You’re not a Pilot, You’re a Manager

In the aviation environment, communication is extremely important for a successful flight and is always needed to ensure the best managerial and organizational performance out there. In fact, the father of management theory, Chester Barnard, stated in 1938 that “the primary function of a manager is to develop and maintain a system of communication.” This holds true for pilots just as much as it does for any corporate executive.

Communication is Critical

As for air travel, communication plays an extremely vital role in connection with aviation safety. Various studies have found just how important communication is in relation to aviation safety.

Many people are under the false impression that the most dangerous aspect of air travel is a mechanized failure on a critical component of the plan. While this is of course a risk, a much more likely cause of an air crash is when two pilots, extremely tired for whatever reason (a long flight, a personal issue that kept them awake at night, etc.), fail to communicate effectively.

Grant Young, one of the chief authors of the Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS), stated that “The overall objective is to prevent accidents through improved communication in air carrier operations, and keep safety at the highest possible level.”

Helmreich and Foushee, famous for their contributions to aviation and safety, claim that “70% of aircraft accidents involve human error” and list several specific incidents as known examples. They continue on by saying that “The theme of these cases is human error resulting from failures in interpersonal communication.”

The whole concept of two pilots is after all, redundancy and shared workload. While certainly there is a risk that one pilot could die of a heart-attack, which would leave the second pilot to land the plane (true redundancy), the real value of having two pilots comes with sharing the workload and being able to identify mistakes that the other has made.

Pilots aren’t the only team members involved in a planes flight, rather there is a whole team of ground-based personnel, principally the air-traffic controllers, who are involved in landing a plane safely. When speaking two one another, both the controller and the pilot restate the others instructions and statements to confirm that they have communicated effectively. While reiteration is one aspect of good communication, it certainly isn’t the only one. Actually using the right words and inflection as well as listening to those words is of paramount importance.

Even NASA

Keep in mind that communication-related issues have also been a fairly large problem for NASA’s Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) database. As reported by Billings and Reynard (1981) “over 70% of the reports to the ASRS database between 1976 and 1981, the first five years of the reporting system, were either directly or indirectly related to communication issues and problems.” From its inception, NASA invested enormous resources into redundancy and failure prevention, but it took them years to realize how important good communication was to the success of a mission.

Essential to a Safe Trip

As noted by these various cases above, fantastic communication can mean the difference between a great flight, a poor flight and an utter disaster. To reiterate, communication between the crew both in the cabin and on the flight deck is essential. All crew members should know when it is acceptable to disturb the pilots and this is an extremely important aspect of the safety judgments that must be determined by the crew on the ground.

Great in-flight communication can be prevented by any number of factors, from simple complacency to fatigue, stress to peer pressure. Understanding these concerns and taking steps to constantly work to address them are essential to a functional and highly-communicative team.

Information Sharing

One of the most important aspects for great communication is information sharing. Lack of information sharing can be a huge contributing factor to human error. If pilots don’t communicate well enough between each other, pilots don’t communicate with the ground crew, and vice-versa, the whole crew may run into problems that could become dangerous if not corrected.

Because information sharing is so important, it’s also important to note that making assumptions is something that should be avoided whenever possible. Assumptions can lead to misunderstandings which can result in potential error, which may eventually result in a compromise of human safety.

Additionally, we have evolved to communicate with one another largely using body language. This aspect of communication is largely lost between two people crammed into seats in a cockpit and entirely lost between the team in the air and that on the ground. Understanding how to compensate for this shortcoming is important.

Clear communication is more than just knowing when to speak and when to listen. It also involves selecting the right words, using proper inflection and emphasis, and asking follow-up questions. It is a dialogue, not a monologue. Thankfully, recognition of a problem is the first step in solving it. In the two decades since the communication issue first became broadly recognized as a key contributor to airplane crashes, great emphasis has been placed on ensuring that all members of the team are communicating effectively.

Written by David Nance for the team at Bailey & Partners, LLP, where each aviation accident attorney has extensive experience with such incidents.

