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Air Safety, DAFS RAAF
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A change of pace for our Air Safety column as we begin to run items of interest from the RAAF’s excellent Spotlight journal. Spotlight is produced by the RAAF’s Directorate of Air Force Safety and though relating primarily to military aviation, contains much of direct relevance and interest to airline and private pilot alike. The point is that if you get it wrong, it doesn’t really matter whether your steed is a Hornet, Boeing 737, a homebuilt or Piper Cherokee. We hope that via our Air Safety column that the incidents and accident investigations from Spotlight will enable all pilots to better appreciate that airmanship begins with your own personal attitudes.
The following story, fictitious or otherwise, doesn’t deal with specific details for reasons known only to its anonymous author and surmised by others. It makes a pertinent point clear once again. It can happen to you!
The pre-flight checks were done, takeoff card prepared and they were raring to go. Just waiting for the pax and then they’d be on their way out of this shimmering heat of the north west back to cooler climes on the other side of the continent-five hours flight away. Sitting there, looking at the red dust and desolate landscape, the copilot was happy with the calculated takeoff parameters. It was hot! Although only mid morning, it was already over 40°C. The aircraft was heavy, though below max takeoff weight, and clear of the vital Weight Altitude and Temperature (WAT) limits- but only just. Still, there was a mile of runway and no obstacles in the takeoff flight path. Yes, it would be good to get out of this place! The pax arrived, were seated and the crew got on with the job in hand. The checks were methodically read and confirmed as is the custom on a multi-crew flight deck. Then, before the taxi call to the tower, the copilot did a quick check of the ATIS. The temperature had gone up! By what amount? By enough to cause concern. He asked the captain if he wished the takeoff card to be re-checked (a 20 second task). Aware of the situation, the captain replied ‘No, I want to go!” They taxed out. Again, the pre-flight checks were diligently performed. The copilot asked again of the captain ‘Would you like the card checked again, sir? There’s been quite a temperature rise since it was done (30 minutes before)”. The reply ‘No’. So without a moment’s delay they were rolling. The urgency to save mere seconds on such a flight is interesting to contemplate. Self imposed demands? There were no others of significance. Well, as can be expected, engines gulping hot air don’t perform well. Three quarters of the way down the strip the copilot was still struggling with the throttles trying to drag them back as the TGT tried just as desperately to top temp. V1 was high that day. It occurred a long way down the available, takeoff runway. A long way down the runway. There was no doubt in the minds of some of the crew on the flight deck that if the command ‘aborting’ had been called one knot before V1, the runway, stop way, clearway and Farmer Joe’s paddock would have been overrun that fine summer morning. The copilot is called ‘rotate’. The main gear left the pavement with 2 seconds to run to the end of the bitumen. We were up, up and away. Another smooth trouble-free takeoff to add to the list? The copilot wondered as he again looked down at that departing red dust and desolate landscape, when should the boogie say, ‘no!”?Now back to reality! The computation of takeoff and landing performance criteria is required to ensure safe departure and arrival and to allow a margin of safety in the event of a major malfunction requiring an abort or lowered performance after an engine failure. Governments require them to protect the community. Operators require them to provide safer flight for their employees and passengers – and to keep their insurance premiums down. Insurance companies require them to make a profit. TORA, TODA, ASDA and LDA along with other relevant aerodrome data are all available in the RAAF ERS and the civil AIP/AGA publications. Scheduled performance criteria contain safety margins to cater for the expected capabilities of the average well trained pilot. Captains who operate aircraft on the WAT limits know the margin. If you go to the trouble of doing all the checks diligently, the same diligence is required in using the takeoff data available and updating the numbers as the factors change. (TORA (Takeoff Runway Available), TODA (Takeoff Distance Available) and ASDA (Accelerate, Stop Distance Available) are crucial factors to take into account when operating from marginal strips. Add the associated effects of a not-ideal runway surface, high temperatures, altitude and a heavy load and you could easily be courting disaster. TORA, TODA and ASDA certainly are not matters to be taken lightly in an effort to get home early.)
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