Air Travel Made safer

	During the first and second world wars, schools using rudimentary flight simulators were set up to help with the increased demand for qualified pilots. During the late 1960's, aviation simulation took a great leap forward, as simulators became very realistic. They even began to replicate subtle details, such as the way an airplane handles according to both how much it weighs and how much fuel it has on board. Such factors affect its handling. Then, during the course of a flight, the fuel burns and the aircraft's flight characteristics change. Advances in electronics and computers have made it possible to simulate these and many other conditions. The goal is to make simulators that mimic real flight as closely as possible. To this end, modern simulators have large, powerful hydraulic bases that give six degrees of motion. The system is powered by large hydraulic pumps that can momentarily subject the flight crew to a range of motion producing a force from +1 to -1 g.* As pilots adjust the controls, they can feel the results in real time—just as they would in an aircraft. Acceleration, deceleration, roll, pitch, runway touchdown and roughness, and weather conditions are all sensed not only by the pilot's inner ear but also by the rest of his body. Advancement has been made in the use of computer-created visual systems that depict specific world airports and their surrounding terrain. These true-to-life images are projected on screens that surround the front of the simulator cockpit. The angle of the image is up to 180 degrees in width and 40 degrees in height. Simulators allow pilots to "fly" in all weather conditions—snow, rain, lightning, hail, and fog—and during the day, at dusk, or at night. Simulated takeoff from San Francisco and flight over New York City Visiting a Simulator The approach to the simulator I visited was a metal bridge crossing a 20-foot [6 m]-wide gap between "land" and a large, white windowless box mounted on a huge movable platform. The device looks like a lunar lander or a giant spider. Once inside, you feel as if you have just entered the cockpit of an actual aircraft. You see all the dials, indicator lights, gauges, switches, and levers arranged exactly as they are in the aircraft upon which they are modeled. Terry Bansept, my tour guide and a flight simulator technician, noted that many of these panels and instruments are actual aircraft parts. Terry explained that flight simulators have grown to be full-size, fully functional, exact copies of the cockpit of various models of aircraft. As the use of flight simulation has increased, the aviation community has learned that simulators provide high-quality flight training. Besides teaching pilots to fly, simulated instruction also incorporates training for emergency procedures. If a simulator meets a certain standard of fidelity, pilots may even log the time spent in it, just as if they had been flying the actual aircraft. Under certain conditions, a pilot's training and testing may take place almost entirely in a simulator. Why Simulators? Simulators serve a number of practical purposes. Their use in lieu of actual aircraft saves fuel and oil. It also reduces air-traffic congestion, noise and air pollution, and training and operating costs. To "crash" a simulator costs nothing, and nobody is hurt. "Simulators may reduce the number of training accidents," Terry said. "They allow for training in handling emergencies, such as engine fire, landing-gear collapse, tire blowout, total loss of thrust, inclement weather, wind shear, icing, and adverse visibility." Also, extensive systems training can be given, and system malfunctions and failures can be handled with no risk to aircraft or human life. Commenting on this, experienced pilot J. D. Whitlatch observed: "The scenarios we use in the simulators represent 6 million possible combinations of events and conditions. There is no way we could train flight crews for that many experiences in a real airplane." In the United States, the simulators themselves are carefully checked and certified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), test pilots, and technicians. Before every training day, technicians repair, check, and "fly" their simulators to make sure that these will faithfully replicate the aircraft. When modifications are made to actual aircraft, these changes have to be incorporated into the simulators as well. Every six months, FAA representatives "fly" the simulators to make sure that they are accurate. Learning From Past Tragedies By using the information on aircraft flight data recorders and cockpit voice recorders recovered from accident sites, engineers can program simulators to duplicate the exact conditions and malfunctions that occurred in actual and specific aircraft accidents. This information and simulation can then be used as a tool to help investigators determine the cause of individual accidents. In addition, such data can help teach future generations of pilots how to react to unexpected problems. It is also used by aircraft and component manufacturers to determine how to design and construct better aircraft and components in the future. If an investigation reveals that pilot error caused an accident or a near accident, then training can be initiated so that similar errors can be avoided in the future. Lew Kosich, a seasoned pilot, says: "The scenarios we show are not fictional; they actually happened somewhere." In an effort to improve pilot reactions, training programs, and ultimately public safety, industry experts are continually evaluating and recreating real-life situations and studying pilot reactions to these. As I now try to "land" the "Boeing 747" at "Charles de Gaulle Airport"—under the watchful eye of my copilot Terry—I expect to hear the sweet chirp of tires touching down on the tarmac. Alas, a bad maneuver freezes the screen of the simulator! I just crashed a "big iron" into the air traffic control tower! How glad we all can be that the pilots who actually fly passenger planes are real experts—thanks in part to flight simulators. The next time you fly, you can rest assured that you and your fellow passengers are in highly trained hands.

