Safety Checks and Tech Inspection Changes

This is our annual safety-themed issue of Sport Aerobatics. In the middle of all the fun we have flying aerobatic airplanes, it’s good to be reminded once in a while that we are operating in a high-risk environment.

Safety Checks

Our rule book has a section called Safety Checks which explains what competitors are allowed to do before entering the box. Things have simplified a bit for 2023.

Pilots are now allowed to perform any number of half rolls to inverted and back to upright, with pushes and pulls as needed to ensure their harness is tight and effective. Previously, the IAC only allowed one of these exercises. During debate on this issue some pointed out that allowing any number of these inverted excursions could slow down the contest. If we see pilots abusing this allowance we could always implement a “Delay of Game” penalty or impose an overall time limit for the Performance. Let’s see how it goes.

Pilots in the Advanced and Unlimited categories are also allowed to select from a list of 10 allowable aerobatic figures they can perform before commencing their sequence. If the competitor chooses to do this they simply wait until they are cleared into the box and they perform their safety figure without Signaling (a.k.a “wagging in”). After that they leave the box and set up for their Performance.

Tech Inspection Process and Forms

A big change for contests in 2023 is that the old tech inspection form has gone away, being replaced by two new forms: Pilot Document Review and Aircraft Review.

The Pilot Document Review Form should be filled out and witnessed by a volunteer who is responsible for visually confirming that the pilot has all their required documentation to fly their aircraft, including a pilot’s license, medical, and proof of insurance. Note that the form does not have to be filled out by the Registrar specifically, it just must be witnessed and turned in.

Meanwhile, the new Aircraft Review Form is used to document that the competitor’s aircraft has been thoroughly inspected before operating in the Aerobatic Box. Again, this form must be witnessed, but it is no longer necessary that this witness be a member of the Technical Committee. Note that this form must be filled out per pilot, not per aircraft, meaning that pilots sharing an aircraft will each have to fill out their own forms. While this might seem tedious when 10 people share one aircraft, we don’t want one pilot liable for what the other 9 competitors are about to do.

Another new provision is that pilots are now expected to preflight their aircraft before every competition flight, with the Starter responsible for verbally confirming this has been carried out by the pilot. There is no documentation to this step, just the honor system and some good common sense.

The overall idea here is that we are making it more clear now than before that pilot competitors are responsible for their aircraft. Our new practice should streamline the process of registration and should better place liability where it belongs: on the person operating the aircraft.

Chief Judges and Safety

When I first Chief Judged a contest I got some mentoring from Tom Myers, who has been in the sport for a very long time. He said “the most important job of the Chief Judge is to make sure there is never more than one aircraft in the box at a time”. That’s good advice and apropos for our safety themed issue! Keep your eyes peeled, Chief Judges!

Dave Watson also offered some advice: “If you ever need to tell a pilot to take a break, don’t just say ‘break’ or ‘break break break’. Keep saying ‘break’ as many times as it takes until you see the pilot break, and then provide instructions.” When pilots are occupied they might not hear the first “break” command or may not know what to do with it, and once they’ve taken a break the first thing they are going to ask is “what now?” Whenever I brief competitors at a camp or practice, I tell them that I will keep saying “break” until I see them in straight and level flight and that they can expect further instructions.

Another quick safety thought is about non-competition aircraft traversing the box. This is impossible to prevent for a couple of reasons: 1) it’s obvious that only a small percentage of pilots check NOTAMs, and 2) even the pilots who do check NOTAMs are probably only checking it at their point of arrival, not all the airports they intend to fly over. Remember, it is far more important to communicate with the aerobatic pilot than with the transient pilot. If you have two aircraft in the box, focus on the one that is doing the whifferdills and whirleygigs.

Lastly, let’s talk about mechanical failures. There isn’t a lot you can do from the ground if a pilot is in trouble. If a pilot has a mechanical problem, there are basically two options: climb or land. We climb if we can’t make a safe landing, otherwise we put the plane back on the ground. If we aren’t sure which is the safest approach, we climb. If the pilot needs to climb they might as well climb to 10,000 feet. If you see a pilot struggling with their decision making in an emergency encourage them in the calmest way possible to pick between one of those two options. What you don’t want to see is someone hanging out at 1,000 feet AGL playing with a stuck control or trying to sort out an engine issue. Try not to distract an overwhelmed pilot with lots of words.

Wrap Up

I hope you are enjoying a perfectly safe contest season in your neck of the woods. As always, I can be reached at president@iac.org.