Just one year after production Ray-Ban sunglasses were on sale to the public, and first found their fame with the help of General Douglas MacArthur who was seen to be sporting a pair in the Second World War. Since then, the style caught on with a fashion and practicality conscious French Army, and aviator frames were later donned by music icons Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr as well as some of the biggest names in film such as Tom Cruise and Sylvester Stallone.

The big brands

Today, aviator sunglasses have hoarded themselves quite a share of the sunglasses market, and are produced by a multitude of brands alongside their originators. Whilst Ray-Ban have continued to make a name for themselves, other big names such as Oakley and Randolph have emerged as competitors.

Oakley

Oakley has humble origins in 1975, where a $300 investment saw Jim Jannard set to work in his garage producing motorcross equipment named after his pet English Setter. Today, they sell a host of products including a variety of aviator glasses ranging from £130-£180 as basic featuring a frame constructed to fit securely around the face, as well as employing technology to improve visual clarity through the lenses. Oakley pride themselves on innovation, and their products just can’t help but emanate sophistication.

Randolph

Founded three years before Oakley, Randolph began making equipment for the production of eyewear, before cutting out the middle man and producing their own glasses shortly after. By 1977, Randolph had opened links with the US Military, and were the main supplier of aviation glasses to the US Defence by 1982, so you can be sure of the quality you’re getting. It wasn’t until the early 90’s that they opened sales to the public, but now offer a myriad of frames and tinted lenses to cater for the pilot as well as the fashion conscious wearer. In terms of value for money, Randolph have got you covered. They offer sunglasses as cheap as £74.95 which hold true to the classic style and are available in a number of sizes and tints.

Ray-Ban

If you’re looking for options, nothing comes close to Ray-Ban. The Ray-Ban aviation collection sticks to the traditional style but offers an unparalleled selection of frames, tints, colours and sizes, as well as a 22K gold option if you’re feeling particularly adventurous. Pricing is quite varied, with the collection starting at just over the £100 mark and hitting around £200 in some models.

A word of warning

For many of us, the aviator frames are valued for their timeless style and chic appearance. It’s worth remembering though that the design came into being for the aviation industry, and if you’re shopping with this in mind then make sure to avoid polarized lenses in your glasses. The Federal Aviation Administration advise strongly against their use as they can severely reduce visibility of on-board monitors as well as that of other aircraft. As well as this, glass cockpits will almost always have polarized screens, and when combined with polarized sunglasses this can serve to amplify small scratches and seriously hinder vision.

Robin blogs for leading glasses and sunglasses retailer Direct Sight about sunglasses and their uses for not only fashion reasons.

But disregarding such irrelevancies as “science”, the fact remains that when we look at an object our gut gives us an instant evaluation of whether such as thing ought to be able to fly. The bees idea sounds convincing because at the end of the day they look kind of pudgy and stupid.

If you’re a model plane enthusiast, there are quite a few things you can build that look like they shouldn’t be able to get airborne- but they manage it all the same. Make your friends look stupid when they point out:

But That Plane Needs A Tail To Fly!

Aircraft need tails to help keep them stable. That’s just common sense. Well, the Star Drifter balsa glider demonstrates quite clearly that common sense is a stupid head. With a design that resembles the “flying wing” experiments that were so popular during the Cold War and eventually lead to the design of the B2 Stealth bomber, this plane keeps the aerodynamic drag to a minimum while offering great performance.

Built from a simple sheet construction and launched by catapult, the Star Drifter can fly quite a way before it comes crashing down to Earth.

But that Plane’s Built Backwards!

Okay, Mister Fancy Plane Designer Man. I don’t care how long you’ve been doing this, I’ve been drawing planes since I got my first set of crayons in pre-school, so I think I know a bit about what a plane should look like, alright?

You put the big wings at the front and the little wings near the back near the tails. Then you put the pilot in the driving seat and you have some missiles coming out the top and flames coming out the back because it’s a rocket plane and then it gets attacked by some dinosaurs… I may getting ahead of myself here, but my point is- planes. We’ve got a pre-agreed idea about what they should look like.

