Flight Safety Information - June 30, 2023 No. 127 In This Issue : Silver lining: 'One of the coolest things' in faulty US plane landing : Virgin Galactic completes its first commercial spaceflight : Over 4,000 flights disrupted in US, United Airlines most impacted : FAA investigates Allegiant Airlines close call flight incident near Austin-Bergstrom International Airport : Global Aerospace's SM4 Aviation Safety Program Has Insights on Enhancing Drone Pilot Skills for Safety and Performance : Boeing safety revamp is ‘journey’, will take time : Airline safety cards work, but you’re still not reading them Silver lining: 'One of the coolest things' in faulty US plane landing Thu, Jun 29 Passengers aboard a Delta flight disembarked using the jet slide this week after the plane's front landing gear failed to deploy as it landed at Charlotte Douglas International Airport. The flight landed safely and no injuries were reported, according to officials. Photos from the scene show wheels on the ground under the wings, but the nose of the aircraft on the runway. An inflatable slide extends from a door of the plane and firefighters appear to be helping passengers disembark on the slide. "I've been travelling for work over the past 10 years — going down that slide is one of the coolest things," said passenger Chris Skotarczak, who was traveling to his Charlotte office from Buffalo, New York. Skotarczak said if he hadn't seen the plane's shadow without the nose wheel down and been told to brace for an emergency landing, he would have thought nothing was wrong. "The pilot told us we're going to land, we're going to hear a big thud and we're going to hear a lot of grinding," Skotarczak told the Associated Press. "But it was almost smoother than a regular landing." Skotarczak was one of 96 passengers, two pilots and three flight attendants on board the Boeing 717 aircraft that left from Atlanta and was headed to Charlotte. All passengers were taken to the terminal. The airport said it was working to remove the aircraft and reopen the runway. "Nothing is more important than the safety of our customers and people," Delta said in a statement. "While this is a rare occurrence, Delta flight crews train extensively to safely manage through many scenarios and flight 1092 landed safely without reported injuries." The airline said it was now focused on helping to remove the plane and helping passengers get to their final destinations, and it is fully cooperating with the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board investigations. The trouble began when pilots received a "nose gear unsafe: indication as the plane approached the Charlotte airport and so they flew by the air traffic control tower so controllers could visually inspect the plane, Delta said in a statement. Controllers saw that the nose landing gear doors were open, but the gear hadn't descended and the pilots landed the plane without the nose gear. The crew calmly led the passengers to the emergency chutes at the two exits after the emergency landing. Less than four hours after the landing, Skotarczak, the passenger from Buffalo, was at work, but only with his cellphone and a bottle of water. Passengers were asked to leave everything else on the plane as they left, and he put his wallet in his backpack so he wouldn't have to sit on it the whole flight. "I was totally going to buy a lottery ticket, but I can't," he said. Virgin Galactic completes its first commercial spaceflight The debut is 10 years in the making. Steve Dent @stevetdent June 29, 2023 12:17 PM After building to this point for over a decade, Virgin Galactic has completed its first commercial flight. After launching aboard the mothership VMS Eve, the spaceship VSS Unity reached an altitude of around 52 miles, or the edge of space. It landed nearly 15 minutes later at the company's Spaceport America base near Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, completing the Galactic 01 research mission. The company's first client was the Italian government, which had the aim of conducting microgravity research. Aboard were Air Force colonel Walter Villadei, Air Force lieutenant and flight surgeon Colonel Angelo Landolfi, and Pantaleone Carlucci, a research council member acting as flight engineer and payload specialist. Unity was piloted by retired U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Michael Masucci and Nicola Pecile, with Virgin Galactic trainer Colin Bennett also on board. Prior to the commercial flight, Virgin Galactic had conducted five crewed spaceflights in total, the last in late May with four employees aboard. However, the company has gone through a lot of pain getting to that point. After several successful tests of its SpaceShipTwo spaceplane aboard the mothership WhiteKnightTwo back in 2013, Virgin Galactic's VSS Enterprise crashed in 2014, killing the co-pilot and seriously injuring the pilot. Flight testing resumed with VSS Unity's glide test back in 2016, and the ship finally