The Quest for Safer Skies

Millions of air passengers have had a fear of flying. In recent years many have turned to fear-of-flying schools for help, often persuaded by family members, employers, and airlines, who all had motives for getting them in the air. For most passengers, the classes were a boon; many clinics boasted success rates of up to 90 percent.
But 9/11 changed all of that. Alex immediately quit the class he was attending. And to the disappointment of his employer, he also scrapped plans to fly to meet a prospective high-profile client. "My fear of flying combined with terrorist attacks," said Alex, "was beyond my ability to handle. Therapy did not prepare me for that."

Security Under Scrutiny

Nervous air travelers also point out that the routine questions asked of boarding passengers were posed to the hijackers on 9/11, such as: "Has anyone unknown to you asked you to carry an item on this flight? Have any of the items you are traveling with been out of your control since the time you packed them?" The hijackers doubtless gave the answer most people give: "No!" Some security experts likewise see their successful boarding as evidence of lax air-travel safety. "No one or nothing could force a change," said Jim McKenna, former director of the Aviation Safety Alliance. "The combination of four aircraft hijacked and destroyed, with thousands killed, may be enough to force that change."
In the aftermath of those deadly crashes, the whole area of airport and aircraft security has come under intense scrutiny. At a congressional hearing, the inspector general of the U.S. Department of Transportation, Kenneth M. Mead, stated: "Despite existing and new security requirements there are still alarming lapses of security and some . . . vulnerabilities that need to be closed." What is being done to close those gaps?

Facts on Flying

According to estimates, fear of flying is shared by as many as 1 in 5 air passengers. However, not all these people feel that flying is unsafe. Often, their anxieties stem from other phobias, such as fear of heights or of crowded spaces.

Screening Potential Security Threats

When a senior security officer with a major U.S. airline is asked if she is afraid to fly, she unhesitatingly answers: "No, I believe in CAPS." She is referring to a system called Computer Assisted Passenger Screening, which registers each ticket sold by its subscriber airlines. The system indicates whether a ticket was purchased from an airline ticket office or a travel agency or through the Internet. It records such other data as whether the passenger is flying alone or with family members or other companions, along with details such as any known criminal connections or instances of misconduct toward the airlines, their personnel, or their property.
Each time a passenger checks in at an airport, this information is verified and updated with the latest data, including the individual's response to the screening questions. Precise details of the data collected and of the processing and profiling methods used remain one of the industry's most closely guarded secrets. Various systems similar to CAPS are used around the world, some with direct links to other government and international policing agencies, such as Interpol. At many European airports, passport-control systems can record and track a passenger's flight history and movements from one country to another.
This profiling is done on the premise that evil-minded individuals are more of a potential security threat than items like carryons and checked bags. Thus, to enhance airport security further, various biometric devices and smart cards are options currently being considered or implemented.
Apart from passenger profiling, the quest to prevent hazardous items and substances from getting on board aircraft is another important concern involved in airport security. Screening done with X-ray machines has its limitations. Airport security personnel find it difficult to remain attentive for long periods of time because watching foggy X-ray images of luggage passing before their eyes can be a mind-numbing experience. At the same time, magnetometers continue to cry wolf again and again, detecting house keys, loose change, and belt buckles.

