Flying is, and always will be, about effectively managing risks. For flightcrews crossing the world’s oceans in long-range business aircraft, some risks demand special consideration.
“For me, it’s about planning for the worst, but expecting the best,” said Gulfstream G550/G650 Capt. Steve Thorpe. The former NBAA International Operators Committee (IOC) chair – who has logged more than 350 oceanic crossings – said the key to a safe and efficient flight is realizing, “You can’t plan for every single contingency.”
As Shawn Scott, president of Scott International Procedures (Scott IPC) put it: “Expect the unexpected.”
Avoiding Complacency
Some experts believe the reliability of today’s aircraft and avionics may be contributing to complacency among some pilots during trans-oceanic trips.
“Do you really know your airplane [limitations] and understand the crossing?” asked Gulfstream G650 Captain and former IOC Chair Gary Dietz. “You can focus so much on the crossing that you don’t know you’re not up to speed on your airplane. Or, you know your airplane well, but don’t know the crossing.”
Begin With the Basics
Effective oceanic flight planning – including any discussions about contingencies – begins with the basics of how these operations differ from domestic flying. That means digging into the regulatory source documents. Business aircraft flights in the U.S. operate primarily under Part 91 or Part 135. Operating rules change, however, once an aircraft passes more than 12 miles from shore.
“They need to follow ICAO [International Civil Aviation Organization] Annex Two that’s applicable over the ‘high seas’ – outside any country’s regulated airspace,” said Don Trekell, a Scott IPC instructor and former business pilot with four decades of experience. “That’s consistent for both 135 and 91. When they enter a foreign state or a country, they need to be aware of that country’s local rules.”
Reviewing oceanic contingencies demands that aviators remain familiar with ICAO Document 4444, Procedures for Air Navigation Services. The go-to document for operations, specifically over the North Atlantic, is NAT Doc 007, especially Chapter 11, where Special Procedures for In-Flight Contingencies are outlined.
Aircraft crossing the ocean must comply with reduced lateral and longitudinal separation, making margins for error slimmer than ever before. If an emergency requiring a deviation from the original clearance is required, the pilot must contact ATC to request an updated route before altering their heading or altitude.
It is the pilot’s responsibility to have an answer to the problem ready if communication with ATC is not possible. In addition to coping with the emergency, the crew is expected to maneuver their aircraft away from any known conflicting traffic.
Emergency Procedures
The most basic of the escape maneuvers is initially turning the aircraft 30 degrees left or right, depending upon its position relative to an organized track or route system.
The crew is also expected to keep a visual watch for other aircraft and via the airborne collision avoidance system.
If possible, the crew should maintain the last assigned altitude until they’re established on a 5-mile parallel track. They should then descend below 29,000 feet and – when the aircraft levels off – maintain a 500-foot vertical offset. If communication with ATC is still not established, the crew should broadcast their situation on emergency radio frequency 121.5 MHz while squawking 7700 (entering the emergency code 7700 into the aircraft transponder).
Cheat Sheets
Thorpe said, while he and his fellow pilots try to keep much of the contingency procedure knowledge in their heads, they also use a contingency procedures cheat sheet of sorts based on ICAO Doc 4444. The checklist, he said, serves as a reminder of “what buttons to push when so we have things planned out ahead.” It also graphically outlines how the contingency maneuvers should be flown, and altitudes to consider in addition to guidance, should one or more navigation sources fail along the way.
“Since I can normally get a revised clearance so easily, we’re [seldom] going to execute a full contingency procedure,” said G650 Captain and NBAA IOC Chair Nat Iyengar. The problem that reliability creates is that crews seldom fly a full contingency procedure.
Discussing the ‘What Ifs’
Well-trained crews conduct frank discussions about the “what ifs” before departure. Iyengar said he and his colleagues “make a point of talking about contingencies, as well as asking questions like: ‘What will you do in this situation?’”
Flightcrews in Iyengar’s operation also train and brief to consider the division of tasks during a contingency event, such as an engine failure. They talk about, “This is what I’m going to do, and this is what you’re going to do, so we don’t have to rely on digging it out of our memory.”
In addition, they specifically brief contingencies as they cross each oceanic waypoint – considering the aircraft’s weight, drift-down altitude, the diversion airport at that point and the route’s proximity to the organized tracks.
Manuals and Sharing Information
Thorpe said the core of his company’s international operations flight manual was created by an outside vendor. He and his pilot colleagues supplement the book with what they’ve learned from years of previous crossings.
“We try not to have too much stuff that we just do, but don’t write down,” he said. Along with compiling contingency knowledge from within the flight department, Dietz said pilots should also be gathering and documenting it from their recurrent procedures training.
International Business Aviation Council Ltd.