Page 36 - Dec 19 TNT

From the Flight Deck
by Kevin R. Dingman
Twelve Days of Christmas
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Theologians posit that the classic song by Frederic Austin was written to help Christians learn and pass on the tenets of their faith while avoiding persecution. We can all recite the lyrics from twelve down, but notice how difficult it becomes when reading from the bottom up: a partridge in a pear tree, two turtle doves, three French hens, four calling birds, five golden rings, etc.
In order to pass on the tenants of this writer’s 2019 articles without persecution (and for those who asked), here is an abbreviated version of this year’s stories. I hope that you find them joyful to remember – in any order.
JANUARY: Debrief that Partridge
“Errors of Omission and Commission: Remembering Lessons Learned”
An error of omission is not doing something that we should have done: forgetting to put the gear down, not feathering a prop during an engine failure, or neglecting to load an ar- rival/approach into the FMS. An error of commission is the mistake of doing a thing, but doing it wrong: extending the gear but while too fast, feathering the wrong prop during an engine failure, or loading the FMS with the wrong arrival/ approach. Making an error of omission or commission is frustrating, and you’re not the only one that does it. Despite several dozen memory mnemonics, litanies and checklists, we make errors of omission and commission. Most of our mistakes are small and of little consequence, but the potential
for a serious blunder looms large. By reviewing significant events from our flights, we can reduce both types of errors. The tool that helps us to avoid repeating the bad is called a debrief – write lessons learned in a diary or logbook.
FEBRUARY: Gettin’ Hitched –
To Your Airplane, Not the Two Turtle Doves
“Saying ‘I Do’ to DIY Aircraft Towing”
Airspeed and money make airplanes fly. But that cliché and our clinical persona may deprive us of something more. What if we allow the right side of our brain to have a seat in the towing vehicle before we slide into the left seat of the airplane? The functional elegance of towing is often lost on us pilots, overshadowed by the left-brain efficiency, ease and convenience of a professionally prepositioned aircraft. Towing your own airplane will take some skill, so get some dual with your own tug, tow bar and airplane before you go solo. And if you will accept the challenge of towing, I will abandon the challenge of writing poetry about towing. (This was a reference to my poem titled “How Do I Tow Thee”).
MARCH: Enfoque No Autorizado – Not Three French Hens in Spanish
“Trees, TERPS and Bilingual Lingo”
The plethora of scattered notes and cautions in our instru- ment procedures can make it seem as if they’re written in a foreign language. But notes appear after something malo
34 • TWIN & TURBINE / December 2019