skypig wrote:Average joe wrote:Skypig I 100% agree staying out of cloud in a VFR flight is best planned on the ground, however it doesn’t always go to plan so a paddock or the side of the road is the next best thing. I’m not sure what you mean by planning months in advance, are you referring to training or SOP development? Not having a crack just a genuine question.
The mindset, and pressure to “push on” can be reduced when the flight is booked. (Or first discussed)
When some nice potential customer walks through the door on a sunny day and says - “would you be able to fly my fiancé to our wedding. It’s at a vineyard and they said they have helicopters landing there all the time?”
You should, in my opinion, give them an enthusiastic response and book them in, but include a firm explanation that you have no way of predicting the weather 14 months in advance, and obviously weather exists that we cant fly in. So do consider an alternate plan in the unlikely event we cant fly on the big day.
Regarding a flight like the tragedy we are discussing.
My advice: Have a firm discussion before strapping in. Be honest and say something like “The weather is not great. There is a chance we won’t get to the destination. I’m happy it’s safe to try, but if the cloud is too low on the hills (for eg) we will end up back here, and the helicopter flight time will have to be paid for. Do you want to give it a go?
These tactics are designed to make the decision to turn back, or worst case land out, a lot easier.
If you turn back a fraction earlier than is strictly necessary, no one knows. Turn back 1 second too late and you are on the news. (It’s happened to too many pilots and it can easily happen to you, if you let it.)
You hit the nail on the head Skypig. Further to this, when a decision is made not to go, all the egos need to stand down. To often a pilot makes the call not to go and another pilot steps up to do the job, often a more senior pilot. This pilot then bends and or breaks the rules to complete the job and is hailed a superior pilot when the truth is everyone should be sitting in the tearoom drinking coffee and patting the original pilot on the back.
The culture of bravado, can-do-it is, dick swinging or whatever you want to call it exists in this industry because not enough people call it out. Comments said to be made in jest are not contested, conservative attitudes are not rewarded and reckless, over-confident behaviours are often celebrated (not always officially, but the effect is the same). This doesn’t only apply to weather. The same applies to W&B, airworthiness, F&D etc.
An example: On more than a few photos I have posted on social media over the years featuring a machine tucked away in the hanger with the cloud on the deck I have received comments along the lines of:
“Don’t be a pussy……”
“You can see 800m, get out there”
When really they should be saying things like:
“Great day for drinking coffee…”
“Yup, good move! Definitely not a day for flying.”
Poor culture doesn’t appear overnight. It begins with the small stuff and slowly snowballs.
Maybe next time the airport is socked in ask your crew whether they think it’s a flying day or a beer drinking day. If the say beer drinking, lock the doors and shout them some jugs and a palmy at the local because there is a good head on their shoulders.
- Its one thing to throw a curve ball during a nav, and yep we all did that - with the aforementioned go around and bug out before the fictitious furious farmer appeared with his double barrel scatter gun.. But its another to commit, shut down, and hell, even go seek the farmer out for a quick Gday. -- Give him a story to tell. ( and yeah, dont land in long grass and on rocks..) 
