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  • A BASH Success Story

    Bird and wildlife strikes are a hazard for every type of aircraft in all environments. This is one threat that cannot be totally eliminated, but with proper planning and implementation, a good BASH plan can greatly reduce this threat and make a safer flying environment. Sheppard AFB, TX averaged 73

  • Combat Crew Fatigue

    All of us have heard the saying, "I'll get plenty of rest when I'm dead." People have been using it for as long as I can remember to swat away the fact that they are sleep deprived and in no condition to be performing the tasks assigned to them. Unfortunately, if we as aircrew take this to heart,

  • Snarge Busters

    For more than four decades, military and civil aviation safety personnel have been sending bird remains recovered from bird aircraft collisions (bird strikes) to the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History for identification. In the early years, whole feathers, partial

  • Visual Lookout With Advanced Avionics

    In the air-to-air arena, with all the advances in technology that make a more lethal killing machine, the threat is still able to reach out and touch us. No, I am not speaking of the poor adversary you have locked up ready to launch your missile at. I am referring to the threat of a mid-air

  • Communication And Knowledge - Keys to CRM

    Sometimes people learn the hard way; sometimes people scare themselves enough to learn their lesson without paying a price. The lucky ones learn from the latter. No matter where or from whom you learn, certain lessons are essential in a cockpit, and among aircrew members. The two most important

  • Crosscheck This!

    The takeoff regime is so critical, yet often overlooked in importance. In every pilot's mind the takeoff and landing are the most critical phases of flight (the emphasis has always been on landings). In all actuality takeoffs are just as important and can either make or break you. Normally, takeoffs

  • The Stupidity Theory

    It's been along time since I was in UPT, but I still remember quite clearly that the Unit Standardization Evaluation Member (USEM) hated all students. He seemed to take particular glee in flicking individual name tags off of the flying schedule. "Captain Hook" always said if we ended up in a smoking

  • Herc, There I Was...

    Fat, dumb, and happy after inhaling Hawaiian chicken-salad sandwiches from Base Z, my crew and I experienced what some might say is one of the "least desired scenarios" smoke and fumes onboard our aircraft. Before I explain the actions we took to handle the situation, let me provide some background

  • Something's Wrong

    Like most pilots in the Air Force, I knew I would not get into an accident. That only happens to the other guy. I had the best training and flew the world's most sophisticated equipment. It can't happen to me, can it? Well every pilot out there has a story to tell about their flying career. It can

  • Are You ready To Fly?

    An A-10 recently crashed while performing a Night Vision Goggle (NVG) upgrade training mission. The Accident Investigation Board (AIB) concluded that the pilot experienced spatial disorientation and wasn't able to recover the aircraft. That night, the USAF lost one of its most valuable assets: a

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