Saving His Family Jewels From The Lion

Here's an entertaining story from a pilot in South Africa which I have extracted from the February issue of the Global Aviator:

There I was. What now?

by Gary Wiblin

I packed away the family jewels faster than the blink of an eye!

It was a gloomy morning as I took off from PE’s runway 26 and turned out right for a game farm called wandwe, just 30 or so minutes to the North of PE. I was to fetch a group of American tourists who had come to the end of their stay and needed to begin the long journey back to the USA. I was flying a Caravan C208B and I leveled off at flight level 070 and engaged the autopilot. 

This is always my favourite part of a charter flight, when I am alone in the aircraft and sitting in smooth conditions with the autopilot engaged. It is a time of reflection, a time to be fascinated by flight and grateful to be a professional pilot. I always love sitting up there in the sky, all on my own, in a multi million Rand machine, with everything purring just as it should, watching the world slide by below me. It is a feeling only we pilots know and we cherish it. 

All too soon it was time to begin descent into Kwandwe and I disengaged the autopilot and flew by hand until overhead the field to ascertain the wind direction. It looked like the Northerly runway was a good option and I flew the correct joining procedure to end up on final approach. It was then that I noticed a fully grown giraffe ambling out of the bush nearby. Dang. Would he remain clear of the runway or would he stroll in front of me? If he did stroll onto the runway, a go around would have to be executed rather smartly to gain sufficient height to avoid getting a giraffe head through the windshield. I decided to rather do a flyby and hopefully scare him off. This I did and when I had repositioned on final approach he was exactly where he had been before. A placid chap this giraffe was. In fact he was now noshing on some foliage near the edge of the runway and I decided to continue with the approach and landing and be on the alert for a go around at any time. 

All went well and my new tall friend never even glanced in my direction as I landed, turned around, and taxied to the concrete block that served as a dispersal area. All had gone well. Upon shutting down I opened the door and hopped down to the pavement. I was by this time dying for a pee so I strolled over to a bush about 100 metres away and began doing my business. I was about mid pee when I noticed that under another nearby tree there was a large male lion that was stirring

from his slumber and was now taking note of the new intruder on his territory. Well, I packed away the family jewels faster than the blink of an eye, covered the 100 metres in a flash and was up the Caravans ladder quicker than a jackrabbit. The door though was still chained open (a Caravan has an annoying system of keeping the pilots door open and if you forget to unhook the chain before entering the cockpit you need to exit again and unhook it). Double dang. I was now in the aircraft but with the door stuck open. The lion had by now sauntered a bit closer to take a closer look at his possible next meal and I sat rigid in the cockpit wondering what the heck to do next. Would he figure out how to hop up the stairs for a quick snack? I’ve never been so scared in my life. 

Thankfully he merely strolled around the aircraft, yawned loudly and sauntered off into the bush again and I lived to fly another day. The passengers soon arrived and I had to get out and pack all the baggage into the pod but I did feel a bit better knowing that the lion would now have a wider menu to choose from should he return for another look. And I was also now rather expeditious at climbing those stairs speedily. 

Thankfully the rangers were on hand to chase the offending creature with their vehicles and we soon got airborne and headed for PE where my pax would begin their journey back home.

The life of a charter pilot – it cannot be beat!

A Memorable Flight

In the many flights that I had made over the years, of course many are memorable ones but one that put a big smile on my face was when I completed my first cross country flight into an international airport, one which I had never flown to on my own before.

Planning the flight was a joy as I laid out the 1:500 map and plotted my intended path, measured the distances of the legs and worked out the details for my navlog entries. On the morning of the flight, I filed the flight plan, checked the weather (which was forecasted to be good) and preflighted the aircraft. It had two tanks full of fuel and with one passenger tagging along, had just the right setup for a pleasant flight.

I had over 20 PIC hours by then and confidently flew the flight plan on VFR using the navlog and relating the ground features to the map as we went along. Every inch of the flight was under ATC and I had no problem with that as I switched from station to station on the way. GPS was too expensive then, so concentration was really required to ensure we were always on track by matching the ground features with the corresponding items on the map.

