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TRARON |
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Transfer of Aircraft Control
One of the more dangerous aspects of riding in a tandem aircraft is not being able to see the other guy’s hands. Years ago, there was a USAF T-38 on final approach. The aircraft continued down the groove and slammed into the touchdown zone, at which point the IP made some comment to the effect, "Jesus, how about we flare next time?" To which the student up front replied, "Me?" Whether that’s an urban legend or not, it’s worth discussing here. The solution we used in the USAF was simple. On the intercom, the pilot taking the aircraft would state "I have the aircraft"; to which the other pilot would reply, "Roger, you have the aircraft". Not "I’ve got it", "You take it", "Mine", "My aircraft" or any variation on the theme: "I have the aircraft", "Roger, you have the aircraft" were the only words that worked. Intercom out, or when the situation was changing so fast there wasn’t time, the pilot wishing to fly shook the stick and the other pilot would raise his hands above shoulder level (we had mirrors in the T-38). If one pilot wanted the other pilot to start flying the aircraft he would waggle the rudder pedals. The mnemonic was simple; ‘shake to take, pump to pass’. Either way, I always briefed (as did most every other IP and we also briefed each other when two IPs were in the same airplane) to show our hands when the control was relinquished. There are two problems with this issue: 1) nobody flying, which is obvious, and 2) two people flying the same airplane. They are both deadly, so please take this technique to heart. TRARON LEAD Skipper Hyle |