Commitment to Create Change

Happy New Year 2016 

This is the year to Find Courage,

and Commit to taking that Leap!

Each year I write many resolutions. 2015 brought a new book, Flight To Success, Be the Captain of Your Life, and I finished the third novel of a series: Flight For Survival, and a children's book: I Am Awesome, the ABCs of Me. I also finished a full year of school. But what happens next, in 2016, will take courage.

My friend sent me this picture of her jump off the tallest building in the world. She amazes me at her fearlessness, and her strength in all that she does. When I told her as much she said...

"Sometimes it is better NOT to look before you leap!

  You just have to commit and go for it."

I always wondered what propels someone to jump off a building, I learned it takes courage. Sometimes that proverbial building is the courage to face your fears such as publishing a book, investing your life savings in your dream, quitting your job to follow your passion, public speaking, or taking a stand for what is right, because nobody else will. Jumping off the building means doing those things that create fear, despite the fear.

As I re-read the commitment chapter in Flight To Success, Be the Captain of Your Life, I was reminded that commitment is a choice, and follow-through is an action. By harnessing the energy of both, there is nothing we cannot accomplish. But it takes facing our fears to find courage to jump. Fear happens to be the first chapter in this book, but also the first chapter in life. To create change often takes facing your fears.

As many of you have read my post, If I Had One Wish For Aviation, I am on a mission to support our industry. Addressing the pilot shortage, and creating sustainable pilot jobs worth having, is key to safety. This means encouraging the best of the best to join the field of aviators. We must realize that pilots are people too, and people with lives in their hands during their daily work. Positive mental health cannot be overlooked.

Pilot training is essential to safe operations. Technological advancement has brought reduced training due to aircraft automation, because our aircraft self report, and operate with computers. However, the pilot must know more, not less, with automated aircraft when the aircraft breaks. While training is expensive, technology has created opportunities to improve learning, and should be used. 

NextGen is on the horizon where new threats are looming. Added complexity, and pilot managed separation will create potential for error. SMS- Safety Management Systems- are mandated to be in place by 2018, and yet safety culture is an essential ground floor requirement. We have new threats with drones flying in our airspace, and the next level of terrorism. What we can control is how we manage our safety systems and processes within our airlines. 

This journey has taken me to earning a PhD in Aviation with focus on safety. What needs to be changed? This year take time to read all three novels in the series. You will understand the challenges. True courage will come when I publish the non-fiction book. The essence of which may be woven throughout the pages of these novels.

I will have the courage to stand up for what is right, despite the fear of what may happen. Besides, experience creates resilience and safety management systems are designed to be proactive. There is no excuse to not do the right thing.

  

This is the year that I push through 

the doors of fear, and create change necessary to improve aviation safety!

What is your resolution?

If you don't have one, or want another...

commit to joining me on 

the Fight For Safety!

What about the Future?

World change comes from education

and inspiring our children. 

  

Health and Happiness 

throughout the New Year!

Enjoy the Journey!

XO Karlene

Retirement Flight

The Good Ole' Days....

The History of Northwest Airlines and the good people flying the B747. A very fun video. Do you recognize anyone? The trip? The crew room? Vending machine beer? Amari's? The Sports Bar? The laundry ladies? It's all about the history. Never forget.

So much adventure! 

Remember...

"These Are The Good Ol Days!" 

Enjoy the Journey!
XO Karlene

Who Am I?

Identity

"An independent view of how I see and perceive myself,

is all that I need - to become whoever
and whatever I want to be."

Eleesha, Author of Soul Whisperer

 

 

Who Am I and What do I Want?

As children we awaken to the life of possibility. Fearless—we conquer our world. Exploring by sticking everything in our mouth, and sticking sharp objects in those little holes in the walls. We learn to crawl, walk and run. But something happens along the way. Those big people in our life, that have kept us safe, now want to keep us from their mistakes. They point us in a direction that they think would be best, what they wished they had done in their lives. They tell us who we should be, and we lose our way. We lose our voice.

 

Successful people know who they are.

Pilots know know who they are, and where they are going.

If you don’t have a passion, pick something. Anything. It really doesn’t matter what it is, because as you travel on your journey the wind will change. The weather may go below minimums, and you may have to go to your alternate. Pilots know there will be a time they must change their course to get to their destination. They learn and grow, and sometimes into someone they never knew they could be.

Successful people travel through life with confidence when they know who they are, where they are going, and why.

Successful people do not lock into one plan. They remain flexible to change. But first they must know themselves. A captain knows who she is, and what she wants.   

