Thu, Aug 02, 2007
Says Pilot Hadn't Received Adequate Training
A report released this week by the Canadian Air Force's
Directorate of Flight Safety says the December 2004 mid-air
collision of two members of the Snowbirds demonstration team was
caused not by defects with their aging Tutor jets, but by
inadequate training and experience.
The Canadian Press quotes the report as determining Captain
Miles Selby did not have either the "training or experience" to
conduct the co-loop maneuver, which led to the collision over
Saskatchewan.
News reports state Selby had flown the maneuver less than 14
times in training, and had never hit the mark precisely. The Surrey
Leader newspaper reports Selby missed the mark by about 200
feet.
Due to a personnel transfer during the spring and summer of '04,
Selby never actually performed the maneuver with a training officer
-- as the previous pilot wasn't available to ride along with him,
and provide feedback.
The accident report refers to Selby, in his third year
with the Snowbirds at the time of the accident, as a "gifted
natural" who took to the team quickly -- and was ahead of the
curve in flying the more challenging sequences of the team's
performance routine.
As ANN reported, Selby was
lost during a December 10, 2004 training exercise, in which his
aircraft collided with a CT-114 Tutor flown by Captain Chuck
Mallett at the top of the co-loop maneuver. Mallett was able to
eject safely, suffering only minor injuries... but Selby went down
with his plane.
The Flight Safety Investigation Report also recommends a number
of initiatives to improve training.
More News
Aero Linx: JAARS Nearly 1.5 billion people, using more than 5,500 languages, do not have a full Bible in their first language. Many of these people live in the most remote parts of>[...]
'Airplane Bounced Twice On The Grass Runway, Resulting In The Nose Wheel Separating From The Airplane...' Analysis: The pilot reported, “upon touchdown, the plane jumped back>[...]
"Burt is best known to the public for his historic designs of SpaceShipOne, Voyager, and GlobalFlyer, but for EAA members and aviation aficionados, his unique concepts began more t>[...]
"Polaris Dawn, the first of the program’s three human spaceflight missions, is targeted to launch to orbit no earlier than summer 2024. During the five-day mission, the crew >[...]
There Are SO Many Ways To Get YOUR Aero-News! It’s been a while since we have reminded everyone about all the ways we offer your daily dose of aviation news on-the-go...so he>[...]