All of us who fly always are curious about and follow accident reports. After all, if we can figure out what the last guy did wrong, perhaps we can avoid the same fate. Having followed many accidents over a lot of years I can tell you that the NTSB almost always finds pilot error in any accident.

Truth be known, Hersch - you bust it you get blamed.

However, in this case the true culprit is probably not the pilot, but the company he flew for. While the aircraft captained had trouble passing his check rides, both FAA and airline, he did finally complete the proper training and was qualified to fly the Q400 aircraft.

One fact uncovered was that the airline, Colgan, showed its pilots a video of an unusual type of icing that causes aircraft to plunge nose down into the ground. Now we have an aircraft with known icing and the stick pusher attempting to lower the nose of the aircraft while the captain pulls the nose upward.  The result: clearly the aircraft stalled close to the ground.

Once again the only people who really know what happened aren't with us any more. And the lives they were entrusted with aren't either. A very sad affair.

Until next time keep your wings straight and level Hersch!

JetAviator7

If a woman wants to fly, first of all she must, of course, abandon skirts and don a knickerbocker uniform.

— Harriet Quimby, first lady in the U.S. to receive a pilots license, 1911.

ps: This blog will move to http://all-things-aviation.com the coming weekend.

A 19 year old decided to shine a green laser at the cockpit of a commercial airliner attempting to land at Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix, AZ, but wasn't looking for the police helicopter that spotted him and sent a patrol car with officers who arrested him.

It seems this wasn't the first time he tried this, and with police and local pilots on alert they spotted the man and quickly arrested him.  It turns out the culprit was a student from France on a visa, and he was apprehended by police while surrounded by a group of people and under the police helicopter spotlight.

So much for better relations with France, eh?  I wonder why he was targeting aircraft.  Apparently the laser was purchased from Radio Shack, and while not lethal was certainly adequate to distract the attention of crew members during the landing phase.

Perhaps he was celebrating earth day.

Until next time keep your wings straight and level Hersch!

JetAviator7

A commercial aircraft is a vehicle capable of supporting itself aerodynamically and economically at the same time.

— William B. Stout, designer of the Ford Tri-Motor

Cessna Aircraft, a division of Textron, continues to drag earnings for Textron down as the company continues its efforts to restructure.  So far over 4,600 of the 6,200 persons laid off by Textron have been at Cessna Aircraft as demand for its aircraft continues to decline.

If memory serves me right general aviation has usually been the last to feel the effects of an economic slowdown, and the last to recover.  I would guess that this is because of the long lead time between aircraft sales and aircraft deliveries. Aircraft manufacturers are not able to produce vehicles as quickly as say an automobile manufacturer.

Sales at Cessna have fallen by some 38% while the Bell helicopter unit of Textron continues to experience growth, in large part because of military helicopter acquisitions. 

In the meantime the CEO for Piper Aircraft, James Bass, said the effect of the U.S. government’s “assault” on general aviation will linger much longer. His remarks, made Tuesday at the Sun ’n’ Fun Fly-In in Lakeland, Fla., were a biting criticism of government officials and media outlets that are spreading the off-base message that “private aircraft equal corporate excess…that’s the new equation, and Washington has made it a sound bite that no politician seems able to resist.

Given the excesses by our government and its leaders it is difficult to swallow the criticism of a critical part of our transportation system. Political retoric to curry favor with an unsuspecting public to carry out the redistribution of wealth in the United States by an out of control administration is leading our country down a path which many believe will result in the United States losing its leading role in the world economy.

Just last night President Obama stated again that this is "the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression", a statement which is completely false.  Unemployment is no where near where it was in the Great Depression, and while economic growth is negative interest rates are no where near where they were under Carter.

It is time for more conversation about facts and less false statements to further frighten an already frightened public.  Someone please stand up and tell the truth!  We need general aviation, and so do the airlines. There are not enought pilots in the military to replace all of the retirements coming, so don't be surprised if the new wave of pilots for the airlines are not Americans.

Until next time keep your wings straight and level Hersch!

JetAviator7

"When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return."

In interesting news I see that three aircraft were struck by lightning in Philadelphia on Wednesday, April 22nd.  The aircraft struck were:

1. An AirTran Airways Boeing 717 was struck by lightning, declared an emergency and then landed on runway 27R at Philadelphia.  The landing was uneventful, and there were no injuries.
2. An Embraer 170 regional jet flown by Republic Airlines reported a lightning strike over Philadelphia and made an uneventful landing on runway 27L in Philadelphia.
3. A Boeing 757 flown by America West reported a lightning strike 3 minutes after the Embraer lightning strike, declared an emergency and landed on runway 27L at Philadelphia. The landing was uneventful.

The FAA inspectors will examine all three aircraft for damage. Apparently the Embraer had no damage, the AirTran aircraft was struck on the nose and the America West aircraft had "some" damage.

