Safety spotlight: Our top 10

Amid the onslaught of relevant top-of-mind ideas, someone has to pounce on the rare opening to strut useless aviation trivia with a comment such as: “1915, ailerons, which eliminated wing-warping for roll control.” OK, yes, but before we add invention of the wheel and harnessing fire, which ultimately allows ignition, let’s confine the conversation to relatively recent advancements—upgrades since the airplane took its modern form—that have made the biggest impacts on aviation safety.

Here’s our Top 10. “Our” might be a little misleading. Not all who were in our final discussion may recognize the final list. What can I say? He who holds the markers wins the debrief.

The gyroscope. Enables flight in conditions without a discernable horizon by providing an artificial reference. Prior to introduction of the gyro, flight in marginal conditions was limited and pilots who attempted such flights usually wound up in a tragedy.

The nosewheel. I’m a taildragger pilot—love flying them, especially on grass. But there’s not much room for doubt on the impact of the nosegear on safety. Ask any insurance carrier.

Headsets with intercom. Some of us remember the days of the ceiling-mount speaker, the hand-held microphone, instructor shouts, and not understanding key parts of transmissions—or missing them all together. Add in the isolate feature to mute passengers, and it ratchets up the safety edge even more. (Note to my family and friends, this doesn’t apply to you. How could I ever think of muting your passionate discussions about a friend’s failed relationships while we’re on an LPV to minimums in the mountains?)

Shoulder harnesses. Even relatively minor accidents or nose-overs can cause severe head injuries from glareshield, airframe, or equipment impact. Modern airplanes are required to have shoulder harnesses. For older airplanes, they are cheap to purchase, easy to install, a must for front-seat occupants, and smart for everyone.

Global Positioning System. GPS brought extraordinary strides in navigation accuracy and pilot situational awareness. Certainly a key component in reduced accidents from controlled flight into terrain.

Electronic flight bag. Applications such as ForeFlight and Garmin Pilot offer advantages in pre-flight planning, in-flight decision making, navigation accuracy,—and the ability to find cheap gas, which transitions to more flight time and more proficiency.

Near-real-time in-flight weather. The ability to receive on-board weather depicted visually and integrated with navigation devices enhances in-flight decision making and weather avoidance. Flying in the area of any kind of weather now without an in-flight weather feed just feels naked.

Autopilot. A helpful, invisible hand to reduce fatigue, workload, and to help pilots stay ahead of the airplane. An exceptional safety device in IMC, particularly under any type of disorientation. The recent additons of leveling and 180 buttons have added effectiveness for pilots under duress in IMC.

ADS-B traffic. Flying with ADS-B is eye-opening. There is always so much more traffic than is typically seen with the naked eye, which has serious limitations for spotting traffic, unless you are Chuck Yeager. ADS-B has already been cited numerous times as the cause for avoiding midair collisions or close encounters.

Airframe parachutes. Sure, most off-airport landings do not end in fatalaties and all pilots train to dead-stick airplanes with engine failures; however, the option to pull a parachute that floats an entire airplane to a survivable impact is a radical development. With more than 400 lives saved, not to mention the peace of mind a parachute brings to passengers, their popularity and successes will continue to grow.

The next time you’re in your type club or flying club meeting, drop this question on the room and enjoy the fun! Go fly—and utilize some of this remarkable equipment that has advanced GA safety through the decades.

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