insert rant here.....
Another total waste of $$$
And you know what, not all of the blame goes to the pilot. I really have to ask… How many of you Commercial (not to mention Private) pilots have had any training at all regarding hand starts? Was it mentioned at your flying school as an acceptable method of starting an aircraft? Did they mention that it should only really be conducted with two people? Did they suggest that you might ask any engineer or other pilot to give a helping hand before resorting to this method?
No?
And what about technique? Before I moved to Darwin I had never even heard of chocks. At my flying school (and all of the surrounding ones) chocks weren’t even mentioned in the training, let alone used. How much throttle do you really need to get the aircraft going? What about compression strokes before a live “swing”, are they required, and if so, how many?
The truth is that this is barely touched on in most pilots training. When it is it’s usually in a passing reference while studying private or commercial theory and almost never shown in any practical sense. Most GA pilots I know in Darwin won’t do it. Why not? It can be done safely, in fact several popular makes of aircraft had optional electrical systems making any starter motor irrelevant. The reason has to be either poor or non existent education.
The training provided regarding hand starts and the general ground operation if aircraft in Australia is quite pitiful. There have been several recent occasions of hand starts that have led to catastrophe including the fiasco in Adelaide and now this occurrence in Darwin. Other ground handling accidents such as the bloke at Redcliffe a few years ago that set fire to a twin (a Baron from memory) and his own car while trying to perform a jump start. Every day I see aircraft taxiing past my window at speeds that are totally ridiculous. (This by the way should be of major concern to all operators at the Northern GA at Darwin. If you saw where today’s accident took place, expect another soon if you don’t SLOW DOWN)
Realistically, for Commercial operations, hand starts should be included in your Ops Manual, and if they aren’t, make sure your pilots don’t do them. If they are, TRAIN THEM!!!!! CASA also has to pull its finger out. Firstly, include it into both the VFR Day syllabus and the National Competency Standards. Also, get flyers out to all PPL and higher pilots. Secondly, get a public education campaign going. There are obviously many people out there that don’t know enough about the safe ground operation of aircraft. Set up some guidelines, make some flyers and write some articles in flight safety.
This issue isn’t just a matter of saving $ when planes crash into each other on the ground, it is a matter of the personal safety of pilots, engineers and all others on the ramp. Today’s accident could have had tragic consequences.
(edited by me because of silly spelling mistakes.... I'll be back)