Define yourself today.

Know yourself and what drives you... what brings you joy. With this knowledge you can accomplish anything, because passion will be natural and focus will be easy. If you don’t know, make it up. Invent yourself. If you don’t like who you are—re-invent yourself. This is your one and only life. Do it right.

During your journey to success you will grow, and sometimes into a different person than you thought you were. Make an introduction and start anew. Nothing in life stays the same, and you might not either.

Success comes from knowing who you are and what fuels your passion, giving you direction. 

 

Who are you?

Be the captain of your life,

and know thyself

XO Karlene 

Experience Needed

 I received this message, attached to the following recount of an accident.

"This happened this morning in KPWT (Bremerton WA).  Names have been removed.  While I am not certain, I am willing to bet that said "Ferry Crew", and I use the term as loosely and derisively as possible, was more than likely one of these 500 hour wonders who offer to "ferry" for free to build time.  Well, so much for at least one jackass's airline aspirations.  

You get what you pay for.   

The lowest bidder is very rarely the best choice.  When will people start to understand this.  This guy buys a 100k airplane, and wants to save a couple hundred dollars on an experienced crew.  Unfortunately this isn't limited to the little planes, I see the same crap from idiots that want to fly 737s for cheap or free half way around the world.  I don't see plumbers coming to your house for free to "build time".  Don't work for FREE and more importantly, don't hire those that offer to do so.  Rant over"

____________________

Hello to all,

I spent the better part of this morning looking for accelerated aluminum particle damage to aircraft in the hangar and on the ramp. A Cessna 172 took the brunt as it had the unfortunate proximity to the particle accelerator (I never knew that aluminum and steel could have such a severe reaction to each other). A broken windshield, passenger window and various skin dings to the Cessna was the worst to any of the recipient aircraft.

 

The hangar (the steel in the equation) lost a plastic window with frame and some door panels. A portion of aluminum was found on the ramp around a 100 yards away. Unfortunately Raytheon has discovered (yea I know it is Hawker now, but they don't fit my story for you pilot types, so shut up!) better ways to accelerate uranium and cause more damage. I mean that said velocity inducer is no longer in production and am afraid that the once pristine machine will head for salvage...

 So as Paul Harvey used to say "Now for the rest of the story"

 The Baron had been in our care for years, owned by a loving "Heavy" driver and if there was a problem with the girl, the response was "Fix It!". Sadly the circle of life was completed and a new owner found in Texas. Apparently the aircraft was removed from its hangar by the ferry crew, tried to start and did not due to a dead battery. We "jump" started it, brought it down to the maintenance hangar, put a charger on and it seemed to be "happy" at 5:30 pm last night. Around 6:00 am this morning the ferry crew tried to start the RH engine (enough battery to prime, but not to start), decided to "hand prop" the bugger and move on with no one at the controls...

Brakes set, Throttle WELL ADVANCED, "HOT" mags, hydrocarbon vapors coursing through the induction system with sufficient oxygen for stoichiometric combustion...
 HMMMMMM...the three sides of fire; FUEL, OXYGEN, HEAT (spark, yes just a Little one as the snap of the impulse coupling is heard, I think the declaration would be "OH SHIT") .

 

 

Anyway the RH engine drug her around to the right as it was parallel to the hangar, prop hit the window frame scattering shrapnel, pushed the hull up on the left wheel loading it laterally and breaking the trunion causing it to collapse, while the nose strut received a lateral "shot" also (torn sheet metal on nose bowl and tunnel). 

Both wings, fuselage and tail feathers on LH side are wrinkled, RH engine blew the starter off the adapter (I first saw a snap ring on the ground and thought "that's from the starter adapter", retaining a bearing and then it was "No way is that what I think it is, it has to be from the collapsed strut!), broken engine mount legs. She rattled so hard that two of the radios in the panel started backing out of their trays...just plain or is that plane ugly!

 

The good news is that neither of the ferry crew were with a scratch! Fuel load was all she could take (100 plus gallons) and no fire!!! What looks like dirt, is absorbent from the fire department to contain the leaking fuel.

Interesting commentary. What do you think?   

How do you build time to get the experience needed? 

Enjoy the Journey!

XO Karlene  

Monday Motivation: Attitude

"You can't do anything about the wind.

You can't do anything about the weather.

But you can adjust the attitude of your plane."

I can't take credit for the photo... and not sure who sent it to me, but this shows the power of vortices.  

