We report on a psychological perspective on VFR-into-IMC accidents that makes some alarming findings but suggests new solutions. This is important because VFR into IMC, that is, flying into cloud or darkness and losing control or making a controlled flight into terrain, is a longstanding killer.
In Your backup is yourself, contributor Shelley Ross provides pilots with a refresher on navigation and challenges them to go back to basics – switch off the GPS and iPad for a flight. ‘Do you trust yourself with just a paper map on your lap, a timepiece in view, taking position fixes and identifying landmarks?’ she asks. ‘How about that 1-in-60 thing?’
Charging up: flying an electric aircraft by Angela Stevenson examines their combination of operating limitations and significant advantages, with particular focus on the Pipistrel Alpha Electro, Australia’s first CASA-certified electric training aircraft.
In our Industry Q&A, Safety leadership: from compliance to trust, we interview Virgin Australia Group Chief Operations Officer Stuart Aggs, a firm believer in delegating authority to those with the responsibility for safety.
The historical article in this edition, No place for a hero, recounts the short and deadly career of the most dangerous airline in the world, British South American Airways, which is a case study in the importance of the non-technical skills its chief executive lacked.
This 64-page edition features another ‘crash comic’, tests readers’ knowledge with quizzes and has great safety reading and information valuable to everyone in aviation.
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