Finally we entered the penultimate leg but just then ATC directed us to a location that was not in my flight plan. Fortunately I could find it on the map. It was a small fishing village on the coast and we tracked towards it using the compass and by looking at the shape of the coastline . That was the only heart stopping event we encountered. We were told to hold over that village as we approached it and so we just circled above it. There was airline traffic around the airport at that time. Eventually we were cleared to descend and join right base for Runway 04. The airport is located on an island and there is a hill that flanks the seaward side of the runway. We therefore had to track across the sea from the mainland while descending to circuit height, join downwind on the other side of the hill from the runway and continue until we could see the runway end before turning base.

We were cleared to land and I touched down just after the piano keys, turned off the runway at the next exit and was told to hold to allow a B737 to pass along the main taxiway in front of me. This was the first time ever that I sat as a pilot in a plane watching a jetliner taxi right in front of my nose at a busy airport. At that instant I imagined myself being at the controls of another B737 just doing my job as an airline pilot. It was a totally different scenario from what I was used to in my earlier flying days as a student pilot where the traffic was mainly GA and some military aircraft.

A SIMILAR SCENE AT ANOTHER AIRPORT

We were cleared to proceed to the ramp near the tower and as we did other jetliners were pushing back for departure. The vista, sounds of jet engines, ground vehicles crawling around and ATC chatter in my headphone were something that gave me a glow of satisfaction, a feeling that I had arrived literally and figuratively into the aviation world. How can I ever forget that wonderful day. 

Learning From The Instructors

As I reminisce, it seems that a lot had been added to my collection of flying techniques since the day I had my first lesson. Yet I find that the most critical and useful techniques were actually taught me during the first fifty hours of flying. For this I have my instructors to thank for. I was lucky to have had two highly competent individuals as my mentors.

The first was Manjit. He was a tall handsome young man who was collecting his hours before he could join the airlines. He was methodical in presenting his preflight brief and would ask me quick questions on the aircraft as we walked to it, inside it and later as we walked back for our debriefs. Questions could vary from how much fuel could the tanks take to why the wings wash out at the tips. In the air he would ask if the engine would cut out if he switched off the ignition, and then as I said yes, proceeded to actually switch it off. Manjit led me to my solo by which time I had the answers to most, if not all, the questions.

After soloing, another instructor took over my training. Chandran was a QFI (Qualified Flying Instructor) and was quite elderly with an above average girth. He was soft-spoken and a man of few words. If he ever raised his voice, it would be a scream to get me to add power when we were sinking too fast or to go around when we were too high or in such similar situations.

Like Manjit did, Chandran too made me master the mnemonics which remain with me till today. From HASELL to TVMDC, the mnemonics will never be forgotten and have been found to be useful in times of need.

Chandran had these tricks and formulae to make complex procedures simple. With short and sharp instructions, he would guide me as to what the requirements are for, say, a good approach. "Before base speed 80kts, flaps one, speed 70kts, turn base and descend....turn to final to complete by 300ft AGL, flaps two...speed 65kts, descent rate 200fpm..." and on he went. Most of the time his formulae worked and I lived by them.

One of my favourite destinations was Tioman Island less than two hours flying time away from my base. Although exotic in itself (the island “Bali Hai” in the musical movie “South Pacific” is in real life that island), the attraction to pilots is because its 900-metre runway is enclosed on three sides by steep hill slopes and the fourth side by the sea.

APPROACHING FROM THE WEST

Only pilots checked out on the airport by an instructor are allowed to land there. Chandran had a simple formula for landing there – establish right base at 300ft AGL on feet dry, cling close to the hill on the left while descending, turn final and select full flaps while skimming the grove of coconut palms that stretch to the runway’s edge, then when clear of the palms, cut power completely, push the aircraft down to the runway and ensure that it drops on its main wheels carrier-style. “Don’t worry,” he said, “the Cessna’s main undercarriage is made for heavy landings.”  In later years, the runway was lengthened and the palms on the approach cleared away.

