Loose Distractions

What do you think of when you here “FOD?” Does it bring to mind one of those photos of FOD Walkdown on an aircraft carrier? Damaged turbine blades? How about a personal locator beacon caught in an elevator bellcrank? In the last month or so we’ve seen all of the following published:
- NTSB Safety Alert “All Secure, All Clear” http://www.ntsb.gov/doclib/safetyalerts/SA_026.pdf on accidents caused by loose items inside the aircraft
- FAA Safety Brief article “Lights, Camera, Action” on safely shooting selfies and movies in flight, including how to secure the camera http://www.faa.gov/news/safety_briefing/2014/media/JanFeb2014.pdf
Brings a new perspective to all those things you have shoved into the nooks and crannies of your cockpit, doesn’t it? Allow me scare you a little more:
- FAA Safety Brief article “The (Lost) Art of Paying Attention” on the distractions of technology http://www.faa.gov/news/safety_briefing/2014/media/JanFeb2014.pdf
- NTSB’s 10 Most Wanted item Distraction in Transportation http://www.ntsb.gov/safety/mwl.html
Are you rethinking your decision to go paperless by carrying a tablet and WAAS/ADS-B receiver? I wouldn’t go that far. You’ll find me to be a big advocate of the advantages electronic flight bags (EFBs) bring to any cockpit. What you should do is evaluate how you secure everything in your aircraft and what you look for on preflight.

How do you secure things in your cockpit, e.g. tablet, WAAS, water bottle, jackets?

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