It turns out, nah. Another balsa glider, the Star Rider looks at first glance pretty much back to front. It sort of resembles some of the spaceships in Star Wars, but since we’re talking about vehicles designed to move in a vacuum, they’re not great role models for perfectly calculated aerodynamics.

Based on the “Canard” school of aeroplane design, that again, is pretty popular with the fighter planes, the model plane’s weird shape means it’s less likely to stall when it’s moving at low speeds.

That Might Work If It Had Engines…

At first this might not seem like a natural choice for this list. The F117A Stealth fighter plane is undeniably badass. You’ve probably seen one explode in an action movie at one time or another. But let’s take a look at the actual plane.

Unlike the other designs we’ve looked at so far, the Stealth fighter does actually look like a bit of wood. To be specific, the bit of wood you might wedge under a door to keep it from sliding shut. The fact is that, while you can imagine our best scientists and engineers, using the latest in engine technology might be able to get this into the air with SCIENCE! you really doubt that this could maintain altitude powered by being flung out of a catapult.

But this balsa model from Westwings manages to have excellent flying characteristics with only a few slight modifications to the overall shape.

The end result is a glider that’s amazingly efficient and stable with an extremely shallow glide ratio. The design is so good that some enthusiasts have managed to convert this model to radio control to fly it off slopes, something that normally takes a bunch of Lockheed Martin computers to achieve.

Chris Farnell is a freelance writer who writes about balsa wood planes and interesting hobbies. Despite appearances, he can fly.

1. Be The World’s Most Dedicated Sports Fan

Would you consider yourself a diehard baseball, football, or basketball fan? Imagine how awesome it would be to follow your favorite sports team to every single away game of the season. You could drive to all the games, but it would be much cooler to fly to every game in your own jet instead. You may even hit the news headlines once someone catches on to how dedicated you are to your team. Just think of how many souvenirs you could buy when zipping around to cities all over, not to mention all the hot dogs you could have.

2. Everyone Gets to Go Where They Want to Go, When They Want to Go

Isn’t it funny how often you, your friends, and your family disagree when it comes to planning a vacation destination? Why not buy your own jet and fly to every place everyone wants to go? You’ll be certain to gain popularity when you are able to please everyone’s vacation wishes. Of course you’ll need to have plenty of money in the bank, but just think of all the places you’ll be able to see when flying to so many places. Not a minute of precious vacation time wasted sitting in a commercial airplane at a busy airport.

3. Never Fly Commercial Again

Isn’t that a nice thought? Not having to fly on a commercial jet again would be a miracle for some people. You like to travel, don’t you? I’m sure you don’t enjoy shuffling around a crowded airport. Oh, and don’t forget the luck you have when flying in a plane that has screaming kids and obnoxious passengers. Granted, not every commercial flight is miserable, but there are plenty of bad flight experiences to talk about. Buy your own jet and you’ll never ever have to experience a horrible commercial flight again.

4. Your Best Friend Has One, Why Don’t You?

Perhaps your best friend from the service took advantage of some military loans and is now flying around in his or her own private jet. You know who I am talking about, the one friend that always got what you wanted before you did. Now what kind of friend would you be if you didn’t go out and buy your own jet too? Just remember to buy one a bit larger than what your friend owns, so you can easily tease your friend and claim that your jet is bigger than theirs.

5. You Have Everything Else

If you own everything else but a private jet, it probably means that it is time to buy that airplane you always wanted. You could even get your own private runway and fly off to anywhere at any time of the day. Just make sure that you take the car to the store and leave the jet parked at home since it might be hard to find a good parking spot.

Whether you’re based in the UK and only need to drive down to see the base or will need to book a no fly cruise or flight to reach the site, it really is essential viewing for anyone with even a passing interest in aircraft and aviation.

Early Beginnings
Constructed from 1939 whilst being bombed by the Luftwaffe, the base has always had a strong connection with the Fleet Air Arm (FAA). The first squadron to be formed there was 794 NAS, dedicated to training the finest pilots in the niche art of aerial gunnery. 827 NAS was the first front line squadron stationed at the base, flying Fairey Albacores and Barracudas, British designed and built carrier-borne torpedo dive bombers, famous for sinking the German battleship Tirpitz.