Tougher Legislation

To offset such limitations, governments have responded with legislation that tightens airport security. In the United States, this requires that baggage matching, complete inspecting of cabin items, and screening of all checked baggage for explosives be implemented by the end of 2002. Cockpit doors are in the process of being strengthened and secured. Additional crisis training is provided for airline personnel. Armed sky marshals have also been deployed on commercial flights.
In the weeks and months after 9/11, passengers were frisked and luggage was hand-inspected in many airports around the world. In some instances, a secondary manual screening of passengers and carry-on items was made. Precautions of this type are already familiar to European travelers, who saw them widely implemented during the 1970's, when hijackings reached a peak. Passengers are now banned from carrying any sharp instruments on board. Only ticketed travelers are allowed past security. Many have become accustomed to longer check-in lines and the presence of armed military personnel in airport terminals.

Stress on Maintenance

Picture this all-too-familiar scene: After having waded through numerous airport checks, the passenger eventually finds himself at the gate, waiting to hear the airline agent's call for boarding. "Did you hear?" says the passenger in the gray business suit next to him. "There's a mechanical delay." He rolls his eyes and adds: "I hope they don't send us off without an engine!"
What most passengers do not realize is that aviation agencies have rigorous and painstaking inspection systems. Repair needs are anticipated through careful monitoring of the plane's mechanical log book. Such agencies require, in fact, that airplanes and their engines undergo strictly scheduled maintenance overhauls—far more frequently than the average automobile—even if the aircraft has an absolutely trouble-free record.
A maintenance officer at a major airline can testify to this. "In my nearly 15 years in this industry," he says, "I have never seen, talked to, or observed anyone who works on maintenance who did not take safety very seriously. After all, the employees' friends and families also fly on the aircraft that they work with, so they don't take foolish chances."
Personal responsibility weighs heavily upon aircraft technicians and maintenance workers. One of them recalls: "I'll never forget the night we lost a DC-10 in Sioux City, Iowa. I was working as an aircraft technician at the time, and I had the job of doing an inspection and service inside the tail assembly of the same type of aircraft. At this point, we had very little information about what had actually happened to the aircraft that was lost. I remember the intensity with which I went about my work that night, wondering, 'What happened to that aircraft? Did someone else possibly miss something that I might be able to find now and thus avert such a tragedy again? Was I doing everything exactly the way I was supposed to?' I spent a long time up in the tail that evening, looking and thinking."
Aircraft technicians are constantly given training in all areas of their work, from routine tasks to very advanced inspection and trouble-shooting skills. Crew training courses are updated yearly to cover every conceivable type of situation that could be encountered, from the mundane to the extraordinary.
After an airline tragedy, the data gathered is analyzed and entered into a simulator. Test pilots and aircraft engineers fly the simulator to see what other possible solutions they can come up with so that crews can handle similar problems better in the future. Then, a training program dealing with this is arranged for crews so that specific instruction can be given. Examinations like this also lead to aircraft and part-design changes, in the hope that such failures can prove instructive and can thus be minimized.
A maintenance worker concludes: "We are all told that 'safety does not happen by accident—it must be planned for.'"

Pilots are highly trained professionals

Your Take Off Preparation Tips

Are you PREPARED FOR TAKEOFF?

A Comprehensive Guide to Air Travel

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Prevent Problems and Deal with Delays

Learn the information you must check before you leave your house or hotel and who to call for assistance if your flight is delayed or cancelled. Pack like a pro to prevent delays at the TSA checkpoint, to prevent damage to your bag, and to survive the temporary loss of your checked bag.

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Know What to Expect on the Ground and in the Air

Avoid panic and confusion at the airport with knowledge of the air travel process. Learn the reasons airplanes make nerve-wracking noises, how to handle fear of flying and motion sickness.

