Approach articles from April 2003

Approach archives from April 2003

Bird/animal strike hazard.(includes web links for bird/wildlife Aircraft Strike Hazard )(Editorial)
April 1, 2003... For many of us, spring is the time to depart the confines of our home after a cold and blustery winter and enjoy outdoor activities. We are more active, energetic and mobile. Our fine-feathered and four-legged friends behave the same way....

BASH.(Bird/wildlife arcraft strike hazard (military/aviation) )
April 1, 2003... I have been a civilian wildlife biologist for the Navy for the past 24 years. Most of that time was spent protecting wildlife and habitats on Navy lands. I am currently the Navy and Marine Corps BASH program manager. Since taking over the Naval...

BASH reporting.(bird/wildlife aircraft strike hazard web based system)
April 1, 2003... Aviators have always had to watch out for birdstrikes, and the term BASH has been familiar for a long time. But huge changes are coming to the BASH system. For one thing, 'the program isn't limited to birds, but includes all animals. The...

The BASH program at NASH Whidbey Island.(Bird/wildlife aircraft strike hazard program at Naval Air Station)
April 1, 2003... NAS Whidbey Island serves as the proving ground for many of the initiatives promoted by the Navy's BASH program. The BASH program manager, Matthew Klope, is located here and has helped institute many of NASWI's BASH procedures. The base is...

Third time's the charm.(safe landing after mid air collision with bird)
April 1, 2003... It was, without a doubt, the clearest day I had seen since starting primary at NAS Pensacola. As we climbed out into area one, I was in awe; we had at least 30 miles or more of visibility, no haze, and not a cloud in sight. The only exception...

The in-flight snack was fresh bird parts.(emergency landing after solo-flight collision with bird)
April 1, 2003... I never thought I would be writing my first safety article so early in my career. I didn't even make it beyond my first solo flight before disaster struck--really hard. It was July 20, 1999, and I was excited and elated after passing my...

The hanging chicken.(safe landing after mid-air collision with bird)
April 1, 2003... It was a beautiful day in south Texas, with clear, fall skies. I was flying lead on a two ship, tactical-formation training flight near NAS Corpus Christi. When we had finished our training, we departed the simulated drop zone and headed home....

Bingo with a full bucket.
April 1, 2003... After another failed try at landing on the boat in challenging conditions, I sucked up my gear and committed to a bingo profile. I yelled at myself for several miserable landing attempts and started working through the fuel numbers. I showed...

Mishap-free milestones.(United States Marine Corps Air Stations, Japan)
April 1, 2003... Mishap-Free Milestones VR-51 6 years (20,000 hours) VAQ-133 7 years (10,000 hours) VFA-22 7 years VP-4 ...

Bravo Zulu.(safe landing of naval helicopter)
April 1, 2003... The crew of Knight Rider 00, assigned to Helicopter Combat Support Squadron Five, Detachment Five, embarked on USNS Flint, was conducting a vertical replenishment between Flint and USNS Kiska. Lt. Strickler, piloting the UH-46D Sea Knight, was...

Flying on my wave day.(safe landing after automatic heading reference system failure)
April 1, 2003... We were two weeks into our spring at-sea period. I had soaked up a good-deal FCF on my LSO wave day. With a smirk on my face, I apologized to CAG paddles about missing a few recoveries, then made for ready four. By the way, I learned from my...

Lets get ready to rumble.(Lieisure activities aborad United States ship Nimitz)
April 1, 2003... Competition among squadronmates has long been a tradition in naval aviation. Debates over who is the best ball-flyer, who gets the most sleep, and who eats the most dog, can be traced to the origins of our profession. Competitiveness since has...

So much for my good deal.(bearing failure Hawkeye navy airborne warning and control system aircraft)
April 1, 2003... It was my third flight after receiving an upgrade to E-2C aircraft commander, and I started the day with a rare single-cycle mission. We were controlling a unit-level training, self-escort strike. I was in the left seat, and the recovery was...

Early homecoming.
April 1, 2003... With 187 days down and two days left on our SAR detachment on board USS Wasp, we got tasked one last time. The mission was to ferry the admiral between ARG boats off the coast of North Carolina for a little grip and grin and, then, return him...

Wet & wild in San Diego Bay.(pre-mishap drill)
April 1, 2003... I was sitting in the ready room, briefing for my second good-deal fam flight in as many days, when the unexpected happened: We had a mishap. Actually, the aviation safety officer walked in unannounced and told my copilot and me that we were the...

"That's not supposed to happen, sir".(airframe vibration emergency)
April 1, 2003... Another typical IMC winter day in Souda Bay, and ops had scheduled us to fly a six-hour mission in our trusty EP-3. Because it was a short mission, I left behind the 2P so he could study, so it was just the 3P and me. The 3P was on his first...

The rest of the story.(safety after a ramp strike)
April 1, 2003... A safety incident report details the sequence of events for a ramp strike a Cat I nugget had the second night of CQ. But, several events that occurred after the ramp strike also should be mentioned. A lot of good, quick decisions were made that...

Greetings from safetyland. (Classic Brownshoes in Action Comix).
April 1, 2003... "We met Cloudman, and he gave us some great weather tips... " "If it rains, cancel the schedule." [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "Mom got to ride the helo dunker a few more times than the rest of the family..." "Everybody was...