Volume 10, Number 2, April 14, 2017

AEROBATIC CAMPS A SUCCESS!

Two weeks ago, ICAS concluded the final day of the inaugural Spring Training Camps and, by all accounts, it was a raving success. Attendees at the camps in Delano, California and Lakeland, Florida received peer to peer mentorship from the most professional aviators in our industry. Veteran performers were able to get a fresh set of eyes on their performance while renewing their SAC cards.  Most important, however, were the relationships and rapport that developed in a matter of days that will serve all attendees for years to come. Meeting a fellow aviator with whom you’ve spent a few days training opens the door to continual dialogue and self-improvement well after the camps have ended.

Based on the resounding approval of the camp combined with the appetite for more of the same throughout the year, ICAS will be looking to host another camp in the summer months somewhere in the Midwest in the days in advance of AirVenture. 

TEN PERFORMER STRESS POINTS: MITIGATING RISK THE EASY WAY

The lives of air show performers depend on their ability to concentrate 100 percent during their performance. If they make an error for which they don’t have a mitigation strategy, chances are very good that the error will be catastrophic.

On practice and performance days, certain things introduce stress into the lives of performers that can distract them from their job of safely entertaining the air show audience. Together, we should work to reduce or eliminate these sources of unnecessary and unproductive stress.

1. Logistics – Fuel and smoke oil should be there when the performer needs them; not when the line crew can fit it into their schedule. Smoke oil barrels need to be mobile. The pump needs to work. The hose needs to be long enough. The operator needs to have the right tool to open the next barrel. As previously agreed, the right quantity and right brand of engine oil needs to be available on arrival and throughout the air show weekend. And performers who make arrangements for hangar space should have access to that hangar space with no hassle.

2. Potty – Performers typically have large bladders, but still have physiological needs. A

Porta Potty needs to be close to the performer area so they don’t have to hike before they fly.

3. Water – While many performers bring their own water for pre- and post-flight hydration, they are in the sun most of the day. Dehydration reduces G tolerance.

4. Hotel rooms – Accommodations need to be clean, neat, and quiet, and as contracted. Studies have proven that fatigue is equivalent to alcohol consumption in its impairment characteristics. Fourteen hours of wakefulness is equivalent to a blood alcohol level of .04. If you wouldn’t put your 80 year old grandmother in that hotel room…

5. Thirty-Minute Rule – Performers need a minimum of 30 minutes of undisturbed time to prepare for their performance. This includes going through their routine mentally, speaking to other performers about environmental conditions, pre-flighting the aircraft and strapping in. If you make demands of a pilot during that 30-minute period, you are introducing unnecessary stress and additional risk.

6. Crowd control – At some point prior to the show, spectators need to be removed from the hotbox. This must be completed prior to the 30 minutes performers need to prepare for the opening act and will require sufficient volunteers to make happen.

7. Cars/vehicles on the ramp – Performers need to have access to their equipment as well as shade and air conditioning. Many airport managers frown on performers driving rental cars onto the ramp. If permitted, however, producers should provide shade and a dedicated transportation system. Lack of either of these can still be a stress inducer. Let them drive on the ramp and don’t wait until air show weekend to resolve this issue.

8. Obstacles/reference line and corner markers – Surface waiver holders need information on obstacles in the box as part of the pilot safety briefing. The reference line, especially when not an obvious fixed line like the edge of a runway, needs to be well delineated and clearly briefed. Crowd and performer safety as well as FAA requirements mandate this, but it is often an afterthought. Corner markers, also mandated, should be shown on a graphic during the brief. Google Earth offers an easy and inexpensive tool to provide performers with clear aerial views of the aerobatic box and surrounding area.

9. CFR (Crash Fire Rescue) – Most air shows do a good job at getting some of the CFR personnel out to see the aircraft and visit with the performers. In many cases, though, different staff members work on different days. New personnel should also be familiar with the aircraft and emergency egress procedures. Additionally, some producers want the CFR vehicles back away from the show line. CFR vehicles must be out front with absolutely NO restrictions to immediate access to the runway and aerobatic box. Finally, CFR personnel need to be suited up and standing by their equipment which means providing them with a means of obtaining food, fluids and potty.

10. Hiring professionals – There is no denying that there are hobbyists in our industry serving as pilots, announcers and air bosses. The fact that many of us have additional jobs does not, by itself, make us hobbyists, but there is a substantial difference between the product of a hobbyist and a professional. By definition, things always go wrong at an event. Weather goes bad. The audio system breaks down. The schedule changes at the last minute. Having a professional air boss, announcer and performers makes a tremendous difference in handling these situations. In the case of an accident or incident, it may mean the difference between life and death.

SMOKE OIL CUTOFF

As we prepare to dive into the heart of the air show season, a brief reflection on past incidents tells us that problems related to smoke oil pumps continuing to pump oil after an accident have plagued the air show business for many years, resulting in injuries and fatalities.

In 2012, the gearheads in our business got together and came up with multiple solutions to this nagging issue that have been demonstrated to be simple, inexpensive and effective. In each case, they shut off the smoke oil pump in the event that engine power is lost. Details on two of these can be found here and here.

Please, don’t fall victim to a known hazard for which our industry has already identified viable and effective solutions. Find time to read about them and then install one in your aircraft.

EXTRACTION, EXTRACTION, EXTRACTION

ICAS continues to automatically send the extraction documents of performers listed to fly at any ICAS member air show to each air show organizer six weeks, four weeks, two weeks and one week prior to their show date. Sending a PDF document containing the extraction information for each performer at the show will allow the organizer to distribute the most critical life-saving information to the CFR personnel. Should the worst happen and you are involved in an accident at an air show, there is no bigger benefit than the CFR personnel having specific instructions, tailor-made by you, for getting you safely out of your aircraft. And, combined with other initiatives that ICAS is working on to standardize the number and placement of CFR vehicles and personnel, we can make real progress toward improving your survivability in the event of an incident or accident at a show site.

This system, however, mandates that you provide the original document to ICAS for distribution to the air shows. Examples of this document can be found here and here.  A template is already made, and all you need to do is add your aircraft specific information and send it back to me. I will take care of the rest. Many air shows have bought into this program and will be making it a requirement for performing at their shows, so it is in everyone's best interest that you take five minutes during the off season to complete your extraction document. I'm available to help at any time should you need it and you can reach me at hollowell@airshows.aero.

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