Last week I was on a flight home, 80 miles out of Seattle, and a rumble began like moderate turbulence. And then our 737 rolled about 40-45 degrees left, then back to the right about 20, and then left about 10, before the wings leveled. A plane had flown overheard and tried to flip us.

Can pilots be scared on a plane? 

Yes, when they are passengers and have no control.

I arrived home from Hawaii around midnight last night. Photos from the trip were non-existent because my camera wouldn't talk to my computer. That shall be solved later in the week. This morning, I'm on my way to Oklahoma City for some NextGen testing.

How do I manage this busy and full life? One day at a time, and with a great Attitude. We have the control of our Attitude in a plane and on the ground. 

When it's bad... Fix it!

What do you do to adjust your Attitude?

Enjoy the Journey!

XO Karlene

Melissa Huffman

Friday’s Fabulous Flyer! 

A couple weeks ago, Melissa and I connected on Facebook. She had sent me a message that she was a new student pilot who had started flying in September at Virgil Grissom Municipal Airport in Bedford, IN. 

 

Melissa said, “My Grandpa was a squadron leader in World War II and flew P-51 Mustangs. I am addicted to the air now, I have fallen In Love with aviation."

 

Grandpa named his plane Mary Jo. My Grandma's name was Mary, After the war my Grandpa had the chance to Buy his plane for $2,000.

Mellisa is working on her private's license and the commercial will be next. She also plans to attend College and get a degree in Aviation. The problem is, she does not have the money and is working on scholarships. Finances are always a challenge with aviation. It’s expensive. For Melissa, and everyone in her shoes, just put them on each day and walk to the airport. Get involved in the aviation community. There are so many people willing to help.

We are all introduced to aviation and our first flight a little differently. Melissa’s story brought a huge smile to my face.

“I met the Airport manager one day in town, I started talking to him because I loved his truck. He gave me his business card, because I asked about his Plane hat, that he had on and he told me to come by sometime.”

Well, she took him up on his offer and had an introductory flight on September 8^th, and the following Wednesday she had her first flight Lesson. 

  

"The 1970 150 Cessna I am flying"

“That was the coolest feeling I've ever had in my life. I was flying high, it was the most amazing thing I've ever done. I instantly became hooked. I am so addicted to flying now. I have become an Airport bum.

My Parents were not to fond of the Idea when I first told them. I guess they thought I wouldn't stick with it and move on to something else. But the Airport manager just told me to follow my dreams and to not listen to people's Negative comments about my flying...Especially because I'm a female.

So I told him I was going to prove my parents wrong and one day be a pilot. So now I am following my dreams! I'm going big!”

I plan on Flying for UPS one day. After I get my Pilots/Commercial and a 4-year-degree in Aviation. I have already contacted a Manager at the UPS hub in KY and he gave me info and was very excited for me.”

 Melissa and her Grandpa. 

Melissa's Grandpa passed away last July. 

Melissa, I know that your Grandpa is smiling down upon you from the heaven,  

and will be sitting with you on your wing during each flight.

Which made me think about this song. 

 For you sweetie...

 

This is what life is all about—stopping to appreciate something, even if it’s just a truck. Opening that door to possibility. Take people up on their offer to go for a flight. Don’t listen to the negative, but believe in yourself and prove those people wrong. Reach out to friends for guidance and encouragement. Create a flight plan for your life. All that Melissa is doing is carrying her down the flightpath toward success.

Melissa, you have the etchings of success written all over you. Keep your dreams alive and enjoy each moment.  For another chance at a scholarship, Ruth Morlas is offering a $3000 scholarship.

Please take a moment to wish Mellissa the best of luck in her life, and career. She has strong wings, and I'm going to enjoy watching her fly.

UPDATE: 

When I emailed Melissa to tell her she was going live, she said,  

"I have another lesson on Wednesday and can't wait. I also this past week got to ride in a Decathlon, It was amazing and once we got up he let me take the controls. I flew a Decathlon! It was soooo cool!

I have become an official Airport bum haha.. I am always out here doing whatever I can to help out.
And I meet so many people like the guy who let me fly. And there are a lot of older guys too who have plenty of years of flying behind them. They all come out every week on Thursday mornings and have donuts and coffee and talk about their flying stories (and lies ;)" 

This is what hanging out at the airport will do for you. And she's learning all about the hangar talk. I recommend everyone should become an airport bum! Way to go Melissa!

Enjoy the Journey!

XO Karlene 

Boeing 787

My favorite plane I have never flown...

787 Wing Wave She Soars...

Enjoy the Journey!