reached space in 2018. The company's first fully crewed spaceflight took place in 2021, when Unity hit an altitude of 53.4 miles with founder Richard Branson on board. However, commercial service was delayed multiple times for different reasons, most recently due to issues in upgrading the mothership VMS Eve. From a financial perspective, the launch was crucial for Virgin Galactic. With no paying customers until now, the company has lost money for years, including more than $500 million in 2022 alone. It advertises seats at $450,000 per ticket, and previously set a goal of having 1,000 reservations prior to its first commercial launch. Virgin Galactic's main rival in the suborbital tourism space race is Blue Origin, which uses a conventional rocket rather than an airplane mothership. Blue Origin CEO (and Amazon founder) Jeff Bezos has said that Virgin Galactic fails to deliver a true spaceflight experience, compared to Blue Origin's system that tops 62 miles in altitude, past the Kármán line often used to mark the beginning of space. Others consider 50 miles the threshold. Blue Origin has had problems of its own. Last year, one of its New Shepard rockets suffered from a booster failure about a minute after takeoff, forcing the company to deploy its escape system for the uncrewed capsule, which worked as designed. Another rival, SpaceX, offers a far different experience — its Falcon 1 rocket and Crew Dragon capsule take customers into a true orbit. SpaceX has even flown a private crew to the International Space Station on a 10-day mission, reportedly for a $55 million fee. Over 4,000 flights disrupted in US, United Airlines most impacted United Airlines faced travel issues last weekend amid tech issues, bad weather By Julia Musto FOXBusiness video Flight disruptions plague JFK airport after days of severe storms Passengers traveling through New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport were met with numerous delays due to severe weather in the area on Monday. More than 4,000 flights within, into or out of the U.S. were disrupted as of Wednesday afternoon as airlines try to rebound from severe storms that slammed the East Coast in recent days. FlightAware showed 839 flights within, into or out of the U.S. were canceled as of 2:30 p.m. ET. There were more than 3,330 delays. United Airlines was hit the hardest, with more than 400 cancellations and 650 delays. JetBlue Airways canceled 91 flights while more than 330 were delayed. UNITED CEO SCOTT KIRBY SLAMS FAA FOR FLIGHT CANCELLATIONS, DELAYS United Airlines told FOX Business in an email on Wednesday morning that delays and cancellations are a result of the severe weather in the Northeast. "Several consecutive days of severe weather and lingering thunderstorms in the Northeast, combined with FAA staffing constraints over the weekend, have resulted in a tough operating environment, especially for our customers flying in and out of the New York area," a spokesperson said. "We know our customers are eager to get to their destinations and our airport and call center teams are working overtime to assist them. As we focus on helping our customers whose travel has been disrupted over the last few days, we’re also planning ahead to be ready for the upcoming holiday weekend," the airline added. JetBlue Airways did not immediately respond to Fox Business Digital's request for comment. This comes following a day of hundreds of flight disruptions across the New York City area as storms swept through the region. video Former United Airlines CEO Oscar Munoz rips US' air traffic control systems as 'most outdated' Former United Airlines CEO Oscar Munoz discusses a government report blaming airlines for cancellations, retention in employees, and his new book, "Turnaround Time." An issue with technology at a major air traffic control facility worsened the situation. On Sunday evening, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) briefly paused operations at Washington D.C.-area airports due to a problem with the communications system. However, departures resumed after repairs were completed. United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said that the FAA had "frankly failed [them] this weekend" in a memo to staff, noting that Big Apple weather is "something that the FAA has historically been able to manage without a severe impact on our operation and customers." FAA investigates Allegiant Airlines close call flight incident near Austin-Bergstrom International Airport by John-Carlos Estrada Thu, June 29th 2023, 6:54 AM CDT FAA investigates Allegiant Airlines close call flight incident near Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (Credit: Getty) AUSTIN, Texas — The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has confirmed that it is investigating an incident involving an Allegiant Airlines flight that was flying into Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (ABIA) on Monday, June 26. According to an FAA official, Allegiant Flight 1500 