Page 18 - April 2015 Volume19 Number 4

WHERE ARE WE NOW, EXACTLY?by LeRoy CookStaying aware of the aircraft’s position and, most importantly, where it’s going on its present track, is a vital part of piloting. Historically, many, many tragic CFIT (controlled flight into terrain) accidents have resulted from lapses in positional awareness. The pilots thought they were in safe airspace, until the trees came through the windscreen.Even if an accident does not result, there are probably numerous instances each year when the crew or pilot allows the aircraft to stray outside its intended flight path, perhaps causing embarrassment or momentary alarm. These events should bring attention and resolve to eliminate future occurrences.Now that we are well-equipped with navigation displays, flight management systems and automated flight controls, there should be zero CFIT accidents and inadvertent off- course excursions. The fact that loss of positional awareness continues to occur is evidence of the creativity of human ability to induce failures. Pilots can keep up with only so much programming and changing; frequent twists and turns in the aircraft’s flight path can leave us unsure of exactly where we are and where we’re supposed to be.With TAWS or other terrain- awareness equipment installed,16 • TWIN & TURBINEthere’s less likelihood of ignoring the rock monitor’s “pull up” alert and red-splashed display, but it can still happen, particularly when warnings become commonplace because the terrain is nearby. In nearly every case, however, near-misses or close encounters are the result of an earlier loss of positional awareness – a result, not a cause, of the piloting error.Therefore, we must return to a basic fundamental fact of flight; know where you are, and know it before you get there. As my instructor taught me, “never let the airplane take you anywhere your brain hasn’t been one minute before (or longer).” If you keep track of where you are, you won’t get lost, and more importantly, you can plan ahead for what must take place next.“Where’s It Taking Us?”Today’s pattern of position loss is more likely to occur from information overload, or from over- reliance on automation. In the first case, the pilot has a geo-referenced map but it has so much symbology on it that the aircraft’s position is submerged in data. It’s important to utilize brain-power to monitor the flight’s progress. Know where you’ve already been, know how long it’s been since the present heading was taken up, and gauge where you are. Do not depend strictly on the MFD’s view of present position.Because most of the flight may be flown coupled to a flight plan loaded in the FMS, it’s easy to rely on the automation, but remember GIGOm – Garbage In, Garbage Out. Misprogramming is only a fat-finger push away. Again, make sure it looks right when the results of your entry tally up. At every turn, verify where Otto is taking you, not just that the aircraft is following the line. Make sure it’s the RIGHT line.Having radar vectors to downwind or base-leg position, or onto an intercepting heading, is not a cure-all. A friend of mine who was an airline simulator instructor often challenged his trainees by vectoring their simulated flight into the approach airspace, whereupon he would ask them to place a pencil point on the approach chart, to show him exactly where they were. All too much of the time, they would give him a blank- stare response. They were obviously dependent on radar guidance, with no backup resource in their mind.Evidently, these well-schooled pilots had completed familiarization training on using the flight management system and following procedures and systems. But, they hadn’t a clue about how to maintain a mental picture of the flight’s progress. Simple dynamics should keep us aware of the airplane’s position in space, from elapsedAPRIL 2015