After World War Two, Yeovilton was the Royal Navy’s main demobilization centre and many of the men who stayed there helped to refurbish the runways to accommodate the new all weather jet aircraft. Through to the 1970s, Yeovilton housed Sea Venoms, Sea Vixens and Phantoms and became home to the Flag Officer Flying Training and School of Fighter Direction. The Sea Venom’s based at Yeovilton went on to see action in the Anglo-French ‘Operation Musketeer’ to counter Egypt’s General Nasser’s nationalization of the Suez Canal, bombing many vital Egyptian military targets. The Venom was replaced in 1959 by the Vixen, bearing the distinctive twin-boom tail and was the first British aircraft armed exclusively with missiles, bombs and rockets – four Firestreak air-air missiles (In service all the way to ’88), two Microcell rocket packs and could carry two 1000 lb or four 500 lb bombs making for a formidable jet fighter/bomber.

After the Sea Vixen was phased out, the base became largely inactive until in the early 80s it became the main shore base for the Sea Harrier FRS.1, one of the most recognisable aircraft in the world – famous of course for its vertical takeoff capability. Yeovilton’s role as a major base for helicopters also began to take off. The Commando Helicopter Squadron utilised the Wessex HU.5, seeing service in the Falklands war along with the Sea King Commando, another legendary helicopter used in every major British combat operation since the Falklands and continues to serve the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force today.

RNAS Yeovilton remains the home of the ‘Junglies,’ a nickname the Commando helicopters picked up after years of adventures in the thick jungles of Borneo and Brunei, as well as the Lynx helicopters following the closure of RNAS Portland. The Royal Navy Historic Flight is also based at Yeovilton, including two Sea Furies, two Swordfishes, a Sea Hawk and a Chipmunk for tail dragging training. It is precisely because of RNAS Yeovilton’s rich and diverse history as the epicentre for all things aviation in the Royal Navy that the base has become the home for the Fleet Air Arm Museum.

The Collection
Established back in 1964, it emerged over the years to become one of the world’s leading aviation museums, taking the visitor on an incredible journey of the FAA’s small beginnings right through to its continuing and vital role in global military operations. Many of the aircraft in the collection are the only survivors of its type in the world; such beauties are housed in Cobham Hall just across from the main museum and are only open twice a year – a rare and unique chance to see some of the finest aircraft ever built.

The recently opened ‘Hall 1′ is a World War One themed collection and was altered in 2009 to celebrate 100 years of British Naval history. The hall exhibits a wonderful visual history of the advancement of FAA aircraft during its 100 year service, the first aircraft being the Short S.27, the first plane to successfully takeoff from a moving ship. The Sopwith Pup represents World War One, bearing a particular significance in aviation history as it was the first plane to land on a moving ship and thus setting the scene for the development of the aircraft carrier, one of the most powerful military assets a nation can have at sea. One of four remaining Supermarine Walrus’, recovered from a dump and lovingly restored in 1966 pitches in for World War Two having its role changed dramatically from long range bombing to sea-rescue operations. For the latter half of the 20th century examples include the Fairey Firefly as used during Korea War, sit alongside aircraft that are synonymous with Yeovilton – the Sea Harrier, Dragonfly, Lynx and Sea King.

Through to Hall 2, the World War Two collection, the visitor is instantly greeted by the last remaining Fairey Fulmar. The Fulmars long range and massive eight-gun armament was a useful asset for long escort and reconnaissance missions, most notably being used to scout out the Bismarck. The Fairey Swordfish, standing by the Fulmar, was one of the most vital aircraft at the FAA’s disposal, performing hundreds of missions including the 1940 attack on the Italian fleet stationed at Taranto. American aircraft were very much prominent in the FAA during World War Two, having used the Grumman Hellcat and Avenger, as well as the Vought Corsair. Their service to the FAA was a deciding factor in the FAAs success throughout the war, vastly increasing the capabilities of the FAA. The Corsair KD431, AKA the ‘Time Capsule Fighter,’ went through an extensive restoration to ensure it looked precisely as it would during the war, demonstrating the clear toll that these incredible machines undertook.

