The Aerodrome Forum - View Single Post

Flysafe · 13 December 2008, 11:21 AM

This is a very worthy thread on this forum. Having been flying long enough tobe labelled an "old fart", I have seen and done many things that I would not choose to do again, both in and out of airplanes. I also know that the more I learn the more I am acutely aware of how much I still have to learn.

Some further thoughts for consideration......

The safety chain in WWI replica aircraft presents many unique challenges.

The aircraft in many cases are "one of", or built from a set of plans that are modified byt the builder for a variety of reasons. The quality of construction is dependent on the skills of the builder and choice of materials. The net result is, unlike a factory built aircraft, we have a wide variety in both the engineering quality of the design and the quality of the construction.

Next we come to the regulatory authorities that inspect and license the aircraft. Again a wide variety of standards, knowledge and inspector skill levels becomes a factor in the safety chain.

Add to this a wide variety of pilot skills operating aircraft that have less than ideal handling characteristics. The lack of "dual" aircraft and in most cases limited knowledge on aircraft flight testing creates a further set of risks.

Finally we have the issue of ongoing maintenance which can be a huge challenge. As "one of" aircraft, or even the fact that the total number of aircraft of any one type from one set of plans in the world is few and the communication between builders on in-service difficulty is limited and unlike production aircraft we do not have a structured service difficulty bulletin process. The collective wisdom of keeping these aircraft maintained is difficult to disseminate and what applies to one aircraft may be completely useless for another - even of the same type, with same engine, built to the same plans.

One way to improve safety is through forums such as this and sharing lessons learned. The challenge is to understand which part of the safety chain the lesson learned fits into, design, building, flying or maintenance and what are effective risk management tools to identify, trap and mitigate any errors.

I have a 20+ year association with WWI replicas and I cannot begin to count the flying challenges or maintenance issues that have appeared, even in a particular aircraft I have flown for over 20 years.

The key is to not let your guard down at any time and when in doubt stay on the ground and don't fly until you have clearly understood the problem and rectified it.

13 December 2008, 11:21 AM	#26 (permalink)
Flysafe Observer Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Guelph, Ontario, Canada Posts: 58	This is a very worthy thread on this forum. Having been flying long enough tobe labelled an "old fart", I have seen and done many things that I would not choose to do again, both in and out of airplanes. I also know that the more I learn the more I am acutely aware of how much I still have to learn. Some further thoughts for consideration...... The safety chain in WWI replica aircraft presents many unique challenges. The aircraft in many cases are "one of", or built from a set of plans that are modified byt the builder for a variety of reasons. The quality of construction is dependent on the skills of the builder and choice of materials. The net result is, unlike a factory built aircraft, we have a wide variety in both the engineering quality of the design and the quality of the construction. Next we come to the regulatory authorities that inspect and license the aircraft. Again a wide variety of standards, knowledge and inspector skill levels becomes a factor in the safety chain. Add to this a wide variety of pilot skills operating aircraft that have less than ideal handling characteristics. The lack of "dual" aircraft and in most cases limited knowledge on aircraft flight testing creates a further set of risks. Finally we have the issue of ongoing maintenance which can be a huge challenge. As "one of" aircraft, or even the fact that the total number of aircraft of any one type from one set of plans in the world is few and the communication between builders on in-service difficulty is limited and unlike production aircraft we do not have a structured service difficulty bulletin process. The collective wisdom of keeping these aircraft maintained is difficult to disseminate and what applies to one aircraft may be completely useless for another - even of the same type, with same engine, built to the same plans. One way to improve safety is through forums such as this and sharing lessons learned. The challenge is to understand which part of the safety chain the lesson learned fits into, design, building, flying or maintenance and what are effective risk management tools to identify, trap and mitigate any errors. I have a 20+ year association with WWI replicas and I cannot begin to count the flying challenges or maintenance issues that have appeared, even in a particular aircraft I have flown for over 20 years. The key is to not let your guard down at any time and when in doubt stay on the ground and don't fly until you have clearly understood the problem and rectified it.