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Dec
28
2020
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Posted by Admin
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What can the helicopter world learn from NASA’s mistakes? I’m specifically talking about the Challenger disaster and the cancer of “normalization of deviance” that was the root cause of that tragedy.
On November 3, 2014, NASA Chief of Safety and Mission Assurance Terry Wilcutt and Deputy Chief of Safety and Mission Assurance Hal Bell, put together a presentation entitled “The Cost of Silence: Normalization of Deviance and Groupthink.
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Tags:
My Two Cents Worth
Randy Mains
Categories:
My Two Cents Worth
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Nov
17
2020
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Posted by Admin
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After many years of administering FAA Instrument Rating examinations, a consistent trend remains the cause of Unsatisfactory check rides. Having seen this trend develop, we as Pilot Examiners will mentor and train flight instructors to ensure their students not only know the material, but more importantly know how to apply the material in given situations.
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Randy Rowles
Rotorcraft Checkride
Categories:
Rotorcraft Checkride
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Nov
17
2020
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Posted by Admin
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My favorite part of the aircraft maintenance process is the post maintenance operational checks or commonly referred to as ground runs. During my early days working for the helicopter maintenance contractor at Fort Rucker, I was engine run qualified for the UH-1H and the OH58 and performing ground runs was something I did on a regular basis. This is the time we see the fruits of our labor, but it is also the most dangerous time. The maintenance event may have called for component overhaul, engine replacement or flight control rigging. The maintenance process calls for checking, rechecking, and verifying. It is always good to have a pre-runup discussion with the pilot and every mechanic that is involved with the runup. Communication is key to keeping everyone safe. When the pilot yells, “CLEAR” and the mechanic responds with, “CLEAR” the setting will get noisy in a hurry. Prior planning with everyone is a must. The person behind the controls should know where everyone is always located so ducking under the tail boom to change sides is not allowed.
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Maintenance Minute
Mark Tyler
Categories:
Maintenance Minute
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Nov
17
2020
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Posted by Admin
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With the advent of the Corona-19 virus pandemic, the workforce world-wide has had to adapt to an alternate way to approach their job. I am no different as I teach and facilitate a 5-day CRM Instructor course. Training to be an effective CRM instructor relies on learning how to become an effective facilitator, a skill I teach in my Instructor classes. To be a successful facilitator, facilitation techniques must be practiced on others to achieve the desired result of changing adult behavior. With the raging pandemic curtailing in-person interactions, learning to be a facilitator in aviation in a virtual setting is something the aviation industry has had to adapt to.
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Tags:
My Two Cents Worth
Randy Mains
Categories:
My Two Cents Worth
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Oct
19
2020
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Posted by Admin
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When I was chief pilot at San Diego Life Flight air medical program, on my time off, I enrolled in a seven-month EMT class. There have been several incidents since taking that class where I’ve had to use those skills to lend assistance to people in need. That is one reason I think everyone should take, at very minimum, a first-aid course. You never know when you may be in a position to be of medical assistance or to even save a life.
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Tags:
M2C
My Two Cents Worth
Randy Mains
Categories:
My Two Cents Worth
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Oct
19
2020
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Posted by Admin
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I clearly remember that life-changing day in April 1990. It was my first day working as a helicopter mechanic at Carraway Methodist Medical Center in Birmingham, Alabama. The radio call dispatched the helicopter, the pilot brought the machine to life and the medical crew strapped in as the Bell LongRanger took to the air. It seemed like only minutes later the aircraft returned, and the patient was rolled past me to the Level I trauma center. From that moment on, life was different as the purpose for my work became clearer in that instant.
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Maintenance Minute
Mark Tyler
Categories:
Maintenance Minute
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Oct
19
2020
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Posted by Admin
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A few weeks ago, I conducted a Private Pilot exam in a Robinson R22 helicopter. My helicopter systems questions often begin with correlative level questions requiring the student to understand many aspects of the system to provide a comprehensive answer. This level of questioning provides a path for the applicant to demonstrate higher order of thinking skills or HOTS as the FAA refers to this in the FAA instructors handbook.
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Randy Rowles
Rotorcraft Checkride
Categories:
Rotorcraft Checkride
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Sep
18
2020
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Posted by Admin
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Aircraft maintenance comes in many shapes and sizes. There are so many different models of airframes and engines that one can become overwhelmed with all the manufacturing differences and operational requirements to keep these aircraft flying safely. Inspection requirements range from daily checks to major overhauls, progressive to periodic, scheduled and unscheduled. As an aircraft mechanic, we train to a standard and once that standard is achieved we receive a certification card from the United States government verifying that we have met the standard and are therefore authorized to inspect and return to service aircraft registered in the United States. With our signature on our certification card, off we go to make a difference in the world of aviation.
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Tags:
Maintenance Minute
Mark Tyler
Categories:
Maintenance Minute
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Sep
18
2020
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Posted by Admin
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The FAA Practical Test Standards require each applicant completing a helicopter specific flight evaluation to conduct a Power Failure at a Hover (aka Hovering Autorotation) maneuver. The maneuver is a combination of throttle manipulation reducing engine speed with the required flight control inputs to safely land the helicopter. When conducted correctly, the maneuver is rather benign. During the learning process, the maneuver is anything but benign and is the cause to many hard landings during flight training.
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Tags:
Randy Rowles
Rotorcraft Checkride
Categories:
Rotorcraft Checkride
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Sep
18
2020
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Posted by Admin
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I recently received an email from a CFII by the name of Matthew Goodrich who felt compelled to write after reading my article, Knowing it’s time to hang up the Headset that appeared in the July/Aug 2020 issue of Rotorcraft Pro Magazine. Matthew wrote to say: “Great article Randy. You mention basic criteria for passing/failing a pilot in a checkride. Do you think instructors should evaluate the same basic criteria (judgment) when endorsing someone for checkride? Or do you think instructors should focus on clear standards and leave judgment of the bigger picture to examiners? It's likely not as black and white as I'm asking.
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Tags:
My Two Cents Worth
Randy Mains
Categories:
My Two Cents Worth