XO Karlene

Andy Schwaderer

Friday Fabulous Flyer

 Andy Schwaderer

Major Andrew Schwaderer—Andy—is a C-17 pilot who is just finishing his Active Duty pilot commitment, and will start with the Reserves this winter.  One of his dreams is to fly as a captain at a major airline and I have no doubt he will make that dream come true. He is a leader in every sense of the word.

Andy entered the service in 2001 as a graduate of ROTC from the University of St Thomas, St Paul MN.  He holds degrees in the Russian Language and Political Science.  He has over 3400 hours in 6+ aircraft to include the C-17A, RQ-4A/B, T-1A, T-37—A the majority of which was on the C-17A.  He has flown combat missions over Iraq, the Horn of Africa and Afghanistan.

 

Awards he has earned: Meritorious Service Medal. Air Medal with two oak leaf clusters. Aerial Achievement Medal with one oak leaf cluster. Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster. Air Force Achievement Medal. 

 

 I had asked Andy where his aviation dream started, and this is what he said…

“I grew up in the north woods of Minnesota, about an hour and a half west of Duluth.  There was a reconnaissance F-4 unit stationed there at that time, and they would do training missions over our lake--basically drop down below tree line and practice taking photos of a floating dock that was at one end. 

When I was 4, I remember watching one come in low across the lake, seemingly powered by black smudge, and then scream overhead.  The noise was on the scale of a NASA rocket launch, seeing this blur jet overhead was such a powerful experience.  I was hooked—from that point on I spent my free time building jet models, reading about aviation, and pondering what a life in the clouds would be like.”

Andy at 6-years-old

Andy also told me he is a writer of short stories. His words paint pictures and I could feel myself standing with that little 4-year-old boy watching the jet fly overhead. That moment in his life, had changed his life. It pointed him down a path that took him into the sky filled with much success.

But with success, there are failures. With struggles we reap rewards. With each day come new challenges. I love to know what drives a person, and how they deal with life. Our attitude is all we have control over, and Andy has the attitude thing figured out.  A good trait for a pilot.

 

“The greatest rewards for me are working with amazing professionals—the people make this business extraordinary.  The challenges are part of the appeal—you just do not know what will happen, quickly, at any point.  It forces you to be on your best game at all times.  Makes you realize you're part of something far, far larger than yourself.  The travel is also a great part of the reward!  

 

 An amazing feeling to be larger than yourself—it puts the ego in check, and makes you human. Flying in Iraq and Afghanistan made for some interesting missions for Andy. He calls them ‘tense flights’ I call them a huge dose of reality. I can only imagine that experience, as I write from the comfort of my home.

“Some of the more tense flights are carrying wounded out of the combat zone. We try to make the flights as comfortable and efficient as possible of course, and the more serious trauma and burn victims will have dedicated attendees during the course of the flight. Those are always tense because there are few divert options in the event the patient's condition worsens. Not being able to help while someone slowly succumbs is among the worst memories of my career.” 

 

“The other tense times are trying to get into a strange airport, like a dirt field in northern Afghanistan, or one that is extremely busy, like Frankfurt International in Germany. Every 30-seconds they have a plane departing or landing, and there is zero room for error when they give you instructions. Combine that with the German air controllers' strange sense of humor and you get instructions to state remaining fuel onboard, so they know how long they can force you to hold in the penalty box. I've heard other planes get sent to the penalty box (what we simply call having to hold position by doing endless circles) because they didn't respond to their call sign, or for falsely responding when the controller was calling someone else.”

 
When Andy is not on the road he enjoys writing, and we already know he can through his words on this page. Add Musing and Amusing to your aviation blog list. Such a fun read.

Please join me in welcoming Andy on his re-entry into the civilian world, and his continued success on all his missions in life. Andy, I also want to thank you for serving our country and keeping the laughter alive on your blog. You just keep giving, and remind me that we can all find something to smile about. Today I am smiling at the good fortune to have met you.

Enjoy the Journey!

XO Karlene

Airport Safety!

My friend Robin sent me the following message. I think in the view of aviation safety, this is a must to pass on. When Safety is in question, we must take action. 

Help remove big threat to aviation safety at the Schellville Airport in Sonoma County.  Why?  Yes, this is a small general aviation airport, who cares?  I do, for one for three (ok, 4) reasons:

1. Someone knowingly built a clear hazard to aviation safety when they willfully violated the law constructing a solid log fence across an active runway overrun.  Someone who is trying to make an emergency landing or regular landing on this runway will unlikely see the fence before it is too late and hit it.  The people who constructed the fence do not care that the presence of the fence may kill people.  (They also had a gun target that had people shooting live ammunition across the approach path of the other runway at Schellville.  They only took it down when Channel 7 said they were going to put it on TV.

