Safety Features

[N941WR]

There has been a lot of talk on this forum as of late regarding flight safety.

Some guys wish to add a parachute ala Cirrus, others are adding redundant electrical systems, and some are adding duplicate flight instruments.

What additional items are you including or wish you had included in your build and why?

My answer is:
Limited steam gauges to supplement my Dynon EFIS installation. Airspeed, altimeter, slip ball, and compass. IMHO, this is enough for a simple D/N VFR ship.

Let the safety bashing begin. Errrr, I mean let the safety discussion begin.

[Kyle Boatright]

I wish I'd planned for and installed the anti-submarine belts on my aircraft.

The seatbelt geometry on the -6 isn't good, and in my case is compounded by the extra thick cushions I use to improve my sightlines.

I can see where submarining would be a real possibility in the event of a sudden stop.

[tonyjohnson]

There is an airswitch that will prevent the deployment of flaps above a safe speed. It is sold by aircraft extras for under $100.

It is especially useful for those of us who have, or plan to have, a flap switch on the stick grip.

[jrdalton]

I'm still building the wings on my -10 but if I could I would:

Have icing protection (Ha! - probably won't happen though)
Seat-belt air bags
Second battery / secondary bus

Jeff

[painless]

At first I thought it was an extravagance, but I now consider my Navaid wing leveler a safety device.

Regards,

[videobobk]

Having been in a plane that lost oil, I am installing an oil level sensor. From Aircraft Extras, it lets me know if the level drops below 4 qts. Should help prevent spun bearings and all that associated noise--and silence. Now, if I can get the darn thing to clear the exhaust pipe by enough. . .

Bob Kelly

[David-aviator]

Originally Posted by N941WR

There has been a lot of talk on this forum as of late regarding flight safety.

Some guys wish to add a parachute ala Cirrus, others are adding redundant electrical systems, and some are adding duplicate flight instruments.

What additional items are you including or wish you had included in your build and why?

My answer is:
Limited steam gauges to supplement my Dynon EFIS installation. Airspeed, altimeter, slip ball, and compass. IMHO, this is enough for a simple D/N VFR ship.

Let the safety bashing begin. Errrr, I mean let the safety discussion begin.

1. A written check list with an electric interlock to the starter switch. The engine can not be started if it is not completed.
2. A wing leveler and altitude hold for long flights so one can keep an eye on things inside and outside the airplane without rolling inverted.
3. An accurate angle of attack indicator with an audible alert.
4. No landing lights to preclude flying at night.
5. No IFR certification to preclude flying IMC.
6. An easy on/off cowl attach system so the engine compartment is inspected regularly and easily.
7. One good GPS so as not be become temporarily lost if it fails.
8. One good back up GPS in case the primary fails.
9. Fuel gages that are accurate.
10. Keep the airplane as light and simple and inexpensive as possible so there is money left over to fly it often.

David Domeier
RV-7A
Troy, Missouri

[pierre smith]

Very good David. I'll second the autopilot.

I added an oil sump heater, by Reiff and used it yesterday when it was 32 deg outside and my oil was 100 degrees and it starts on the second blade with good oiling right off the bat.

Regards,

[robertahegy]

I added good transition training with Mike Seager so I would be familiar with the RV flight characteristics and would be a competent pilot.

Roberta

[Ironflight]

One of the current concepts used in teaching safety and risk management is the "Swiss Cheese Model". Imagine a stack of cheese slices. Each is a layer of protection between you and a failure. Now imagine that the cheese is Swiss, and has holes. The day that the holes all line up, a failure gets through, and you have an accident. The key, therefore, is to have enough layers of defense to make it unlikely that the holes will line up!

Looking at accident/mishap reports, it is pretty easy to figure out where your defenses need to be. Engine failures happen - but they are statistically insignificant compared to other causes. I don't want to start an argument, but assuming that the aircraft is built using good techniques and practices, as well as reliable components, the most likely place for a failure to occur is with the person in the pilot seat. So the most important thing that I added to the Valkyrie was a well-trained, current pilot with (hopefully) good judgment, and a conservative, questioning bent....yes, I fly IFR, I enjoy aerobatics, fly the odd photo formation mission....but I refrain from getting into situations that I have read about over and over again - maneuvering close to the ground, running low on fuel, trying to go VFR when the weather is bad....the list goes on.

So first thing to add - a Pilot with Good Judgment who recognizes his own mortality and ability to screw up, and is dedicated to continued education.

After that, I go through the list of failures that can happen in the airplane, and make sure that I have a layer of defense for each one. I accept that the engine could quit - then I'd be a glider. Why do engines fail? Rarely does it happen without some warning - we all know the conditions of the engines we own...sometimes we just aren't honest about them. I am thinking of adding a low oil level alarm, cause I have actually ruptured an oil line in a previous plane. When the oil pressure goes away, you don't have long to find a place to land!

Other than that, I have three GPS's. Lose all those? I'[ll call for help! Comm #1 goes down? Go to Comm #2. Do I need to cover more than five failures deep? Statistically...not for my comfort level. Gyros? I have a very reliable AHRS, and an independent Autopilot. Two levels - way better than people have had for many years. In short, most every critical system is redundant in some way. It's easy to design for one or two levels of failure - just do your homework.

Oh, the most common accident I see in perusing the FAA dailys? Damage to the aircraft during landing due to gear collapse (fixed gears collapse too!) or running off the prepared surface. Rairly leads to fatality, but sure bends airplanes.

So I shoot lots and lots of Touch and Goes......

Paul