Safety-related Websites Inform and Delight Pilots

Everyone seems to talk about aviation safety and the perpetual need to improve it, and there are a few valuable websites that anyone with a similar interest will find useful. Of course this is the Internet, so I can’t vouch for the accuracy of everything you may find at any of these sites, only that I think they’re worth digging into. If you know of others we should include in this list, write me at rmark@ainonline.com

Aviation Safety Reporting System–http://asrs.arc.nasa.gov

If you’ve ever made a stupid mistake while you were flying and you haven’t heard about NASA’s ASRS program, you’d better learn about it right now. Through the use of an ASRS report, or “NASA report” as everyone actually refers to the forms, a pilot, controller, mechanic or cabin crewmember essentially has an opportunity to admit their mistake and avoid the long arm of the FAA from further prosecution. The only exception to this is if the event should be proven to have involved willful negligence. In that case you shouldn’t be flying anyway.

NASA gathers these voluntary incident reports from all over the U.S. to better understand the weaknesses of the airspace system and offer suggestions for improvement. When a pilot files a NASA report, for example, their name is removed and replaced by a number. If an FAA inspector does call, the report number should offer the necessary proof.

While you can file NASA reports as often as you’d like, a pilot can claim immunity through a NASA report only once every five years. ASRS also produces a great monthly newsletter, Callback, which has snippets of some of the best reports reviewed during the previous month. The site also offers up a rich incident database searchable by a dozen different parameters.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)–www.ntsb.gov

My love of the NTSB dates back to the famous blue books they used to produce on every investigation they conducted. I collected them as a kid simply fascinated by the details they explained of how aviators who I thought must have been way smarter than I often made fatal mistakes.

While overall the topics are unarguably grim at times, the knowledge gained from trying to understand what might have led aviators to execute that final error can be a valuable training tool in trying to avoid that same fate. I still recommend the site to my students. We used to read the reports regularly in the flight departments I flew for as well.

Another worthwhile aspect are the docket files that allow a user to look at all the evidence the Board gathers before it determines a probable cause.

The NTSB database offers reports from January 1962 to the present day, and you’ll also find a video archive of Board meetings like the recent probable cause determination of the UPS A300 that crashed at Birmingham, Ala., last year. The Board member debates are always insightful.

The Aviation Safety Network–www.aviation-safety.net

An exclusive service of the Flight Safety Foundation, this database of accidents and incidents from around the world looks like it must be the result of input from dozens of reporters from all around the globe. In reality, that number is much smaller. It is however, the place on the Internet where you can usually find the first details of almost any mishap anywhere on the planet within hours of the event. The network is listed on the major social media networks such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, so it’s easy to stay in touch with what’s happening when you’re involved elsewhere.

Code 7700–www.code7700.com

Think of this site’s title as if the word “avoiding” had been placed in front of the name because Code 7700’s founder “Captain Eddie Haskel” (actually James Albright) believes his purpose in creating the place was to provide the kind of information necessary to prevent anyone from ever squawking emergency.

A G-450 pilot and Air Force veteran, Eddie excels at dissecting topics that most of us should know, but that many younger aviators most likely don’t. Broken down into categories of “Normals, Abnormals, Logistics and Academics,” Code7700 includes enough information to provide many month’s worth of valuable reading, as well as teachable moments for any aviator.

Consider a recent example: “Aim Point vs. Touchdown Point.” The writer asks a thought-provoking question that I’ve never considered. “How much real estate should a flare take?” He also asked, “Where will the wheels of the aircraft actually touch on the runway in relation to where the pilot is actually aiming, assuming they don’t flare, of course.” In the G-450, the answer is 300 feet before the aim point before factoring in that the pilot’s eyes are 40 feet ahead of the wheels. He even explains the math. My guess is long trips with Eddie in the left seat must be very interesting for the other pilots.

Live ATC–www.liveatc.net

Even if you’ve never even contemplated a career as an air traffic controller, Live ATC is a must-have site, especially since it’s a great tool to help improve everyone’s on-air radio techniques and phraseology.

Dave Pascoe and his worldwide team of radio detectives offer pilots and would-be controllers a chance to listen in on tower, Tracon and en route Center traffic worldwide via a desktop computer or even a smartphone.

Live ATC’s “Top 50 Live Feeds” updates every 60 seconds based on the refreshed number of listeners for each feed. As I write this, JFK tower and ORD tower are battling for top place with 50 listeners each. It doesn’t end with the Top 50 of course. Live ATC has outlets on every continent except the Arctic.

