Approach articles from June 2002

Approach archives from June 2002

Worst-case scenario.(helicopter joy ride)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 1, 2002... Shirley Temple sang a song called "Be Optimistic," but I don't think the average aviator was her target audience. Aviation often demands the opposite attitude. Put yourself in the following situation. The location: the Bahamas. The...

Hey boss, are my lights on?(aircraft carrier mishaps)(Statistical Data Included)
June 1, 2002... Nothing out of the ordinary after more than three weeks of JTFEX and as we neared the end of work-ups. Even a multi-plane, force-concentration-training strike on a moonless night seemed standard. During the past eight months, we had briefed and...

Letters.
June 1, 2002... I'm a retired USAF F-16 driver who has been reading Approach since the 1950s and subscribing to it for over 20 years. I thoroughly enjoy your fine magazine, but the February 2002 issue finally has moved me to ask a question that has been...

Mishap-free milestones.
June 1, 2002... VP-5 24 years (146,000 hours) VAQ-142 5 years (7,291 hours) VAQ-133 6 years (8,049 hours) VP-47 29 years (176,000 hours) HMT-302 14 years (80,000 hours)

Engine problems over Afghanistan.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... My last mission during Operation Enduring Freedom was to be on call in a CAP position in southern Afghanistan to support U.S. ground forces. The weather reported high cloud layers in the country and light turbulence at our tanking altitudes. I...

Flame-throwing prowler.(Prowler military aircraft)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... It was a beautiful, sunny day off the coast of North Carolina. I manned up for my third front-seat Prowler flight around the boat, flying with our operations officer, a senior pilot. Also flying with us were the assistant maintenance officer...

This isn't the type of ordnance I had in mind.(F 18 malfunction)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 1, 2002... It was our first full fly day since departing the Persian Gulf after supporting Operation Southern Watch. We hadn't seen clouds in weeks, and the temperature finally had dropped into the 80s. I was looking forward to a 4 v X self-escort strike...

Cockpit scan and loss of situational awareness.(navy aviation training)
June 1, 2002... It's mid-morning, and the five members of the TYCOM Fleet Naval Aviation Evaluation Board (FNAEB) are listening to a young lieutenant explain why he has been unable to land aboard a carrier at night. This board would recommend to the admiral...

How do your instruments look?(military aviation)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 1, 2002... Our mission was to fly passengers and cargo from an Arabian Gulf airfield to an aircraft carrier. My wingman--another Lt.--and I had flown to the carrier the previous day to be available for an early-morning launch. We had a nice afternoon...

Communication and ORM--: a lifesaving combo: our SOP states that flights from ship to shore shall not exceed 200 miles, and we were not authorized to take passengers at night. (ORM Corner).(operational risk management)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Our detachment was four months into a six-mounth WestPac. While in the Northern Arabian Gulf, our six pilots flew primarily at night. It was a rare occasion not to be flying or assigned landing-signal officer duties. We finally got into a...

That guy is going to land!(aircraft safety procedures)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 1, 2002... Last October, the operations and maintenance officer told me to take a crew to Greenville, S.C. We were to pick up the squadron's newest AIP aircraft. It was being modified at the Lockheed facility at the Donaldson Center. As any good...

You, too can scheduled Mishap. (Crew Resource Management).(military safety management)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 1, 2002... Last fall, my command put "all the necessary links in place" for a mishap. How it happened was a real eye-opener. I was motivated to write this article because my squared-away, fleet helo squadron, with a proactive safety program, easily fell...

Who prelights the carrier?(aircraft carrier safety)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Work-ups around an aircraft carrier offer many of the most exciting challenges any aviator ever will meet. The first work-up event is usually carrier qualification, or in most cases, requalification. It is a time when pilots young and old put...

Still attached.(helicopter take-off)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... I was a new helicopter second pilot and was experiencing my first real taste of shipboard operations. It was exciting, yet, I still was wary of the new environment. The initial DLQ qualification in the FRS, and a short, week-long work-up, made...

What are you going to throw at me today?(F-18 testing)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 1, 2002... I always thought day-VFR, functional check flights (FCFs) on FA-18s coming out of overhaul, repair, and modification at Naval Air Depot (NADEP) North Island would be routine and non-challenging. My experience over the last 18 months at the...