was preparing to land when the crew initiated a climb due to a small aircraft in proximity. The airplanes reportedly came within 1.6 miles and 200 feet of each other. RELATED | Disaster averted; aviation expert breaks down near-collision at ABIA Allegiant Airlines declined to give details on ongoing investigations and referred inquiries to the FAA. Andrew Porrello from Allegiant Media Relations stated, "While I can confirm that the FAA is investigating an incident that occurred during a flight on June 26, 2023, I cannot provide you with additional information at this time. Our policy is that we do not comment on active investigations." AUS Airport did not provide much additional information, either: Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) is aware of the Federal Administration’s (FAA) investigation into the discontinued landing of a flight on June 26. AUS will support the investigation as needed. This incident takes place against the backdrop of recent concerns over close calls between airplanes, some of which were attributed to FAA air traffic controllers. In response, earlier this year, the FAA established a safety review panel. MORE | Austin airport gives passengers the chance to weigh-in on expansion plans In February, a FedEx cargo plane had to reverse course during landing at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport after a Southwest Airlines plane was cleared to depart from the same runway. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released a report in March regarding that incident. The report highlighted that the captain of the FedEx plane called for a go-around at an altitude of around 150 feet after visually observing the Southwest Airlines flight approximately 1,000 to 1,500 feet from the runway's approach end. As investigations into the recent Allegiant Airlines flight incident continue, further details remain undisclosed due to the ongoing nature of the investigation. Both the FAA and Allegiant Airlines are cooperating to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident. Global Aerospace's SM4 Aviation Safety Program Has Insights on Enhancing Drone Pilot Skills for Safety and Performance Prodigy Press June 07, 2023 10:24am The first step to becoming a commercial drone pilot is to obtain your Part 107 license. As a licensed drone pilot, you can fly commercial missions, embark on exciting new adventures, hone your skills and earn money. Your Part 107 license is an important start on your training journey. Additional training beyond Part 107 is important if you're a drone pilot looking to enhance your skills and take your flights to the next level. Here are 14 key areas of study that can enhance your safety and performance as a drone pilot. 1. Risk Assessment and Management Although eliminating all hazards related to drone flights is ideal, risk-free flights are unrealistic. You need to learn to identify the hazards involved in each flight, evaluate the risks they present and minimize the risks. As remote pilot-in-command (RPIC), you need to learn which risks are acceptable to take and which ones require making a "no go" decision. Training in risk assessment and management can help you make informed decisions, prioritize safety and complete your missions when appropriate. Some of the topics that might be covered in risk assessment training include: • Identifying potential hazards and risks before each flight • Planning flight routes to ensure safety and legality • Evaluating weather conditions and other environmental factors impacting flights • Establishing emergency procedures in case of accidents or incidents • CRM (crew resource management) and ADM (aeronautical decision-making) 2. Mitigating Human Factors As an RPIC, you must recognize and address human factors that can impact a flight. These factors, which can apply to you as RPIC and your crew, include fatigue, stress and decision-making under pressure. By understanding these factors and developing techniques to mitigate them, you can increase the likelihood of successfully completing your drone's mission. Topics may include: • Recognizing and managing fatigue • Managing stress • Managing tasks and avoiding task overload • Crew communication skills • Situational awareness • CRM and ADM 3. Site Assessment Before each flight, it is essential to assess the environment in which you'll be operating. This involves understanding applicable regulations, identifying potential obstacles and considering how factors like terrain, weather and wildlife may impact your flight. A thorough site assessment will help you plan and execute your missions safely and effectively. Topics may include: • Airspace analysis • Federal and local regulations affecting the flight area • Obstacle identification • Terrain considerations • RF (radio frequency) interference and EMI (electromagnetic interference) • Wildlife awareness • Security and privacy concerns • Emergency landing sites 4. Real-World Weather Assessment You already learned how to