I always hope I can attend an EAA event and then report back that there were no incidents. Well ……….., we are getting close!
This past weekend was the Chapter 322 Sun ‘n Fun gathering of aviation fanatics. The event was very kindly hosted by the Bloemfontein Flying Club (BFC) at their home base, Tempe (FATP).
The BFC have a great facility, but more importantly, did a fantastic job of making us visitors feel welcome and at home. Thank-you Jack and team.
For me it was great being able to attend an EAA function knowing there was a safety team in place and in control of the event. Charlie Marias of Westline did a great job preparing a safe and trouble-free event, and keeping all of us briefed and operating safely. Well done Charlie, and thank-you for giving me a weekend off!
I am pleased to report that there was only one really poor display of bad airmanship (and sadly this occurred twice), and happy to report that the perpetrator is not an EAA member and not attending the event! So, we are getting better and closer to my goal!
The strong winds did keep many of the attendees on the ground (other than for flying to FATP and then flying home again). But, this gave us great opportunities for “shooting the breeze.”
The one feature of the gathering I really enjoyed were the three forums organised. For future events I would strongly recommend that organisers follow this lead and have some skill and educational forums. These training sessions are fantastic learning experiences. Thanks to Dave King, Henning and Karl Jensen for their insights!
So ……., what was the incident, I hear you asking? The medical-rescue helicopter! Sadly, the parking bay for the helicopter is placed conveniently for refuelling the machine. Simply look at picture 1 and picture 2. The location of the tree means that the helicopter is restricted to one way in and one way out. The way in is over any taxiing aircraft and over any aircraft parked for refuelling! So when the aircraft refuelling is Klaus’ Taylorcraft, it takes more than Bill and Klaus to hold the aircraft down as the helicopter hovers and lands. We were VERY lucky that Klaus’ aircraft was not overturned on the Friday morning during its refuelling.
Both gentlemen spoke with the pilot, who was apologising profusely for his thoughtlessness (as I approached the scene), yet sadly, on Saturday, the pilot repeated his selfsame thoughtless approach and landing twice, not only putting a refuelling aircraft in danger, but also covering all the other aircraft parked at the top end of the apron in dust and grass.
This incident, in my opinion, is a classic example of a pilot lacking spatial awareness, lacking understanding of the effects his flying machine may have on the immediate environment around it and lacking consideration for other users of the airfield!
Please guys and gals, be aware, understand, and be considerate of others. We all fly within a system filled with other aviators and other aircraft.
So, will the next EAA event surprise me with NO incidents? Let us all give this challenge our best efforts to achieve!
Best wishes, fly safely, and I am looking forward to meeting up with all of you again at the next EAA event,
Neville Böhm
EAA of SA National Safely Officer
EAA Chapter 322 Safety Officer
