Approach articles from May 2003

Approach archives from May 2003

I always wanted to drive a convertible.(safe landing after canopy shatter)
May 1, 2003... It was my first true cross-country, and I never had been to the West Coast before, let alone San Diego. So, when I was offered the opportunity to fly to Miramar for my airways navigation cross-country, I jumped at the chance. It was a glorious...

Another view from the convertible.(failure of cockpit glass)
May 1, 2003... My Marine student never had been west of Arkansas. His friends at Miramar showed him a good time, and he discovered that there is fun beyond "Deliverance". On the descent, 70 miles west of Meridian, all hell broke loose in our T-2 cockpit....

Bravo Zulu.(safe landing after emergency)(ACAA Nolan Rhodes receives Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal)
May 1, 2003... The saying, "If something doesn't look right, it probably isn't," applies in most situations, including training command aircraft in the pattern. While watching the airfield at Cabaniss Outlying Field, ACAA Nolan Rhodes saw something unusual....

It's getting hot in here. (Crew Resource Management).(safe landing after cockpit oxygen problems)
May 1, 2003... I was over halfway through my nugget cruise and starting to feel comfortable around the boat. I was pleased I hadn't been tasked with writing an Approach article, but, after this night, I would know the safety officer wasn't going to let me get...

The blue north.(operational risk management )(Norwegian Sea)
May 1, 2003... We were two months into a Standing Naval Forces Atlantic (SNFL) deployment and heading north from Lisbon, Portugal, to participate in Exercise Strong Resolve 02 off the coast of Norway. We left the temperate, southern European, winter weather...

Letter to the editor.(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2003... The cover photo on the December 2002 issue shows an FA-18 launching from the USS Kitty Hawk. The caption incorrectly stated the aircraft was from the VFA-195 Dambusters. Actually, the aircraft was from the VFA-192 Golden Dragons. The telltale...

Mishap-free milestones.(chart of aircraft and flight years/hours)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Mishap-Free Milestones HSL-44 15 years (125,300 hours) VAQ-135 7 years (11,100 hours) HS-6 14 years (47,500 hours) VFA-81 9 years (36,900 hours) VS-29 11 years (36,000 hours) HS-6 ...

Nugget test pilot.(no-flap landing on aircraft carrier)
May 1, 2003... Flaps, engines, flight controls, DDIs all set, and here are my external lights for the catapult shot. Wow, it's dark! Lean back into the headrest as the holdback fitting breaks, and it feels like a good catapult shot... After spending a...

Between lone rock and a hard place.(safe landing after failure of wingsweep motor)
May 1, 2003... When I was an instructor at Top Gun. I got an up-close and personal view of the hazards of aft-wingsweep landings. I had manned-up with the commanding officer for what I thought was one of the most boring missions in the old...

When is bingo, bingo?(safe landing after flight diversion and low fuel)
May 1, 2003... I was an experienced TA-4J SERGRAD (with a whopping 400 flight hours) and a lieutenant junior grade, to boot. I believed I could fly the mighty Skyhawk to any limit, maximum or minimum; the books told me I could. One of the no-brainer...

When I was at Med-cruise camp ...(naval aviation training and operating procedures ignored)
May 1, 2003... Sooner or later, you will ignore or violate NATOPS. The circumstances that tempt you may vary, but the situation ways arrives unannounced and uninvited. This is my story of poor decisions and even worse ORM. I was a nugget S-3 NFO, four...

Combat ORM. (ORM Corner).(operational risk management)(Operation Enduring Freedom )
May 1, 2003... The sea state and swells had been large and unpredictable the previous few days in the North Arabian Sea. The ship's navigator continued to search for calmer seas, but, with up to 20 feet of vertical-deck movement and an impressive Dutch roll,...

Things that go bump in the night.(lessons learned after night mid-air collision)
May 1, 2003... Do you remember that opening scene in the classic movie "Twelve O'Clock High," where the old guy with the spectacles rides his bike into an overgrown English airfield that used to be his B-17 base during World War II? As he stops and looks...

Ready room gauge.(bird flight example for military aviation)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Learning the secret of flight from a bird was a good deal like learning the secret of magic from a magician. After you know what to look for, you see things that you did not notice when you did not know exactly what to look for.