Soaring Risk Management

Orion Kingman writes this newsletter. He focuses on using the FAA's Risk Management to help pilots and organizations mitigate risks. I recommend taking notes at the end and discussing with fellow pilots over an after-flight beverage. Many times, it is a cultural change to become safer.

Applied Risk Management in Soaring

A pilot might experience a near mid-air collision; a club might receive a safety report about a glider failing a critical control check after reassembly, or a commercial operator might sustain a hull loss of a tow-plane landing with an excessive tailwind; these events represent the impacts of unmitigated risks. Risk is managed on a continuous spectrum throughout everyday life. Decisions are made whether or not to proceed with a course of action based upon evaluating the likelihood of a particular hazard occurring and the impact should such a hazard occur. The Risk Management Handbook applies this concept to a broad spectrum of aviation activities (FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, 2016). Applied risk management is a two-step process: 1. Identify the hazard, and 2. Implement a mitigation strategy. These steps are not linear in nature but rather depend on a continuous feedback loop, encouraging constant evaluation and self-critic of aeronautical decision-making skills.

Hazard Identification

The dynamic nature of soaring makes hazard identification unique between locations and individual pilots. Many inherent hazards common to all locations and pilots have been mitigated through FARs and standardized safety procedures, yet there is always room for improvement. The process begins with identifying hazards through debriefings, safety reports, and other reasonable sources. A note about debriefings: while the term seems formal, these events are typically very casual and happen all the time; they are the post-flight hangar talk sessions that occur at the end of the day. Use this time to make a mental note of close calls, never again, and lucky-type moments; these hazards may need to be mitigated. 

  Orion Kingman is a professional pilot, flight instructor, and Designated Pilot Examiner. He holds an undergraduate degree from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and is currently pursuing a Master's from ASU in Emergency management and homeland security. Over the past 22 years of flying, Orion has logged in excess of 8,500 hours, in aircraft ranging from a 1-26 through Boeing 767's. Within those hours Orion won the 2006 Region 12 Championship in Open Class and has organized and mentored multiple cross country camps.