By Randy Mains MY 2 CENTS
ANTENNA UP! A
fter enjoying the great honor of being asked to write the My 2 Cents column for every issue of this
magazine since my first article appeared in March 2012, I have decided the time has come for me to, metaphorically speaking, hang up my pen and hand the responsibility to someone else.
As this is my last issue, I want you to remember the following story about my little helicopter with the red-balls ladybug antennae (above) and how it came to be. I use my little helicopter as a way to illustrate an easy to understand, but extremely important concept in aviation safety. It’s my personal way to help pilots and crew members avoid having an incident or accident.
If you have followed me in Rotorcraft Pro (now Rotor Pro) over the past 10-plus years, you probably know I am a crew resource management (CRM) and air medical resource management (AMRM) instructor and facilitator. I was trained at Global Air Training in Cheshire, England. To make a greater impact, I teach others how to be CRM instructors for their organizations.
I created my helicopter-specific instructor course based on the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) model, which is how I was trained to airline standards. CRM, of course, is the study of the human factors that can cause pilots and air crews to make poor decisions that lead to sometimes-fatal mistakes.
For 10 years, I have traveled extensively across the United States and Canada, and was even invited to speak in Australia and Italy, to spread my safety message. During the pandemic I, like so many others, had to restrict my travel until the virus was under control, so I began giving my courses on the Zoom video conferencing platform. I was surprised at the response I received when giving my course online. I’ve had the pleasure of
10 Nov/Dec 2022
training pilots and air crews from China, Finland, United Arab Emirates, Ireland, England, Germany, New Zealand, Italy, Canada, Austria, Brazil, Guatemala, and, of course, the United States.
Eight years ago, I was traveling from the West Coast to Indiana where I was invited to speak at its air medical Safety Stand-Down Day. On that flight, I got to thinking about the question: What does it mean to be safe? In my mind, the words “safe” and “safety” are so overused that they’ve nearly lost their meaning.
To get students to think about safety, at the beginning of all my courses I ask the question, “Who in the room is a relative of a 5-year-old?”
There is usually someone in the audience who raises their hand. I thank them for volunteering and ask them what their relationship is to the child. Once they tell me, I ask them the child’s name. The person tells me something like, “Her name is Laura and she’s my daughter.”
Then I set up the scenario. “Alright, Laura comes home from her first day in kindergarten and you ask her how school went. She says she liked it, but the teacher said something she didn’t understand.
“Naturally wanting to help her understand, you ask, ‘And what was that?’
“‘Well, our teacher told the class we had to be safe, but I don’t know what that means. Daddy, can you tell me what it mean to be safe?’”
Now anyone with kids knows this is a typical kid question where a seemingly simple question should have an equally simple answer, but it isn’t quite as easy to explain as one might think.
I had one person in a class remark that after being asked that question by a
5-year-old, they’d answer, “Go ask your mother.” That wasn’t the answer I was looking for. I followed up, “Now Dad, how would you answer your daughter’s question?”
Typically the person has to take some time to think about it for a moment and grope for the answer. If they seem stumped, I often ask, “What example would you give the child to illustrate what being safe is?”
That usually helps and they say things like, “Don’t play in the street.”
And Laura responds, “So being safe is not being hit by a car.”
“Well, kind of, but not exactly.”
You think of another example and say, “You know how Mom and I tell you not to touch the stove?”
“Yes.” “And why do we tell you that that?”
“Because it might be hot and hurt my hand.”
“…and that’s being safe.” “Not touching the stove?”
“Being safe is not touching the stove when it’s hot.” “How do I know?”
“Well, you have to think about it before you touch the stove.”
At this point, we’re getting closer to the answer. The answer to “What does it mean to be safe?” is very simple. Being safe is being aware (vigilant with antennae up) of what can hurt you, and not doing it. That, in essence, is the philosophy of CRM. It’s what it’s all about.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83