Flight Safety Foundation–www.flightsafety.org

The Flight Safety Foundation (FSF) is an international nonprofit organization whose sole purpose is providing impartial, independent, expert safety guidance and resources for the aviation and aerospace industry. That puts FSF in a unique position to identify global safety issues, set priorities and serve as a catalyst to address the issues through data collection and information sharing, education, advocacy and communications.

Just about every major aviation company in the world is a member of the FSF, including the airlines, aircraft and engine manufacturers and government regulators. While FSF membership is not free, the public side of the website does offer a host of valuable resources to anyone with an interest in learning what makes the aviation safety world tick, such as the online version of the FSF’s excellent Aero Safety World magazine and links to a number of safety initiatives, including controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) and the foundation’s focus on safe go-arounds.

Boldmethod–www.boldmethod.com

The easiest way to endorse this site is to suggest you visit and simply click videos and then watch “The World’s Most Dangerous Takeoff,” where you’ll see a Bae-146 crew depart Bhutan’s Paro airport which has a field elevation of more than 7,200 feet. The place is surrounded by mountains, too, many of which are higher than 18,000 feet.

Prepare yourself to watch this crew handle multiple “terrain, terrain,” warnings from the ground proximity warning system and you’ll understand why this attractively constructed site is another that you must bookmark.

In addition to training videos like that one, you’ll find a host of aviation quizzes and tools for flight instructors and pilots of all categories. If you’re preparing for your next oral exam, why not spend a few minutes at Boldmethod and be sure you really do understand how those stall strips on the leading edge of the wing actually work.

SocialFlight–www.socialflight.com

This free general aviation events website and mobile app celebrated its two-year anniversary in July and added a new feature called “things to do” at nearby airports in theU.S.andCanada. Users of the SocialFlight app and website, now numbering nearly 30,000, can add any aviation-related event–especially safety seminars–to the site and view all the events in their local areas.

SocialFlight founder Jeff Simon reported that a survey of event-givers following their events that were publicized on SocialFlight found that 25 percent of attendees showed up because they saw the event on SocialFlight.

Commercial Aviation Safety Team (CAST)–www.cast-safety.org

Despite the fact that the CAST site hasn’t been updated in a couple of years, I think it’s worth a look simply because of the group’s historical significance to aviation safety.

In 1997 when the group first appeared, Flight Safety Foundation data showed just under four annual hull loses for Western-built jets between 1987-1996 and predicted losses could approach eight per year by 2014. Luckily that prediction proved incorrect.

A great deal of the credit for that significant miscalculation goes to the CAST, which set a goal of reducing the commercial aviation accident fatality rate by 80 percent at the beginning of 2008. It actually sparked a drop of 83 percent.

The group’s methodology, as well as the dozens of individual papers that offer an in-depth look at terrain awareness warning systems (TAWS) and ice-detection systems aboard commercial turboprops to a number of aircraft state awareness initiatives are well documented on the site and worth reading.

SKYbrary–www.skybrary.aero

Think of SKYbrary as a Wiki for aviation safety with thousands of articles and resources on just about every imaginable topic such as runway incursions, controlled flight into terrain, weather, human performance and loss of control for starters, as well as nearly a dozen toolkits with specific focuses like flight deck procedures aimed at explaining the world inside the cockpit to air traffic control personnel.

SKYbrary’s long-term objective is to become a single point of reference for aviation safety knowledge by making universally available and accessible the safety knowledge accumulated by various aviation organizations, entities and initiatives.

The SKYbrary knowledgebase is a dynamic enterprise and has taken several years to develop. To progress and maintain the accuracy and relevance of the knowledgebase will require the support and active participation of all those interested in promoting best practices and knowledge in aviation safety.

The SKYbrary project was organized by Eurocontrol in partnership with ICAO, the Flight Safety Foundation, the UK Flight Safety Committee, the European Strategic Safety Initiative, the International Federation of Airworthiness and the Commercial Aviation Safety Team.

FAA Safety–www.faasafety.gov

The FAA’s site is chock full of education resources, including a list of all the agency’s regional aviation safety seminars. The site is divided up into categories that make it easy for pilots, mechanics and instructors to quickly find just what they need whether it’s a handbook, a form or a phone number for their local FAA safety inspector.