HGFA Skysailor Magazine

SKY SAILOR 3 November | December 2018 O ne percenters are the ‘little extra efforts’which go unrewarded in the statistics, and they receive the name ‘one percenter’ to represent this. They may not individually affect the outcome of the game, but collectively they can, hence they are regarded as a percentage of the overall performance of the team. When it comes to our personal flight safety the concept of “one percenters” can improve our overall approach to safety. So, expanding on this idea – there are many tiny, small things we can do in our approach to flying that individually may not seem like it’s a meaningful change that will improve safety, but collectively the “one percenters” add up to an improved safety outcome. Case study ➲ 1% – getting a good night’s sleep before flying – making sure I am alert for my day’s flying. ➲ 1% – fixing that bit of Velcro on my flight deck that’s not sticking any longer. ➲ 1% – giving my sunglasses a good clean with a polishing cloth before I fly so I can see. ➲ 1% – sticking up a laminated checklist in the garage to make sure I haven’t forgotten any of my kit before I head out flying. ➲ 1% – adding the things I usually forget to that list. ➲ 1% – adding some streamers to my car aerial so thatIhaveanextrawindreferencewhenIcanpark close to launch. ➲ 1% – fixing that batten pouch to stop the bat- ten that always seems to work loose in flight. ➲ 1% – removing that small thing that I’ve almost tripped on several times on launch. I’m sure you get the idea – just eliminating these small 1% safety threats individually don’t make much difference, but collectively they add up to an improvement in your flight safety. The latest Human Factors texts categorise this practice as part of Threat and Error Management. But where our safety systems deal with the management of errors, a major part of Safety Management is Error Prevention. Safety Management is often seen as a policy and organisational task – but these ‘one percenters’ demonstrate that Safety Management begins at a very personal level, and it’s mostly about how YOU approach your flying. Human Factors Air (the environment) - Man (I’m safe) - Ship (the aircraft) I’M SAFE I llness? Do I have an illness or any symptoms of an illness or disorder? M edication and other drugs? Have I been taking or mixing prescription, over-the-counter or recreational drugs? S tress? Am I under psychological pressure from my job or personal circumstances? Am I worried about financial matters, health problems or family matter? A lcohol? Have I been consuming alcohol within the previous eight hours? Is my blood alcohol level less than 0.02? Would my average alcohol consumption be greater than ‘very low risk’? F atigue? Am I tired or inadequately rested? E ating and Drinking? Am I adequately nourished and hydrated? What can Aussie rules football teach us about flight safety? One term that has been coined by AFL coaches is ‘one percenters’… Here is what that entails. The One Percenters Alan Bartlett flies his AC Nitro-200 over Outback Field, Alice Springs NT Photo: Phil Morisoli, 2017 “Making errors is about as normal as breathing oxygen.” James Reason