SAFA Skysailor Magazine

SKY SAILOR 29 May | June 2020 on a wing in a variety of conditions before you even begin to think about your next wing. When you do arrive at a site for a day of flying, make sure you know who your supervisor is, who the other people are and that they know you. Don’t be shy. It’s always good to remember they started off same as you once, they’ve been where you are, they’ve been just as nervous, had the same ques- tions and wanted the same answers and support. You should get a site briefing as a matter of course the first time you go to a new site, and even on subsequent visits to the same site – different conditions on different days may introduce different hazards at that site. Make sure you get one. Ask who the SSO/SO/Duty Pilot is and ask for a briefing if you have not already received one. DO NOT LAUNCH until you are given one. Each site has its own pecu- liarities and you need to be aware of the dangers. If the folks say it’s not suitable for you, don’t take it personally – they’re looking out for you. Ask why, listen, sit back, watch what is going on and learn from the experience. It may come on later, or it may just be a day on the hill observing, hanging out, talking flying and learning. Being signed off to your next qualification means that you have been judged competent to evaluate flight conditions for yourself. With it comes a reduced set of restrictions. Consult the Operations Manual and make sure you are aware of what they are, and what the privileges associated with your new rating are. Remember, being able to fly IS a privilege, NOT a right. Supervising Pilots At some point, you may be asked to supervise a pilot. This is a task with great responsibility. You will be using your knowledge of a site and the conditions to decide whether a supervised pilot should fly or not, and if so, make sure they have a successful flight and sign off the flight in their Supervised Pilot logbook. To help you, cast your mind back to when you were starting out. Have you forgotten what you didn’t know at the stage these new pilots are? Put yourself in their boots and think of the questions and concerns they might have. Empathy and understanding are great prerequisites to effective supervision. Who can supervise? Instructors, safety officers and duty pilots can supervise. The full description of the Duty Pilot role is covered in Section 2.1.3 of the Operations Manual. Of significance is that HG-Intermediate or PG4 pilots can be duty pilots provided they have 50 hours airtime on the aircraft type at a site they have flown previously, or 80 hours airtime on the aircraft type at a previously un-flown site. A common concern I hear from instructors concerns the incidence of pilots who have rapidly worked their way up the ratings, but who have not fully developed their flying ‘common sense’ or are clear cases of Intermediate Syndrome (i.e., the mistaken belief that you know it all, you’re indestructible and IT won’t happen to you), being in a position to supervise pilots. Just because some- body meets the requirements does not necessarily mean that they should be supervising someone. This is something that we in the Safety and Train- ing Committee will no doubt be discussing as we get firmly underway. At present, I believe the clubs should take the lead in monitoring who is stepping into the role on any given day and make sound deci- sions in the appointment of the Duty Pilot. Let’s assume you’ve been asked to fill that role for a site for the day. There are a number of things that you ought to check before letting a pilot under your supervision commit to launch: ➲ ➲ SAFA Membership – are they a current member of SAFA, holding an appropriate qualification? Ask to see their member card if their helmet sticker is not evident or you cannot verify their membership via the SAFA app. If you cannot verify this, then they should not be allowed to fly. ➲ ➲ Gear – does their gear look well maintained? Is the wing appropriate for their level of expe- rience and qualification? If you have doubts or concerns, then you should advise them not to fly and explain why. ➲ ➲ Radio – are they carrying a VHF radio or a UHF radio that can be set to the configuration you and other local pilots are using? If not, is there a spare unit that they can borrow? If not, then advise them not to fly. Being able to commu- nicate with supervised pilots is crucial. You may need to warn them about any number of events or tell them to land if a dangerous situation is evolving. ➲ ➲ Site briefing – if all the above are okay, then proceed to a site briefing. Give them all the information they need to make a safe flight and make it to a safe landing. What are the danger points, what conditions do these occur in, what are the dangers today? Then ask them what they are seeing and based on what you have told them, what would be their planned flight for the current conditions. Make sure you get a good read back of any hazards that they may encounter and what steps they will take to avoid them. You must satisfy yourself that they have a clear appreciation of the potential hazards of the site in the current conditions and that they are clear in their mind as to how they are going to approach the flight. Now you can assist them in setting up if re- quired and getting in the air. Make sure the other pilots on site are aware of who the new pilot is. You will have several things to monitor: their progress and behaviour in the air, the conditions as they evolve and any threats or hazards as they emerge. Be prepared to get on the radio and give advice or directions when required, or to direct pilots to land if circumstances dictate. At the end of the day you will also need to sign off their flights in their Supervised Pilot logbooks. A debrief with them on how the day was and how they went will be a good opportunity for them to talk about what they experienced and for you to give them feedback on their progress. In summary For the supervised – Be patient. Patience ex- ercised while in your supervised days will yield positive results as you progress. Ask your super- visors why, why, why? Remember we were all the same as you, not knowing what you don’t know. Keep learning. We are there to help you. For the supervisor – Be patient. Remember how it was when you started out and fill in the gaps in your charge’s knowledge that you have learned. It is your mission to ensure your pilots make it to safe landings. If it’s not safe, don’t let them go. If it becomes unsafe, direct them to a safe landing. Brief. Debrief. Explain why. Finally, I’m going to close with a direct quote from the Operations Manual: Safety Officers & Duty Pilots Liability: While Safety Officers and Duty Pilots will give advice when asked, they accept no responsibility or liability in respect of any advice given. As the role of Safety Officer and Duty Pilot are entirely voluntary, each member of the Federation accepts that they will not hold any Safety Officer or Duty Pilot liable for any act or omission in the performance of those duties which may cause injury or loss. Ultimately people, you need to remember that you are the pilot in command, and the decision to launch rests entirely with you. If it don’t feel right, don’t do it. Until next time, stay safe.