On the other side of the world three aircraft were struck by lightning landing in Melbourne, Australia. One was a Virgin Blue aircraft and the other two were Qantas aircraft. 

Earlier in the month another Virgin Atlantic aircraft on its way to Heathrow on April 19th had smoke in the upper deck of a 747, then shortly thereafter was struck by lightning and the pilot landed the darkened aircraft at Halifax without warning as the aircraft jolted onto the runway at Halifax - the pilot only then revealing they had been hit by lightning and admitting he only saw the runway at the last minute.

Apparently there are a lot more lightning strikes to aircraft than the public has been made aware of, but most cause minor, if any, damage to the aircraft involved. Still, it can be a frightning experience.

Until next time keep your wings straight and level Hersch!

JetAviator7

An Airman Grace

Lord of thunderhead and sky
Who place in man the will to fly
Who taught his hand speed, skill and grace
To soar beyond man's dwelling place
You shared with him the Eagle's view
The right to soar, as Eagles do
The right to call the clouds his home
And grateful, through your heavens roam
May all assembled here tonight
And all who love the thrill of flight
Recall with twofold gratitude
Your gift of Wings, Your gift of Food.

— Father John MacGillivary, Royal Canadian Air Force

BAE has introduced a much smaller heads-up display (HUD) system which is suitable for smaller aircraft.  Current HUD equipment is somewhat large, with the projector being above and behind the pilot's head and projects onto a clear screen in the pilot's line of sight.

The new system by BAE would be about half the size of a projection system, and would instead of projecting an image from an overhead projector onto a display in front of the pilot, the BAE system eliminates the projector and "shoots" the image into the edge of the glass that is the display in front of the pilot.

BAE sees the Embraer series of regional jets as a likely market, while Boeing is interested in the system for the C-17 military aircraft. These systems add a great deal of safety to aircraft operations in adverse weather conditions, and provide a means to make aircraft more functional in a wider range of applications.

Until next time keep your wings straight and level Hersch!

JetAviator7

Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of my spouse
  And danced the clubs on Kiwi-polished boots;
Moonward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
  Of Moon-split clouds — and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of — in the Philippines
  High in the domelit silence. Holding there,
I've scared the airsick pax, and flung their baggage through footless halls of air.
  Up, up the long, delirious, burning black
I've topped the turbulent heights with little grace
  Where never C-130, or even C-5 flew.
And, while with fuzzy, sleep deprived mind I've trod
  The high untrespassed sanctity of controlled airspace,
Put out my hand, and touched the face of The Aircraft Commander,
  who thinks he is God.

Police in Mexico have seized a truck with an anti-aircraft machine gun on it in Sonora, Mexico.  The machine gun seized could fire 800 shots per minute up to  one mile away. In addition, police seized a large number of heavy weapons at the site.

The arsenal belonged to a group linked to the powerful Beltran Leyva drug cartel, according to Mexican authorities.  Sonora is on the Arizona border, and an area where recent drug violence has erupted on the Mexican side of the border.

With the proliferation of all of these weapons around the world pilots need to be ever so careful, particularly in areas known to harbor criminal gangs in out of control countries like Mexico and Somalia. I recall that early on in the Iraq conflict a DHL aircraft was hit by a ground to air missile while departing the Baghdad airport.

Best solution: keep checking the FAR/AIM and NOTAMS for any areas you are going to fly over and which you are not familiar with.

Until next time keep your wings straight and level Hersch!

JetAviator7

Leader, bandits at 2 o’clock!
Roger; it’s only 1:30 now—what’ll I do ‘til then?

— The Bill Waterson comic character Calvin, of 'Cavin and Hobbes.' fame.

A friend of mine from my college days works in the aviation business, and he buys and sells airline parts.  We both did a lot flying together at Michigan State University (sob - we lost to UNC) at the Winged Spartans flying club. Our careers took different paths as I went into the aviation insurance business after a stint as a chief pilot, and he went into the airline parts business after a stint selling Cessna Citation trade-ins.

Recently he sent me the two photographs you see in this post.

   
Generally speaking lightning strikes are no big deal. I recall having a lightning strike on the radome of a DC-3 I was flying, and watched a blue ball shoot down the center aisle of the airplane exiting at the vertical stabilizer. Upon examination we finally found the exit point which was pinhole sized.  The radome, however, suffered a lot more damage, along with the radar antenna.

An article on how an airplane is protected from lightning strikes says "Since the outer skin of most airplanes is primarily aluminum, which is a very good conductor of electricity; the secret to safe lightning hits is to allow the current to flow through the skin from the point of impact to some other point without interruption or diversion to the interior of the aircraft.

Estimates show that each commercial airliner averages one lighting hit per year but the last crash that was attributed to lightning was in 1967 when the fuel tank exploded, causing the plane to crash. Generally, the first contact with lightning is at an extremity...the nose or a wingtip. As the plane continues to fly through the areas of opposite charges, the lightning transits through the aircraft skin and exits through another extremity point, frequently the tail (as shown by Gauss's Law)."