read current weather conditions and forecasts during your Part 107 training. While that training was vital, assessing real-world weather conditions is equally important since they can change rapidly. Weather awareness training will help you understand how factors like wind, temperature and precipitation can affect your drone's performance and your ability to safely complete missions. Some of the topics that might be covered in weather awareness training include: • Understanding weather patterns and how they can impact drone flights • Identifying signs of potential weather hazards • Recognizing hyper-localized weather conditions (e.g., wind gusts caused by buildings) • Planning and preparing for flights in different weather conditions. • Techniques for flying in challenging weather conditions 5. FAA Authorizations (Automated and Manual) Understanding the process for obtaining FAA authorizations is critical for operating your drone within controlled airspace or under special circumstances. Becoming familiar with both automated and manual authorization processes will ensure that you are well-prepared to navigate these procedures and maintain compliance with regulations. Additional training in this area may cover: • Controlled airspace and authorization requirements • LAANC applicability and processes through third-party providers (e.g., Aloft) • Manual authorization processes including FAADroneZone applications • Part 107 waivers • TFRs (Temporary Flight Restrictions) and NOTAMs • Required documentation available for each flight 6. Flight Principles and Performance A solid understanding of flight principles and performance is key to operating your drone safely and effectively. This includes understanding aerodynamics, propulsion and stability, as well as the impact of environmental factors on your drone's performance. You briefly studied these topics while preparing for the Part 107 exam. By deepening your understanding of these concepts, you'll be better equipped to handle unexpected challenges during your flights. Topics for further study in this area might include: • Aerodynamics of flight • Propulsion systems • Stability and control • Environmental factors, including weather • Understanding flight envelopes and limitations • Energy management 7. Emergency Procedures As a drone pilot, you should always be prepared for unexpected situations and emergencies. This includes knowing how to respond to technical issues, equipment malfunctions and encounters with wildlife. By training in emergency procedures, you can minimize accident risks and ensure the safety of your drone, yourself and others. Emergency procedure topics might include: • Loss of GPS signal • Fly-away scenarios • Battery failures and fires • Motor or propeller failure • Control link loss • Emergency landings • Collision avoidance and recovery • Weather-related emergencies • When and why initiating an emergency in-flight shutdown is necessary 8. Overcoming Disorientation Disorientation can be a significant issue for drone pilots, especially when operating in challenging conditions or navigating complex environments. Training to overcome disorientation can help maintain situational awareness and improve decision-making during missions. Topics for overcoming disorientation include: • Spatial disorientation • Maintaining orientation techniques • Using visual observers • FPV (First-Person View) techniques 9. Visual Observers and Crew Best Practices Communicating effectively with visual observers and other flight crew is essential for you as RPIC. Training in best practices for communication, coordination and collaboration will help you maximize your team's efficiency and safety during your missions. Topics in this area might include: • Establishing roles and responsibility • Communications protocols • Situation awareness and sharing • CRM and ADM • Pre-flight briefings • In-flight communications • Post-flight debriefings 10. Understanding Aviation Communications Maintaining safety and situational awareness during your flights requires effective communication. Training in aviation communications, including the use of standard terminology and procedures, will help you understand air traffic control, other pilots and your team. Topics related to aviation communications might include: • Aviation terminology and phraseology • Radio procedures and etiquette • VHF Radio operations and frequencies • ATC (air traffic control) communication • Emergency communication 11. Equipment Care and Maintenance Proper care and maintenance of your drone and its components are crucial for ensuring optimal performance and longevity. By training in equipment care and maintenance, you'll learn how to inspect, clean and repair your drone as needed, which can reduce the risk of equipment failure and accidents. Topics for this training might include: • Conducting pre- and post-flight inspections • Equipment cleaning • Propeller inspection and maintenance • Battery care and safety • Sensor calibration • Firmware updates • Performing repair procedures and component replacement • Record-keeping and documentation 12. Battery Care and Safety Batteries are a critical component of your drone, and proper care and handling are essential for the safety and performance of your drones, your missions and the people around you. Training in battery care and safety will teach you proper methods for storing, charging and transporting your batteries, helping reduce the risk of damage, fires and other safety hazards. Topics related to battery care and safety might include: • Understanding battery chemistry and its impact on drone performance • Proper techniques for battery charging, storage and maintenance • Identifying signs of battery problems or failures • Strategies for conserving power during flights 13. Building Custom Checklists Pre-flight, flight and post-flight checklists are crucial for ensuring that everything is in order before, during and after each flight. By creating custom checklists based on standard ones and tailoring them to your specific equipment and operational requirements, you can streamline your workflow and reduce the likelihood of overlooking important steps. Topics related to checklist development might include: • Pre-flight lists such as flight planning, crew briefing and sUAS inspection • In-flight execution lists such as starting up, in-flight operations landing, and shutdown • Emergency lists addressing GPS signal loss, compass error collisions, etc. • Post-flight lists such as inspecting all flight systems and scheduling maintenance • Routine maintenance lists, including timelines for replacing parts 14. Not To Mention… Mission-Specific Training Along with the broader training topics mentioned above, you may want to pursue training in mission-specific areas that align with your interests and goals as a drone pilot. Examples of mission-specific training include: • Advanced photography and videography settings: Learn to optimize your camera settings to capture stunning aerial images and videos. • Mapping and modeling: Develop skills to create detailed, accurate maps and 3D models using data captured by drones. • Inspections: Learn the techniques and best practices for conducting drone-based inspections of infrastructure such as bridges, power lines and buildings. Investing in Your Future as a Drone Pilot While flying a drone can be an exciting and rewarding experience, it's important to remember that it is a serious responsibility. As a drone pilot, safety should always be your top priority. By pursuing training in the areas discussed in this article, you'll enhance your safety, performance and overall capabilities as an RPIC. This will not only help you stand out in the competitive drone industry but also equip you with the confidence and skills needed to tackle various missions and challenges. So, don't stop with your Part 107 license. Invest in your future and strive to become the best drone pilot you can be! About Global Aerospace SM4 Aviation Safety Program The Global Aerospace SM4 Safety Program has revolutionized the way insurance specialists help their clients achieve higher levels of operational safety. SM4 was built on the concept of integrating four critical safety components: planning, prevention, response and recovery. Its mission is to help organizations manage risk, enrich training efforts, strengthen safety culture and improve safety management systems. https://sm4.global-aero.com/ Global Aerospace SM4 Aviation Safety Program Media Contact Suzanne Keneally Vice President, Group Head of Communications +1 973-490-8588 Boeing safety revamp is ‘journey’, will take time By Pilar Wolfsteller 24 May 2023 Almost half a decade after the first Boeing 737 Max crash, the US airframer says it continues implementing safety improvements designed to mitigate risks and catch issues before they become crises. The US airframer presented its second chief aerospace safety officer report on 24 May, outlining its safety improvement efforts. In this year’s report Boeing touts more than 10 wide-ranging achievements from the past 12 months. These include use of new digital and analytic tools, communication improvements with customers, workshops, training programmes, increased employee engagement and a safety risk management evaluation with a major airline. The Arlington, Virginia-based company established the position of “chief aerospace safety officer” in January 2021, after two 737 Max crashes – that of a Lion Air Max 8 off Indonesia in October 2018 and of an Ethiopian Airlines Max 8 in March 2019. The crashes killed almost 350 people and were attributed partly to assumptions Boeing made when designing, developing and evaluating the Max’s Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS), which activated erroneously during the two flights, putting both jets into dives from which the pilots could not recover. Other accident factors, according to various crash reports, included pilot actions, maintenance issues