fit aircrafts to make them more efficient. Building one from the "rivets up" is a $10 billion proposition, according to Mark Drela, professor of fluid dynamics at MIT's Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics and a leader of the university's N+3 team. As he told Scientific American, "You literally bet the company on almost every new plane."

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced in June that it would pour $125 million into modifying existing aircrafts to be more energy efficient. This is called the Continuous Lower Energy, Emissions and Noise program. Fuel typically consumes a third of an airlines' budget, so this is primarily a monetary decision. As Scientific American writes, "The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) estimates that by 2030, the U.S. fleet of commercial aircraft will consume more than 110 billion liters of fuel ... and nearly 160 million people will be flying on U.S. planes."

Great strides are also being made in biofuel and hybrid technology for aircrafts. Boeing has proposed a hybrid airplane that would run on efficient fuels and electricity. Boeing claims that its model could reduce current fuel use by 70 to 90 percent.

Finally, plans are also underway for the most efficient aircraft possible - a solar powered airplane with zero emissions. The Solare Impulse project has already successful tested a prototype, which at present has a non-pressurized cockpit and cannot fly above 8,500 miles. Still, experts are optimistic about its eventual success - and the success of all clean, green flying.

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