The third hall is a carrier themed one and a unique experience for any visitor. The hall is essentially a mock-up of what the deck of HMS Ark Royal would have looked like during the ’70s. Before going on deck, visitors take a ‘flight’ in a Wessex helicopter before climbing aboard and being part of a simulated flight recovery whilst browsing the impressive collection. Ten aircraft from 30 years of carrier operations history make for a history lesson you won’t forget, from the early Sea Vampires and Supermarine Attacker to the Sea Venoms and Sea Hawks. What is also unique about this collection is that the visitor will also experience the typical day-to-day operation of an aircraft carrier in a variety of mock-up rooms, including an ‘Ops Room,’ giving a fascinating glimpse into the realities of some of the challenges faced by the crews.

Leading Edge
This is the final collection of the Fleet Air Arm Museum, with a more diverse focus on the wonders of aeronautical achievements of the last century. The hall is almost entirely dominated by the Concorde 002 – the second prototype built – which visitors are free to wander round. Two planes integral to the design development of the Concorde stand proudly beside it, the Handley Page’s HP 115 was utilised to extensively test the handling characteristics of the delta wing design at civilian speeds whilst the BAC 221 was the test design for the ogival wing that the Concorde adopted. The Hawker Hunter T.8 has a long history with Yeovilton and demonstrates the FAAs commitment to technological advancement through the years. The one on display is the last pre-production example to have been built and uses the original Rolls Royce Eagle piston engine, a significant step forward in aeronautical engine design. The Harrier ‘jump jet’ makes for a fitting end to the collection, one of the most recognisable aircraft ever built and still in service across the world. The Harrier is a tribute to the FAAs vast contribution to aeronautical innovation, being the first close-combat reconnaissance aircraft with vertical/short takeoff/landing capabilities. The Fleet Air Arm Museum has an unmatched collection of naval aircraft which continues to grow. If you’re lucky, you’ll be able to catch a sight or sound of one of the Commando or Lynx helicopters taking off, reminding you of the important role this historic site has served and will hopefully continue to serve for many years to come.

Transport – Beechcraft AT-11 Kansan
Not all planes were designed for fighting and there were other needs for military aircraft in the 20th century that were just as important in the grand scheme of things. Transport aircraft were essential to supply soldiers and goods to various destinations around the world. This plane was widely used in World War two and the Beechcraft AT-11 was modified somewhat so that it could defend itself against enemy aircraft. It was fitted with 30 cal. Machine guns and also had a small bomb bay, should it be required for bombardier use.

This aeroplane was used by the RAF and the Royal Canadian Air Force and the United States Air force also acquired and used a number of ‘Kansans’. Designer Walter Beech went back to manufacturing civilian models of the AT-11 and this plane remained in use until 1969.

Bomber – Avro Lancaster
The Avro Lancaster, more commonly known as the Lancaster Bomber, was the weapon of choice for difficult bombing attacks during the Second World War. It was this plane that dropped the bouncing bombs in the dam-buster raids and this plane that sank the Tirpitz battleship. This was the biggest bird in the skies during WWII and it had the power and capability needed to penetrate German anti-aircraft defences and was invaluable in destroying key targets.

The Lancaster was not used until 1942, when it took over from predecessor the Avro Manchester. This antecedent failed to do the job it had to do but the Lancaster was up to the task. It had 4 Merlin engines rather than two and a stable airframe, enabling more accurate bombing attacks than were possible with previous aircraft. Almost 7,500 Lancasters were built during this war and this shows how essential they were.

Fighter – Supermarine Spitfire
The Spitfire is probably the most famous combat aircraft the RAF have ever flown, and it was instrumental in the defeat of Hitler’s Third Reich, from above. The epic dogfights of World War Two were the perfect battleground, or sky, for Spitfires and these English-designed fighter planes and they proved their worth, downing German bombers and fighters alike.

The Spitfire was used up until the end of the 1950s and even today it is the reason that many people go to air shows around the world.

These aircraft have earned places in history and were vital in forming the history of the 20th century, which could have been very different without them.

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