CHANDRAN'S FORMULA

(AFTER RUNWAY EXTENSION)

EARLY BASE VIEW

(BEFORE RUNWAY EXTENSION)

Wikipedia

I have never had any problem landing at the island despite tailwinds sometimes and I owe one to Chandran. As I continued flying over the years, Manjit’s and Chandran’s words constantly echoed in my head guiding me to do the right things as the situations demanded.

Does Flying Kill?

The answer is a definite yes. However there are precautions one can take to lessen the probability of that happening.

A. LOSS OF CONTROL

If the pilot is caught in a situation where he has lost control of the plane due to:

a) jammed or severed control links or

b) damaged or detached control surfaces

c) incapacitation

d) his seat has slipped and moved away from the controls for some reason and he is not able to reach them again

the plane will likely go down with the weight of the engine pulling the rest of the plane with it. Even if the engine is running perfectly, the inability of the pilot to maintain straight and level flight will mean gravity will take over and the plane will dive towards the ground with an increase in the rate of descent as it drops in altitude.

B. ENGINE FAILURE

If the plane is in perfect condition but all the engines fail, his survival depends on:

a) how near he is to a safe landing site and his altitude. He should not be too low as he needs to glide over that distance to the selected landing site or until he can make a midair restart.

Two famous incidents where the planes lost all power but managed to land with no loss of life are the US Airways Flight 1549 which landed on the Hudson River and British Airways Flight 38 which landed short of Heathrow Airport's runway.

b) If the plane has more than one engine and one fails, he is still able to fly to the nearest airport and land safely on the other engine(s) using asymmetric flying techniques.

C. RESPECT THE WEATHER


Many aircraft incidents (other than from pilot error) are due to weather:


a) a violent storm in a rain cloud may rip the aircraft apart

b) hailstones may damage parts of an aircraft such as the propellor or control surfaces

c) ice may build up in the engine and block air or fuel from reaching it

d) ice may also accumulate on the wings altering their shape and making them lose their aerodynamic lift as well as increasing drag

e) visibility in a cloud may be so poor that the pilot cannot see an obstacle ahead. A billowing cloud may be nice to look at from afar and on a bright and sunny day but it is a totally different scenario from inside it.

Very often a pilot begins his flight in good weather but later encounters bad weather on his route. While most airliners can fly higher to avoid weather, small aircraft may not be able to do so and the pilot must decide whether to continue, divert to a safer airport or even return to his airport of origin.His decision can be a matter of life or death.

I have been in situations where even turning back has to be ruled out because clouds have begun to move in behind me. One then has to fly lower so as to be below the cloud base. This situation often happens in hilly areas because the moist winds move up the slopes and cool as they rise. The moisture then turns into clouds. When faced with this situation,a pilot has to "scud run" meaning he has to weave along the bottom of the valleys. He just prays that there is no dead end or a huge obstacle at the next turn.

D. SKILL AND EXPERIENCE

A pilot needs to be skilled to survive. Besides being meticulously trained, he needs the experience to enable him to foresee problems before they crop up, to read the weather, to understand the locality in which he flies, to know the capabilities and limitations of his aircraft and to remain calm and disciplined when faced with an emergency. An experienced pilot can tell when there is something not right with his aircraft by the feel of the control column, the attitude (position in relation to the horizon), the sound and vibration of the engine, etc.

There are certain emergency situations that a pilot can practice for. These include engine failure, fire during flight or on the ground, wheel brake failure, landing gear failure, electrical failure and other system malfunctions. The steps and procedures to overcome these must be followed precisely and repeatedly until they become second nature to him. When an actual emergency arises, he will automatically carry out the procedure on reflex as there usualy is insufficient time to think anymore.

E. PREPARATION

All flights begin with preparation. The route must be drawn up with the required waypoints, altitudes, speeds and possible diversions (alternate airports) in case of weather changes or emergencies. Even the alternate airports have to be screened to ensure that they have the required runway length and facilities for refueling, etc. Weather forecasts for the length of the route have to be studied and the route modified accordingly.

