Approach articles from November 2003

Approach archives from November 2003

Me and my thunderpig.
November 1, 2003... Ah, the mighty Prowler. Certainly not the sexiest jet in the fleet, but, as with anything else, it has its perks. No other aircraft is as ugly, as loud, or as much of a trial-and-tribulation to operate behind the boat. "Character" is what I...

From the past ... no mistakes made?
November 1, 2003... In reply to REFER TO________ Address: Commanding Officer Naval Air Station UNITED STATES NAVAL AIR STATION FT. LAUDERDALE FLORIDA 17 January 1945 To: Aviation Safety Board. Subj: Pilot's Statement of Accident to TBFI...

The broken seal.
November 1, 2003... I was stationed aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) in the North Arabian Sea, supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. My RIO and I were scheduled for the pinky launch, 1 v 1 AIC hop, to be followed by a night trap for currency. We just...

What just happened?(Crew Resource Management)
November 1, 2003... Situational Awareness Assertiveness Decision Making Communication Leadership Adaptability/ Flexibility Mission Analysis CRM Contacts: Lt. Dave Messman, OPNAV CRM Resource Officer (703) 604-7729, (DSN 664)...

Fire! fire! mayday! mayday! we're going down!
November 1, 2003... Those words are as clear in my mind today as they were on April 10, 1981. We were a flight of two SH-3Gs, flying from NAS North Island to NAS Fallon for predeployment training. That morning, we attended a normal brief, and our pilot said we...

Thin air.
November 1, 2003... My first cross-country trip to the San Francisco Bay area included several training sorties for the TraCom. Because of the limited number of T-39 N models in the inventory, several CT-39s were brought out of retirement and converted to G...

Who's the flamer?
November 1, 2003... We were scheduled for another FCLP period at El Centro before our flight-deck certification aboard USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74). One of our two Prowlers on det to North Island was down for minor maintenance problems, go we flew three priority...

A loose nut behind the stick.(ORM Corner)
November 1, 2003... For the first- time in two months, I would enjoy a beautiful afternoon in the Eastern Mediterranean. My air wing's participation in Operation Iraqi Freedom almost had been exclusively at night, and we were returning to a day schedule. Nobody...

Cross-cockpit IMC quick-stop: time constraints, however, thwarted our plan, we had one night to get the full-mission profile knocked out.
November 1, 2003... The schedule had our HSL detachment participating in evening maritime-interdiction operations (MId). We were to provide the SEAL-sniper platform for a full-mission profile of a simulated noncompliant boarding. For the helo crew, the idea behind...

Toward the goal.
November 1, 2003... The goal for naval aviation is to reduce mishaps by 50 percent over the next two years. The Naval Safety Center staff is dedicated to helping save the lives of our Sailors, Marines, and civilians, and saving valuable assets. This magazine,...

Mishap-free milestones.
November 1, 2003... Mishap-Free Milestones HS-75 25 years 54,500 hours VF-32 5 years 17,608 hours VRC-40 20 years VAW-115 18 years 38,000 hours VP-8 25 years 154,000 hours...

Big egos in small plane.
November 1, 2003... I was halfway through advanced helicopter training at Whiting Field and looking forward to a long weekend off from flight school. My brother, a civilian pilot, had borrowed a friend's plane to pick us up and head back to Tennessee for the...

Hanging on by some bolts.
November 1, 2003... It was a calm and clear night in the North Arabian Sea, and we had been on station a month, supporting Operation Southern Watch. After a few days of bad weather, including a sandstorm at sea, the absence of haze and clear visibility was a...

Drunk driving.(Work zone: reducing mishaps by 50%)
November 1, 2003... The Problem * Impaired driving will affect one in three Americans nationwide during their lifetimes. * Alcohol-related motor-vehicle crashes nationwide kill someone every. 30 minutes and injure someone every two minutes. * Navy,...

The worst times for car wrecks.(Work zone: reducing mishaps by 50%)
November 1, 2003... (Based on 376 Navy traffic deaths and 302 Marine traffic deaths, FY98-03) Day of week: Saturday (26%) Time of Day: Sailors 0200-0259 (40 deaths) Marines 0530-0629 (27 deaths) Month: Sailors--July (44 deaths), August (43 deaths)...