and missteps by the Federal Aviation Administration and its oversight of Boeing engineers. Such issues prompted Boeing to assess its safety culture and processes. Boeing in 2019 realigned its engineering structure so its 50,000 engineers now report up to Boeing’s chief engineer, rather than within the company’s individual siloed business units. Leading the safety effort is chief aerospace safety officer Michael Delaney, who also holds a seat on the company’s executive council. Delaney was previously Boeing vice-president of commercial engineering and vice-president of airplane development. The Max crashes prompted Boeing to create a safety management system (SMS) – a formal organisation-wide safety framework designed to “inculcate” safety into Boeing’s operation. The FAA approved the SMS in December 2021. EMBEDDED FLIGHT OPS EXPERTS Delaney singles out Boeing’s “global aerospace safety initiative”, which involves embedding flight operations experts at aircraft operators to ensure those operators receive hands-on training in risk management and assessment. Lacey Pittman, vice-president of the initiative, says airlines have shown “resounding interest” in the programme. “We have historically had the field service representatives… on the maintenance and engineering side embedded with the customers globally,” she says. “We stepped back and said, what else could we provide in terms of support and working with the operators? We thought we could really balance that with a similar role on the flight operations side.” “Before we [deliver] a new airplane to an operator, we see if there are any gaps in either the flight operations or maintenance, [so] that we can help provide that safety support,” she says. “When there’s an operator getting a new fleet type, we send them out.” The representatives are often retired airline pilots, with an average of 13,000h of flight time each, she adds. “They’re really creating this bridge of communication… There is a two-way communication flow between the operator and us at Boeing.” In 2022, the company had “more than 60 engagements” with operators globally through these flight operations representatives, she adds. “To my knowledge to date, nobody has said no,” Delaney says. It is possible that future customers may turn down Boeing’s assistance, which regulators do not mandate, at which time it will face the “hard decision” about whether to actually deliver aircraft to such customers, Delaney adds. THE ROLE OF ANALYTICS Part of Boeing’s SMS involves collecting information and data from across the design, production and operation of its jets, including from airlines. Much data has historically been disparate and decentralised, meaning the extent to which safety issues that could be prevalent across the global fleet might have gone largely unnoticed, says Delaney. Leading the effort of bringing that data together is Boeing vice-president for aerospace safety analytics and safety experience Vishwa Uddanwadiker. Uddanwadiker says the tools his team is developing, and the data they produce, must go beyond trying to prevent accidents before they happen. “A lot of people think the mission is to find the needle in the haystack,” he says. “I have a slightly different safety management systems view of that. If you’re looking for a needle in a haystack, you’ve already made up your mind that the hazard is the needle.” “I’m looking for all sharp objects in the haystack,” he says. “There is a continued operational safety process which reports all unusual behaviors from the in-service fleet,” he continues. “By aggregating data, we are looking for anomalies and any sort of uncertainties in the pattern.” With the data, Boeing hopes to further tighten its safety net and prevent systemic issues. But its transformation requires effort and time, and the company is “not there yet”, Delaney says. “Hopefully we have people starting to see data and deviations from the norm, and then asking the question: Why is this deviation from the norm there?” Addressing the significance of artificial intelligence in supporting safety processes, Delaney said he is still on the fence. “It will be a tool,” he says. “I’m guarded, personally. I haven’t yet gotten into my head where all of a sudden there’s going to be something that is going to significantly change the OEM space.” Use cases could start with human factors – pilot training or monitoring – and using data to solve ongoing aviation and aerospace challenges. “It would be really great if we actually ever modernise the air traffic management system,” he adds ”Think about airplanes communicating with airplanes.” But companies will likely be reluctant to share the sensitive intellectual property needed to train the algorithms required for such sophisticated analysis, he adds. Delaney calls Boeing’s safety efforts a “journey”. “We’re not in a complete rebuild,” he adds. “We’re building on a solid foundation and we’re trying to figure out how… we go forward and also make sure we learn lessons