Ethics in Aviation

While the article I have chosen is rather dated, the purpose is to show an in-depth look into the landing gear system. While I fly on a newer C-130 the components haven't changed too much. I have been taught there are two main reasons landing gear can malfunction, hydraulically and electrically. Obviously mechanical issues may happen but isn't as common as the first two mentioned. I have only had two or three landing gear malfunctions and they've all been hydraulic, they have all been cleared out before we had to land belly up however. Landing gear is a massive component and could be the biggest safety issue on the aircraft if lost. Just two years ago there was a C-130 in Little Rock, Arkansas that had it's nose landing gear malfunction and caused serious damage to the plane and could've potentially injured the crew. Preventing this happening is how to work through each type of failure and to follow checklist. This is a type of issue that you will either have no tim...

The environmental factor that I have chosen to cover is icing. As we fly higher, the air gets colder by approximately 5.4 degrees Fahrenheit per 1,000 feet (referenced from  Bryan Allegretto, California Snow Forecaster )  . With that comes performance restrictions. For example, my plane's anti-icing system works off of bleed air supplied by the 10th and 14th stages in each engines compressor. Once we reach an altitude that automatically turns on the system, the engines must consume more fuel to put out the same speed/power. On average my plane consumes about 4,000 pounds of fuel per hour which changes to about 5,000 pounds once the anti-ice system activates. This is a huge consideration when planning routes; what altitude to fly at, as well as how long we can loiter over an area. Icing conditions could also form freezing rain, which we cannot take off into per C-130 regulations. which could Rolex the timeline of a flight to the right by hours if not days. Icing is a huge facto...

  As a professional aviator whenever I talk about flying the number one topic is always safety. In my experiences in the military safety is preached non-stop and quickly forgotten, except for military aviation. While executing missions we are constantly working through and practicing safety to a T. As a lead gun on Gunships, instructors and evaluators are constantly telling me that "you have the S code and now everyone is trying to take it from you." (S code stands for safety observer). Once they first told me that line I thought they were joking around trying to make me paranoid.. It worked to an extent, they showed me that my biggest role is to make sure everything on the flight from start to finish is accomplished safely as well as efficiently. Even with all of the safety controls that are built in to the weapon systems, the tools are only as good as the person wielding them.  “For safety is not a gadget but a state of mind.” – Eleanor Everet.   While always concerned ...