Writing
Ahhh, That New Car Smell… by Jon Thomson
As a frequent airplane “renter”, it is not very often that I am awed by an aircraft. Usually, these rental planes have been around the pattern a few times and they tend to show it. Sometimes there are a few squawks and maybe an “INOP” placard here or there, but they are airworthy and reliable, although the cosmetics may leave something to be desired and the performance is not what it used to be. And, they usually have a peculiar odor - kind of a blend of burned oil, hot metal, and stale Parmesan cheese.
But recently I had the opportunity to fly one of Dragonfly Aviation’s brand new Cessna 172SPs. Wow, what a ride! The first thing that hit me, besides the immaculate exterior paint job, was the aroma of new leather. It smelled better than a new Mercedes! And this plane is amazingly well equipped. The avionics stack alone is enough to make you drool. It has two digital NAVS and two digital COMS, each with standby frequency selectors, a digital ADF, a digital transponder, an approved GPS, and a full-blown 3-axis autopilot that is linked to everything. You can set it to either follow the heading bug, the GPS, or follow a radial.
This plane also had such niceties as electric trim, a 4-place intercom which will equalize everyone’s headsets regardless of make and model, a state-of-the- art instrument panel that looks as if it were actually designed to be in an airplane instead of a Studebaker, and an interior lighting system that is, for the first time, more help than hindrance.
During takeoff I noticed one thing… this plane performs! Sierra Hotel! That fuel-injected, 180-horse Lycoming is fresh and it shows it. I had just turned on crosswind and I was already above pattern altitude. Is this really a Cessna? It doesn’t fly like any Cessna I have ever flown - this one actually performs like the P.O.H. says it will. Pull the throttle back to 2500 rpms, adjust the electric trim, and I’m cruisin’. Man, this is livin’! Hit a few buttons and turn a few knobs, and I’m on autopilot flying direct to my destination via the GPS.
Although this airplane was extremely comfortable, quiet, and easy to fly, it’s still a Cessna and therefore cruises at a modest 135 knots. The bad news about this plane? It’s not mine and I had to return it. The good news? It’s not mine and I had to return it so that YOU can fly it. And if you have never flown a brand new, fresh-out-of-the-factory aircraft, I highly recommend it! It’s livin’!
Al Haynes - Sioux City, Iowa Crash… by Jon Thomson
I recently had the opportunity to hear Captain Al Haynes speak at the Luther Burbank Center and I must say that it was one of the best presentations that I have ever witnessed. In case you may have forgotten, Captain Al Haynes was the captain of the United DC–10 that crashed in Sioux City, Iowa, in 1989 due to the #2 engine exploding which knocked out the hydraulic systems. Yes, that’s right, I said “systems” not “system”.
The DC–10–10 has three complete and separate hydraulic systems and the odds of losing all three are 1,000,000,000 to 1! That’s one BILLION to one! Kind of like the California lottery but in a bad way. Without hydraulics, the pilot loses all control of the rudder, elevator, ailerons, trim tabs, flaps, slats, spoilers, brakes, ground steering, etc., which basically leaves him with just the throttles and the coffee maker in working order. Rock on the left… hard place on the right… Captain Haynes in the middle.
The presentation was very dramatic. The lights were dimmed, the projector came on, and the flight scenario unfolded. Using actual video, photos, and voice recordings from the cockpit, the controllers, and the emergency rescue personnel, you are pulled into this tragedy, from the minute the engine explodes until the final “touchdown”. Then Captain Al Haynes takes the stage.
Captain Haynes is very organized, articulate, humorous, and is a superb public speaker. He divided his presentation of Flight 232 into five different categories: Luck, preparation, execution, communication, and cooperation. All of which contributed to the success of this hopeless event.
Luck… good and bad. For the 112 passengers and crew that did not survive the crash, luck was not on their side. For the remaining 184 souls that did survive, luck was one of the factors that made it possible. First of all, the terrain over which they were flying could not have been better. And although the flat, never-ending plains of the midwest are known for their daily breeding of tremendous thunderstorms, on this day the skies were clear and visibility great. Flight 232’s final destination was also a gift. Sioux City, Iowa, has two hospitals… one is a trauma center and one is a burn center. Furthermore, both hospitals were in the middle of a shift change which meant that there were twice as many medical personnel on duty at the time of the crash.
Preparation. Even though there is absolutely nothing in the manual about losing all three hydraulic systems, (because according to engineers this is “im- possible” and if it did happen, there is no recovery), there were other procedures to follow. Even though this could fit into the previous category, Sioux City had just completed an emergency rescue training drill that was designed to be a “worst case” scenario involving an airline crash with 150 people on board. They never expected this to actually happen because they never have aircraft that large fly to their airport.
Execution. By being prepared and trained to handle emergency situations, the flight crew, control handlers, emergency rescue personnel, and all of the others involved, were able to rapidly move to the execution phase of this event without having to figure out what to do next.
Communication. Communication between the flight crew members, the flight crew with the flight attendants, the flight attendants with the passengers, the flight crew with the controllers, the controllers with the rescue teams, the rescue teams with the hospitals, the hospitals with the community… the list could go on and on.
Cooperation. Captain Denny Fitch, a DC–10 instructor, just happened to be riding on Flight 232 as a passenger. When he heard the engine explode he offered his services to the flight crew via the flight attendant but thought nothing would come of it. He could not imagine that a Captain would ask for, or accept, help with “his” airplane. He didn’t count on Al Haynes. Captain Haynes jumped at the offer for any help and invited Fitch to the cockpit where Fitch took over the control of the throttles and was able to help maintain some resemblance of flight.
Anyway, I could go on and on about all of the factors that contributed to the amazing survival rate, but I will tell you that during final approach to Sioux City, they were descending at over 1,800 feet per minute (the normal for a DC–10 is around 200 fpm) with an airspeed of over twice the normal approach speed. The impact was so severe that there were dents eighteen inches deep in the reinforced concrete. That’s not a landing… that’s an arrival.