• Mysterious airplane noise
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Travel Tips From An Experienced Traveller

	I ABSOLUTELY love flying—I always have. Not only does it provide the freedom to travel quickly from one place to another but it also allows one to cut through the clouds on a gloomy day and soar in the sunlight shining high above. I have enjoyed the thrill of flying since my first flight as a young boy in 1956. This love led me to a career as a professional pilot, but I also spent time as an aircraft accident investigator. How safe is it to travel by air? And what precautions should you take when you have the opportunity to travel by plane? Making a Safe Form of Travel Safer Worldwide each year, almost 18,000 airliners regularly land and take off at thousands of airports, while transporting more than 1.6 billion passengers to their destinations—all this with very few accidents. In fact, Lloyd's of London, the well-known insurance provider, estimates that it is 25 times safer to travel by air than by car. Statistically then, the most dangerous part of your trip will be the drive to and from the airport. Nevertheless, a few sensible precautions taken when flying can help make this relatively safe form of travel even safer. Choose your airline carefully: Not all airlines have the same safety record. Established airlines generally are safe carriers. They operate modern aircraft and have a good reputation because of their safety and maintenance record. Choose your clothing thoughtfully: Survivors of a plane crash face the danger of fire and smoke. Therefore, wearing long sleeves and long trousers or a long skirt will best shield your skin from flames and heat. Clothing made of natural fibers offers good protection, but synthetic materials often melt or shrink onto the skin when exposed to heat, potentially causing more severe burns. Leather clothing may also shrink with heat and is not recommended. Wearing layers of clothing offers better protection than wearing just one layer, and light colors reflect heat better than dark colors. Flat shoes, preferably ones with laces, are more likely to stay on your feet and protect you from cuts and burns, and wool socks are better than synthetic ones. Listen to the safety briefing: Your crew will provide you with a comprehensive safety briefing before takeoff. In the unlikely event of an accident, you may have to extricate yourself from the aircraft using what you remember from that briefing. So listen carefully to the information. One survey of Canadian air travelers revealed that only 29 percent of passengers on a flight read or looked at the safety card. Take some time to study the safety instructions, particularly those showing how to open the exits, since you may be the first one there. Consider how you will find the exit if it is dark or smoke obscures your vision. One simple technique is to count the rows of seats between you and the exits. Then, even in the dark, you will be able to find and open the escape hatch. Limit your hand luggage: "A recurrent hazard [for passengers] is items which fall in normal flight from bins which have either not been properly closed or have been opened by passengers in flight, causing serious head-injury and even death," states the journal Flight International. So remember, heavy hand luggage can be a safety hazard. Therefore, in a survival situation, leave ALL your luggage behind. Concentrate on surviving! Your luggage can be replaced later. Training for an emergency evacuation   In Case of an Emergency The most hazardous evacuation will be one where fire, smoke, and fumes are present. One accident report stated: "When the airplane landed the visibility in the cabin was virtually non-existent at heights higher than one foot above the cabin floor [because of smoke]. The survivors stated that they barely possessed the strength and mental capacity to negotiate the exits." Survival depended on exiting the plane quickly. The crew has been trained to help evacuate the aircraft quickly and safely. Therefore, obey their instructions immediately. However, things do not always go according to plan. Problems with public address systems, injuries to crew members, confusion, and the effects of noise, heat, and smoke may make the crew's best efforts ineffective. The airline you are on may not use your native language, and this too can prevent good communication between the crew and you. Accident analysis shows that your own determination to survive is a key element in your chances of living through an emergency. You need to have a clear plan of action and be willing to take responsibility for your own survival. Your plan should include anyone you are traveling with, especially children or older people, and steps to stay together to help each other during the evacuation. The magazine Flying Safety recommends: "If you must evacuate through smoke, have them hold onto each other. Their hand on your belt can provide a secure lifeline." Tell your traveling companion or companions what your plan of action will be in the case of an emergency. All forms of travel carry some risk, but modern passenger planes help us to avoid many dangers and allow us to arrive at our destination refreshed and ready for work or play. Be prepared but not anxious. Relax and enjoy your flight—I always do.—Contributed. Listen to the safety briefing

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