A peer-reviewed scientific study published this year shows the positive impact of meditation on personnel in two Norwegian Air Force helicopter squadrons. This was not new-age wishful thinking, or sloppy science self-reporting that some people felt good. No, this was university and Air Force doctors and scientists taking chemical measurements of salivary cortisol, testing performance on computer-based cognitive tasks, and comparing the …
Tag: military ops
Can You Take It?
There’s some excellent airmanship advice in an article about the U.S. Coast Guard in Alaska (The Red Bulletin, Sept 2016). It’s from helicopter pilot Lt. John Hess (in the picture), who has been awarded the Captain Frank Ericsson Award, the Distinguished Flying Cross, and saved a bunch of lives by flying many extreme rescues. He was asked, how does your crew prepare …
Paul May on Good Pilots
Paul Day had a long career with the RAF, flying Tornados and spending 20 years in the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, eight of those as commander. After retirement he continued to fly private Spitfires. This quote is from the book ‘Supermarine Spitfire Owners’ Workshop Manual’ (Haynes 2007).
Test Pilot Airmanship
I finally got around to reading a book that’s been sitting in one of the towering piles on my desk for, maybe months? years? A View From The Hover: My Life in Aviation by British test pilot John Farley. I should have read it sooner. It’s great. An engaging tour of a top test pilot’s professional life, with hard-won flying insights …
Pilot Perception
Some pilots will make an emergency out of a bad magneto check. Others, upon losing a wing, will ask for a lower altitude. In thrust we trust! And opposite aileron. Lots of opposite aileron. For more details on this and other damaged but flyable F-14s see this article on aviationist.com. And for the equally amazing F-15 see this very cool …
How the Swiss Air Force Learns
A great Swiss Air Force video shows us all how an enlightened high risk organization should use mistakes to get better, by moving away from a blame game and towards a learning culture. If people get blamed for their mistakes, the only thing one achieves is that people will keep their knowledge about mistakes, safety gaps or dangerous situations for themselves. …
USAF Training Manual on Flight Discipline
The 260+ page US Air Force Manual 11-248 lays out the rules and procedures for flying their T-6 primary trainer. This extensive 2011 publication for students and instructors gives a great explanation of flight discipline on the second page: Powerful stuff. Adhere to the spirit and intent of governing guidelines while executing the mission in the presence of temptation to …
Somber Reading About F/A-18C Accident
“An overreliance on technology can be a disadvantage.” Official report of a USN F/A-18C fatal accident that also talked about ‘situational awareness’. Good weather. Good plane. Good pilot. Always risky aircraft carrier operations. All this and more in a somber New York Times article