The lightning strike to this ASA regional jet for Delta Airlines certainly had a different experience than we are all used to.  Moral of the post - flying can be dangerous - never forget!

Until next time keep your wings straight and level Hersch!

JetAviator7

"When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return."

Apparently a student pilot stole a Cessna 172 from a flight school in Canada and has flown the aircraft across the US border, over Wisconsin and on its way to Illinois.  At the time of this writing the Cessna 172 is still in the air, and the State Capitol of Wisconsin has been evacuated.  It is unclear what the intentions of this pilot are.

Two F-16s intercepted the aircraft with the intention of forcing it to land at the Central Wisconsin Airport at Mosinee, WI. However, the aircraft did not land and continued its Westward journey.  Around 9pm Central Standard time the aircraft landed on highway 60 in Missouri.  The pilot fled the aircraft after landing.

During the flight the pilot climbed to 14,500 where he could have suffered hypoxia, but later descended to 3,700 feet.  The student pilot was aware that the F-16s were watching him, but they would not shoot the aircraft down unless it exhibited hostile intent.

Of course sending a pair of F-16s on a mission is not cheap.  It is estimated that the cost for this pursuit will be around $ 500,000.  I am sure they would like this student pilot to pay for this, if they catch him.

The moral of the story is this:  don't steal airplanes, don't cross borders, don't aggravate F-16s and be very, very careful. 

Stay tuned - this should be a great story!

Until next time keep your wings straight and level Hersch!

JetAviator7

To invent a plane is nothing.
To build one is something.
To fly is everything.
-- Otto Lilienthal

While overall aviation accidents and fatalities have been down since 1994, the NTSB has noted an increase in general aviation accidents, and in particular Part 135 charter operations.  Within that category med evac helicopters have shown a sharp increase in both accidents and deaths, causing concern for these operators.

NTSB Acting Chairman Mark V. Rosenker, commenting on Part 135 fatalities, stated that "There's a lot of room for improvement in this area."  The interesting thing is, though, that rearely does the FAA take action on the NTSB recommendations, relying instead on its own internal facts to determine what and how it should enforce the regs.

Accidents on air taxi Part 135 flights killed 66 people in the United States last year, the highest total since 2000, transportation safety officials said yesterday. The air charter category includes medical helicopters, tour flights and Part 135 "on demand" air taxi operators.

Airlines in the United States had been having an uncommonly quiet period, as measured by aviation deaths, for the past two years, but that ended with two high-profile accidents this year. In February, a commuter turboprop crashed into a home outside Buffalo, killing 50 people. Last month, a small plane crashed in Butte, Mont., resulting in 14 deaths, including several children.

All of this proves that aviation is still a dangerous business, and as pilots we need to always be alert and aware of what is happening in the aircraft we fly.

Until next time keep your wings straight and level Hersch!

JetAviator7

The Aeroplane

I sweep the skies with fire and steel
My highway is the cloud
I swoop, I soar, aloft I wheel
My engine laughing loud
I fight with gleaming blades the wind
That dares dispute my path
I leave the howling storm behind
I ride upon it's wrath.

I laugh to see your tiny world
Your toys of ships, your cars
I rove an endless road unfurled
Where the mile stones are the stars
And far below, men wait and peer
For what my coming brings
I fill their quaking hearts with fear
For death...is in my wings.

— Gordon Boshell, written after watching Battle of Britain dogfights

Sparky Imeson used to always say "Happiness is an airplane on a clear day - and the time to go flying."  Unfortunately, on March 17th, 2009 he died in an aircraft accident near Bozeman, MT and his flying days (at least here) are sadly over.

Imeson was born and raised in Wyoming, and grew up in the mountains where he learned to fly in his father's J-3 Cub.  In 1968 he and his parents started Imeson Aviation at the Jackson Hole, WY airport.  The FBO offered flight training, on-demand charter, aerial application, aerobatic training and much much more.

Concerned about the number of accidents occuring in the mountains by general aviation pilots, he looked for books on the subject of mountain flying and found none.  That being the case he wrote his own, the first of which - Mountain Flying - was written in 1970. In 1998 he wrote the Mountain Flying Bible followed in 2003 by The Shirt Pocket Mountain Flying Guide and Taildragger Tactics in 2004.

All of these books are for sale in my eBay store at Aviation Sources.

Imeson and a friend had crashed in June of 2007 in the Elkhorn Mountains but survived; this time he died 18 miles north of Bozeman after departing Bozeman for a one hour flight to Helena, MT. Imeson had logged over 20,000 hours of fling time in all kinds of aircraft over his career.

Friends say he was headed to the site of his previous accident, and witnesses saw his aircraft flying so low that he spooked a herd of elk.  Weather may have been a factor.

It is a sad day for aviation when we lose someone like Sparky, and he will be sorely missed.

Until next time keep your wings straight and level Hersch!

JetAviator7

"When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return."