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FEBRUARY 2010 (RESEND)
Safety Newsletter
Pennsylvania Wing -
Civil Air Patrol
Lt Col Barry Metz Phone 610-429-9984
Director of Safety
We've received a number of inquiries - many did not receive the February 2010 issue of eSafety. Our apologies to all. We are resending to all - please confirm receipt.
ICE
The subject for this month's
Safety Newsletter involves Ice. No not
the ice that you have in your drink.
This ice is what falls from the sky or gets attached to surfaces either
on the ground or in the air. Ice on the
ground is caused when the air or ground temperature is at or below
freezing. I will not go into the causes
of freezing rain, ice pellets, sleet or rime ice. You can review that in many
resources available on the internet or books.
What I want to discuss is what you do if you encounter these
conditions. If you are driving a vehicle
and find that road surface is turning into ice the best and only solutions is
to park the vehicle in a safe place and wait for the conditions to
improve. Wait for the salt trucks to do
their job. I have also heard people say
they can go anywhere in their 4 wheel drive vehicles. That maybe true, a 4 wheel drive vehicle can
get you moving, however I need to point out that all all-wheel, 4 wheel drive
vehicles stop the same way as a two wheel drive vehicle. Tire makers have tires that are rated for
driving on ice but if you read the fine print on the warranty they do not
guarantee your safety if you choose to drive on ice. Well here are some suggestions involving
ice. If you go outside and you slide
down your driveway, crawl back to your house and have more coffee. If you put your hand on the railing and its
covering in ice, go back inside. If you have
to chop the ice off your car, go back inside.
If your locks and/or door are frozen shut, go back inside. I guess you get the idea. Let's consider another thought. You have a four wheel vehicle with chains on
all four wheels and the tires are rated for ice and snow. Do you go out? You say yes, you are really prepared for the
conditions. But what about the other
guy, is he as well prepared as you are?
Think about that.
Lets talk about another aspect of
icing. You are in an aircraft. Rime ice forming on wing or aircraft control
surfaces is not a good thing. Here
prevention is the key concept. Don't fly
into it or if you encounter icing get out of the area as quickly as
possible. If you have an aircraft that
has the proper equipment to handle ice, do you know how to use it and is it
working correctly? Roy Long sent me this
information from the Group 5 website: http://gp5.pawg.cap.gov/article.php?story=20090214115250463 . View the video and discuss with your pilots.
For those unit safety officers looking for alternate means
for pilots who miss their monthly safety meetings, try these from AOPA ASF.
The Sentinel- The National CAP Safety Newsletter for can be downloaded from http://www.gocivilairpatrol.com Be sure to download and print it and place on your Safety Bulletin Board next to the PA Wing and Unit Safety Information.
SAFETY - Everyone is a Safety Officer!
Thank you
Lt Col Barry Metz
Director of Safety
CAP PA Wing
email - bmetzcap@comcast.net
Lt Col DeEtte Riley
Assistant Director of Safety - Ground
CAP PA Wing
email - driley@awandsons.com
Maj. Jeffery Buchman
Assistant Director of Safety - Aircraft
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A Safer Pilot
A host of Web resources to make you a safer pilot Dedicated to making general aviation flying easier and safer, the AOPA Air Safety Foundation offers a number of safety education resources free of charge to all pilots. Here are some helpful Web links: Learn more in less time with interactive online courses; test your knowledge with instantly scored quizzes; search the accident database; check the schedule for safety seminars coming to your area; and print publications from the library. After you've had a chance to review these popular resources, show your support for the foundation by donating. For those unit safety officers looking for alternate means for pilots who miss their monthly safety meetings, try these from AOPA ASF. http://www.aopa.org/asf/ |
