Safety eJournal

Goose, It’s time to buzz the tower

So said Maverick in Top Gun when he took an F-14 on a famous low-altitude, high-speed pass that landed him in Commander Viper’s office. The tower chief’s comments to Viper went something like, “One of your snot-nosed jet jockeys blew by my tower at over 400 knots. I want some butts.”

Last month a newly delivered Boeing 777 made a low pass at the Boeing factory airport in Renton,Wash. The aircraft was less than 30 feet agl and clocked above 270 knots. It was a sight to behold. Big noise, big dust, big wind, massive power—awesome! Truly a spectacle! A video immediately appeared on YouTube, and the story goes that the senior captain at the controls was fired shortly afterward. Sounds like somebody got some butts! It’s also rumored that the airline bought the video to have it removed.

Cathay Pacific, the Chinese airline involved, justified the firing since the pass was against company rules, although they had granted permission for such exhibitions in the past with prior arrangement. Cries of hypocrisy arose from some in the pilot ranks, saying that the captain was praised for the maneuver by senior executives on board at the time, only to be sacked when the news leaked. It won’t be the first (or the last) time that management integrity has been situationally based, although the details of the firing and due process followed are not ours to know—it may have been entirely proper. There’s probably a “Dilbert” cartoon in here somewhere.

Let’s assume, unlike the Top Gun scenario, that the tower was OK with this. After all, the pilot in command made the request. FAR 91.117, which addresses aircraft speed, is pretty clear that below 10,000 feet msl, the max speed is 250 knots; in Class D or C airspace within 2,500 feet of the surface and within 4 nm of the airport, 200 knots is the limit unless otherwise authorized by ATC. This doesn’t apply to Class B ops where everyone is under positive control. For light aircraft, this isn’t an issue, as we would be shedding pieces at these speeds. From an FAR standpoint, a gear up/flaps up pass with a loaded 777 might require those speeds just to stay airborne. So the speed regs weren’t broken. But what of FAR 91.119 and 91.13? These are the two favorite catch-alls for inspectors everywhere: Minimum safe altitudes; general and careless and reckless operation. You get into some really sticky territory in the event of any mishap. Just imagine the hearing, assuming you survived.

So was this a “good idea” harking back to barnstorming days or a wacko stunt? High-speed, low-altitude passes are a staple of airshows, and we should allow exceptions, under the proper circumstances, with the proper safeguards. This means consideration of other air traffic, wake turbulence, and hazard to bystanders or property. Now consider the potential downside for this kind of impromptu airshow. Does reward outweigh risk? Wiping out a Triple 7 loaded with a few hundred thousand pounds of fuel and passengers, and possibly incinerating a surrounding neighborhood or two is within the realm of possibility. Suppose the pass had been at 100 to 200 feet agl where the margins were significantly better and more in the realm of normal operations—such as a missed approach?

Low-level maneuvering flight is one of the major fatality producers in GA. A good number involve pilots who don’t have the captain’s skill to safely pull off the maneuver. A bad outcome is that any number of wannabes will rationalize that if an airline captain can do that, certainly so can they. We all pay in one way or another for that kind of illogic.

What’s your take?

1. This is OK and the captain should be reinstated.
2. Perhaps legal but not smart. The captain should be reprimanded but reinstated after an appropriate time out.
3. Really dumb, and we expect PICs everywhere to exercise better judgment—the punishment should stand as a message to all pilots that legalities and safety are sometimes separate.

Send Your Response

Bruce Landsberg
Executive Director, AOPA Air Safety Foundation

Seeking pleasure and avoiding pain

Airspace incursions are always a bad deal. Getting into Class A, B, C, or D airspace without proper blessing is problematic. But you can double your trouble if you bust an air defense identification zone (ADIZ) or a prohibited area. Several recent ADIZ incursions have once again raised this as a potentially thorny GA issue.

The ADIZ used to be just around the edges of the country. But leading up to the war in Iraq in 2003, Washington, D.C., got its own ADIZ. Couple that with the nearby Camp David prohibited area (P-40), the presidential weekend retreat in central Maryland, and you couldn’t pick two more sensitive areas in which to foul up. At the very least, when somebody just nicks the edge, there will be a mandatory call to the FAA and likely a hearing with an inspector. If the flight gets any deeper into forbidden territory, a full military escort to a nearby airport for “debriefing” is inevitable.

An ADIZ bust can be really bad for pilots, their aircraft insurability, and their aviation career prospects. And it’s just as bad for GA’s image. Unfortunately, lawmakers and the security community always think about ways to further restrict our access to airspace.

May I offer a simple solution that doesn’t involve physical, psychological, or financial pain? In the interactive courses section of the AOPA Air Safety Foundation’s Web site, there is a free program, open to ALL pilots, called “Know Before You Go”. It’s a thorough review of all airspace, temporary flight restrictions (which can pop up literally anywhere), and the two high-security areas mentioned above.

All pilots need to know where they are in relation to sensitive airspace, even when you’re “certain,” that the flight path will not be close. Feel free to fly VFR on nice days, but do consider the security airspace. It’s not weather sensitive.

That’s my observation—what’s yours?

1. I fly IFR regardless of weather to avoid “security airspace” issues.
2. I know the airspace rules and comfortably operate VFR.
3. What’s an ADIZ and where can I get one?
4. I don’t fly anywhere near any ADIZ or prohibited areas.

Send Your Response

Bruce Landsberg
Executive Director, AOPA Air Safety Foundation