Accident Report
To be grounded, for any reason, is terrible. I know there is no need to say anything more, but then a blank page in African Pilot would not be food for thought. Controversial maybe, but nothing rational.
During the past lockdown period I was one of those who could not fly as my flying was not deemed essential. My flying may not be essential to the flattening of a virus curve that went viral, but to me it is jail time. How any true aviator can be labelled as non-essential, is not contemplated in any pilot’s mind, except obviously if we do not fly. Yes, pilots being ground-bound is nothing more than trouble, a waste of superior intelligence and as glamorous as a creepy crawly. This is when the ‘there I was’ stories are recounted to stroke severely flattened egos.
It was November of 1993, when the Alouette III fleet was grounded. There was a spate of accidents and one too many lives was lost. No one knew how long the grounding was going to last and no one knew what caused the accidents, so the game of fixing and hoping started. As no single cause could be established, it was like doing a full rebuild of all and any part that could have been a probability. The first month was great. We were still being paid in full and thus were able to sharpen our card playing skills and table tennis. There was not much more to sharpen up on as this was the time before computers, cell phones and ZOOM. Chopper pilots, when not tired from flying, react like a gaggle, a gang or a pack. To keep the boys happy was not easy and as time passed, the innovation of naughtiness grew exponentially. The boss-man had to think on his feet and soon he had us going on camps, lectures, sightseeing and obviously pub crawling. The Alouette III was not an easy ‘beast’ to fix and as the need was great for the support effort of the squadron, technical staff worked nonstop to present a serviceable Alouette III after month three.
Every pilot had lost his currency and plans had to be made to get the show going. Everyone was briefed and had to write technical, handling and emergencies, to clear the cobwebs. The excitement was a mixture of being airborne again and at the same time to break a very solid routine of being lazy. The boss-man and I were the first to get airborne. He was checking me out and then I was checking him out and then the rest would follow between the two of us. All went well until one of the checked pilots screwed up a low-level autorotation, which resulted in a hard landing and tail rotor damage. This was devastating to the egos of those involved, but luckily, we had more helicopters and the show could go on. We learned quickly that the refreshment of knowledge was needed, but not enough to pull the entire safety plan through. Training flights, which mostly included emergency training, were more dangerous and as we were pushed for time and a belief in our capable brethren, proved to be a horse to straddle, not as easily done as said. We eventually went back to operations and soon everyone was back to their former sharp-selves and the lockdown was forgotten as just another short, but bad experience.
COVID-19 had the exact same effect on me in so far as flying and the skills retention ability. The age of ‘online’ was not started, but pushed to maturity, ready or not. Now everyone with an instructor’s grade can become an online presenter, spreading the joy as each training organisation has had to adjust for what eventually would have been the future. The future was brutally elevated to the present or ‘now’ and platforms on which training could take place, quickly became either famous or stayed only good for office talk. The time of ZOOM arrived and the company quickly upgraded its security and interface possibilities to a level where actually interacting with every person in your class, became possible. Doing a roll-call, writing, sharing paragraphs in the books, playing of short clips of video and even breakaway rooms for group tasks very quickly became the capability of every smart appliance user. To boot, you can record the whole thing and now spot checks can be made by seniors afterwards to see if you are still on your toes. Okay, so we have moved forward and I believe the future now holds an actual classroom only when there is no other option. Good or bad, the future is here. The lockdown is now eased and pilots have made many plans to get back into the air. Maintenance flights could be undertaken, not that they have ever done those before lockdown. I have never spent so much time with my wife since before I met her, so I understand that we all want to break out. Commuter taxis can hold 70% capacity, so a 14-seater now has a limit of between nine and ten people. You can drive where you want to, but not over the province borders. However, flying on the other hand is deemed the main spreader of COVID-19 and any airborne thing must be treated as seriously suspect, even if it is within your own circuit. Then we can start training again and we have our protocols prescribed, but charters, or flying to any other airfield or air strip, is strictly monitored. A DFE or grade II instructor may no longer do initial tests as they must be COVID-19 cleared for such a flight. This, I believe was the result of some unintended orders from the minister of transport’s office and now must be functionally upheld by the SACAA. Okay, revalidations and other check rides can continue uninterrupted, but so much extra administration was put on the table of people who already are few and far between administration catch-up. No, this is not rebellious me, it is unfortunately how things are panning out in the strictest controlled contributor to the national fiscus. The belief that infection can spread faster and wider by air, is unfortunately a true narrative.
Airlines will probably start up, but very slowly. Many will close down and others will open, but only when there is meaning in all restrictions within which some profit can be realised. No, not your fault, I know, but take note that the aviation industry, having had to contend with many hurdles, some home grown and almost all others passed down from the airline industry to general aviation, leaves very little scope for making a living. People will still own aircraft, but training schools and charter companies are all on the brink of collapse. I believe that the aviation authority during this time has realised that it is dependent on industry, but I am not sure that all were blessed with this revelation. Business can never be the same again and out of the ashes must rise a united stance to save industry. The demise of industry will surely mean the degradation of our regulator. Remember, if it is not worth playing the game, the game will not be played. By the way, how glaringly ironic it was that CemAir was the first out of the blocks internally with a flight between OR Tambo and Cape Town carrying passengers.
Wow, this was probably spurred on by reading too many other opinions. However, it will not save us from ourselves in the first place. We work flight safety to the bone and then, once we get the gap, do what we wanted to do anyway. Self-discipline is quickly becoming a historical attitude. Now that the air space is opening up, how did you prepare for your first flight? I know you did a very good pre-flight, ran the engine for a while and then you took to the air, fully believing that you are as honed your skills as a few months earlier.
Recommendations
Nagging from my side will not change your attitude, only you can. Maybe you can’t help yourself and what will be will be, but non the less, here are a few reminders. Firstly, revisit your pilot operating handbook. Focus on technical knowledge as this will surely help you in making strange decisions if you are ever challenged, brush up on the handling for normal and advanced flight and finally, make the emergency procedures your own. By the way, a professional approach is judged against the criteria.
Never start with a loop. Start with straight and level, a few landings, advanced stalling, recovering from unusual (upset) manoeuvres or situations and eventually do your loop. Naturally this is for some a figure of speech and for others a reality. Walk before you run and fly level before you dip into your skills of yesterday. They are surely a little rusty, or you are not human, stupid maybe, but not rational. Make space for cobweb clearing, then you are good to go. It is a process and not an instant demonstration of yesterday’s skills.
Remind yourself and others that safety is not just in the air. The serviceability of your aircraft and the purity of the fuel in the tanks, play a central part of your pre-flight. There are literally cobwebs in the airframe, hornets’ nests, possibly a snake, mice have taken their share and sludge formed at the bottom of the fuel tank, to name, but a few. Your glorious return to the blue yonder depends on planning, humble steps and discipline to not do what you feel in the spur of the moment, but to do what is right.
Remember, getting away with poor discipline is not a measuring stick of your greatness, it creates a false belief of greatness, forms bad habits and is only celebrated by fools. Post COVID-19 must be a true escape from the gravitational bounds of earth and not a push into the abbess. If life is still worth living after the pandemic, live it by taking to the sky with the respect it deserves. Me? Well, I think if flying is heaven and to hover divine, why would I not see the worth? Now, more than ever, can we cherish the usage of using our wings. Enjoy!