Who is your favorite source for aviation videos? For single-pilot jet operations, I like to watch Citation Max and Premier 1 Driver. Both Max Weldon and Greg Mink do a really nice job of flying and explaining how they operate Citations and Premier Jets. They take you along on an average flight where everything usually goes just as planned.
In an airplane, normal is good. But what about the rare instances when things go really badly?
In 2017, the Citation Jet Pilots (CJP) organization, through their safety committee, decided to create a series of videos placing the viewer in the pilot’s seat when the excrement hits the ventilator. Using simulators provided by FlightSafety, they created all sorts of mayhem including engine failures, pressurization problems, flight display anomalies; you name it.
Some of the emergencies were the result of simulated system failures. But all too often, they were created through a series of human failures. The pilot would experience the problem and try to rectify it with varying degrees of success. Then, a “real pro” would provide suggestions on how to handle the challenges better.
The safety committee realized they needed a “human failure” to act out what “bad” looks like. My name was submitted. There were no other nominations.
And so began six years of producing almost forty videos.
“You will be perfect,” they said. “You fly badly really well.” The picture above is a sample of my work, and the red screen is what you see in the simulator after a crash. FlightSafety instructor Dax Beal has this picture as the screen saver on his iPad.
I wish I were kidding.
A few of my pilot buddies would laugh when they watched me struggle to perform competently in the cockpit. But most watched silently with interest. Perhaps they had experienced similar situations.
A few years ago, something interesting happened. A member of the association mentioned he wanted to talk about an incident that happened during his takeoff in a CJ3. Then another wanted to share a climb-out story after forgetting to turn on his pressurization. Another took off with his rudder trim out of tolerance and thought he was experiencing an engine failure.
We were able to take these real experiences and re-create them for everyone to watch and think about how they would react. FlightSafety liked the idea so much that they linked our video library to their curriculum.
Although the videos are Citation specific, they will make you think about how you would handle an event in your personal airplane.
Recently, I was in Wichita for a FlightSafety event. An instructor walked up and thanked me for starring in a video about a stall warning “stick shaker” failure in a CJ3. “I teach about this in every ground school class, and we use your video to stimulate discussion,” he said.
Next Saturday, over your morning coffee, take a walk to the library.
https://www.citationjetpilots.com/safety/videos
Fly safe.