The pilot himself must be in good condition with sufficient rest and food and appropriately clothed. If flying over water, life jackets must be carried. Survival equipment and first aid kit must also be on board. The aircraft must be in good flying condition with sufficient fuel including reserve in the tanks. The fuel must be checked for possible contamination.

A series of checks must be carried out before, during and after each flight. Comprehensive check lists are used to avoid missing anything. Missing a small check on the ground can mean a big problem in the air. If a fuel cap or baggage door is not secure, it may open in flight and there will be no volunteer to crawl out of the plane and re-secure it at a thousand feet above the ground. Similarly if one miscalculates the fuel quantity required, the aircraft may have to make an emergency landing on top of a tree.

F. A LESSON LEARNT

I had a not so funny experience once when flying with another pilot. It was a flight from KL to Tioman Island and back. I prepared the navlog (navigation log detailing the waypoints, compass headings, altitudes, leg times, etc.) for my outbound flight to Tioman and since the other pilot was to fly the return leg, I assumed that he had done the same for that leg. When we took off to return to KL, he asked me for the heading to fly. I mentally reversed all the compass directions from my navlog and gave him the first heading to follow. I had however absent mindedly given him the reverse of the first heading on my navlog, which was the KL-Kajang leg of 150 degrees, so reversing it resulted in 330 degrees.

It normally takes 34 minutes over the sea in a westerly direction to reach the next waypoint of Kuala Rompin. After thirty minutes out from Tioman we saw the coast some distance away to our left and sensed that something was not right. We nevertheless continued towards the coast and found ouselves over Kuantan,which is 100km to the north of where we were supposed to be. We had wasted some fuel by taking that diagonal track to the coast and now we had to take a longer route than planned to reach KL.

At that time the refueling facility at our home base in KL was unserviceable and all pilots were required to refuel at Subang airport nearby before returning, so we tracked for Subang. All this meant that we had to fly longer than our planned flight and our fuel was running low. At one point the engine sputtered for a number of seconds but then resumed running. We prayed that we really could reach Subang. This we miraculously did.

When the refueler looked into our tanks they were shocked to find no fuel inside. A failure to prepare a simple navlog could have spelt disaster for us. There were no GPSs those days (or they were too expensive then). Today, that incident would not have happened as a GPS will tell you exactly which heading to follow.

Perhaps another lesson learned from this episode is to always double check the information given you by another crew member. Even if one is told "the external checks have been completed", "we have 40 gallons of fuel", or "the minimum safety altitude is 2,500 feet", etc., it is wise to take a second independent look. In the above case, Kuala Rompin is directly to the west of Tioman, so a heading of 330 degrees should have made us question it. Sometimes when we are busy doing something else or in a hurry, simple things like that are missed.

DISCIPLINE

This is probably the greatest life saver to a pilot. Without it, a pilot's life may be short. As they say, there are no old bold pilots. As the captain of an aircraft, he must make decisions all the time concerning the safety of his aircraft and passengers. Should he refuse a flight if the weather is adverse or if a certain component of an aircraft is not functioning? Can he take a certain amount of risk and continue his flight? An inoperative fuel gauge may be acceptable if the tanks have been checked and found to be full but what if a leak develops during flight? He will have no way to check if there is still sufficient fuel on board. Similarly, should he carry more cargo and passengers and reduce his reserve fuel or should he upload more fuel than necessary to cater for diversions due to weather, wind conditions, traffic congestions, etc.? A disciplined pilot will take the minimum risk in all these matters but sometimes he has to relent when his employer insists on pushing the limits.

CONCLUSION

Yes, flying can kill but an aviator must fly (for whatever reason). As long as he is disciplined, puts in as much practice as possible and consciously carries out the recommended procedures, he probably can avoid getting into difficulties. As he logs more and more flying hours, he can only get better at it.