2.  These same people violated several zoning and land use laws building a business with a huge pond that will attract additional water fowl and other birds that are a hazard to aviation.  Their property directly abuts the airport (which was there more than 30 years).  They couldn't get the permits they wanted to and built anyways and are attempting to get the land re-zoned.  If they accomplish this, it will put all general airports in the State of California (like Sonoma Skypark where we have our C-120) at risk by setting a precedent to change zoning laws in attempt to close airports and develop the land.

3. If the airport closes, the income lost from the airport to the county, which will be much more than the new business (Leland Fly Fishing) generates, can easily cause my taxes to go up.

4.  General principle. They have completely disregarded the county, state, and federal laws, the building and use permit process that you and I have to follow.  They seem to feel he is above the law.  

That just pisses me off to no end.

There is a lot more information below.  This is a link to a piece Channel 7 did a month or so ago that is about 10 minutes long.  Thanks for reading this.  And if you do sign, please forward on to anyone you think might care about airport safety.

PLEASE SIGN THE PETITION HERE

Find Sonoma County Airport here

Thanks!  Robin

Robin, Flight to Success and all the followers are on this for you. Together we can make a difference~

XO Karlene

PILOT FATIGUE

Cecilie Larson sent me an interesting file on Pilot Fatigue. This very serious issue is probably one of the most critical factors in Airline Safety Today. While it's never just 'one' thing, the one thing that can impact a flight with a perfectly good plane, more than anything else, is pilot fatigue.

Cecilie reminded me of critical factors specific to Norway... 

"Norway has one of the most challenging environment to operate aircraft in, most of the routes are short-runway-special ops and throw in some freezing fog, icy runways, snow, excessive crosswind AND pilot fatigue, I think you have the perfect recipe for disaster. That is why that 22-hour maximum duty rule just CANNOT be implemented, it would have a direct negative effect on safety." 

Cecilie also sent me a copy of a recent study conducted on Pilot Fatigue. Below is an excerpt on the findings:

The 2012 Barometer on Pilot Fatigue brings together several surveys on pilot fatigue carried out by Member Associations of the European Cockpit Association. Between 2010 and 2012, more than 6.000 European pilots have been asked to self-assess the level of fatigue they are experiencing.

The surveys confirm that pilot fatigue is common, dangerous and an under-reported phenomenon in Europe.

• Over 50% of surveyed pilots experience fatigue as impairing their ability to perform well while on flight duty.

• 4 out of 5 pilots have to cope with fatigue while in the cockpit, according to polls carried out in Austria (85%), Sweden (89%), Germany (92%) and Denmark (93%).

• A common indicator of the problem is that fatigued pilots are prone to fall asleep or experience episodes of micro-sleep in the cockpit. In the UK (43%), Denmark (50%), Norway (53%) and Sweden (54%) the surveyed pilots reported falling asleep involuntarily in the cockpit while flying. In the UK, a third of the pilots said to have woken up finding their colleague sleeping as well. 65% of Dutch and French pilots stated they have trouble with “heavy eyelids” during flight.

• Yet, fearing disciplinary actions or stigmatization by the employer or colleagues, 70-80% of fatigued pilots would not file a fatigue report or declare to be unfit to fly. Only 20-30% will report unfit for duty or file a report under such an occurrence.

• More than 3 out of 5 pilots in Sweden (71%), Norway (79%) and Denmark (80-90%) acknowledge to have already.

 

 Austrian Cockpit Association

A 22-hour duty day? I concur with Cecilie, this must not be implemented. 17-hours awake is equivalent to .05 alcohol level. Are pilots flying drunk on fatigue?

When I asked Cecilie when this is happening, and if there was anything we could do, she said, "The proposal for the new regulation was published October 1, 2012. The process of having it implemented will take a while. Organizations and groups will tell the European Union what they think of it, etc. Check out Dead Tired for more info. That's the site for the lobbyist group European Cockpit Association trying to fight against this regulation. They also have a petition that can be signed."

You can read and download the entire report here: Barometer on Pilot Fatigue

What are your thoughts? 

How rested do you want your pilots to be?

Did you sign the petition?

Together... we can make a difference on Safety

 

Enjoy the Journey... and remember to stay awake for it.

XO Karlene