from the last few years.” Airline safety cards work, but you’re still not reading them 28 JUNE 2023 BY JEREMY DWYER-LINDGREN Note: There are important graphics in the original article. “Just in case” was a tag line used on many safety cards in the early days. Behold the airline safety card, that humble piece of paper or plastic wedged unceremoniously into the seatback of every commercial airplane you’ve ever been on. You know, the one with the diagrams depicting how to save yourself in the event everything goes very, very wrong on your flight to Tuscaloosa, even though it almost certainly won’t. The one that somehow manages to be equal parts toddler chew toy and AvGeek collectible; oft-overlooked visual furniture that reminds you of your own mortality. When was the last time you picked it up and gave it a good browse? That’s the issue that The Interaction Group (IRC) CEO Trisha Ferguson endeavors to solve every day. “There’s often this avoidance in looking at the card until it’s absolutely necessary,” says Ferguson from her company’s office an hour south of Seattle. Nestled between an auto-parts store and a martial arts academy, nothing about the IRC’s 5,000 square foot facility (one of two) screams ‘industrial-level safety card production shop.’ And yet a sizable chunk of the world’s safety cards begin their lives here, in this otherwise unassuming retail zone. Experiments in evacuation The company traces its roots back to the 1960s, when Dr. Daniel A. Johnson, an accident psychologist, teamed up with Dr. Beau Altman while at Douglas Aircraft to study crash survivability. They quickly came to a realization: crashes were often considerably more survivable than previously believed. “It wasn’t [just] the impact that was causing death and harm, it was [also] the evacuation,” said Ferguson. Altman and Johnson spent over a decade pouring through accident reports, interviewing survivors, and running tests to figure out how to improve evacuations and post-crash survivability. They famously ran full-scale evacuation tests with real aircraft and real people, including children and the elderly. This was not a simple, ‘everyone get off the plane as fast as you can but we leave the lights on’ scenario. The pair worked full-tilt into making the experience as realistic as possible. In something that definitely feels like it wouldn’t fly today, the pair filled the cabin (again, with kids and the older folks alike), cut the lights, toss in a few smoke bombs and record what happened. So. Much. Text. A common design from the 1950s, but one that proved less effective after IRC’s research. They also ran studies to understand how people used safety equipment provided to them, filming participants as they navigated everything from using seat belts to donning life jackets. Spoiler alert: we aren’t as good at using these as we think we are. Altman and Johnson learned pretty quickly that the presence of safety cards improved survivability. Johnson eventually ventured out on his own, founding IRC in 1971. Since then IRC has continued to run tests, as well as consult and design safety cards, safety videos, and other factors at the crux of aviation safety and human factor psychology. While a form of safety cards first became federally mandated in the mid 1960s, the card as we know it today didn’t become required until 1978. It was then that Johnson, alongside Altman, pushed Congress to adopt many of the regulations that have since become standard across both the US and the globe. No one reads the safety cards Yet even still, it turns out the safety card has to accomplish a lot of things to be successful. And that starts with just being noticed at all. “We’re a company built on human behavior,” said Ferguson. “And our studies show that if we make the card easy and attractive, people will read it,” she said. The first tricks are placement, and size. “In most countries the card has to be within reach of the individual in the seat at all times,” she said. It does no good for the card to exist, but be stuck in an overhead bin, for example. Related, it has to be easily visually sighted, which in this case often comes down to a matter of size. Make the card too small and it’ll easily get lost, either at the bottom of the seatback pocket or shuffled amongst the menus, Wi-Fi cards, and duty-free magazines that it typically shares space with. Make it just right and it’ll stick out just above all the noise, easy to see and ready to roll. Plus, much like placement, size is often a regulatory requirement: “it has to sit up above the seat pocket,” says Ferguson. From reading to recognition The next hurdle is converting someone from registering that it’s there, to wanting to engage with it. And even better, understand it. Historically this has been the card’s biggest challenge. Prior to the modern designs we see today, many early cards were text-heavy and image light. Others weren’t even cards: plenty of carriers buried the information deep inside thick ‘welcome aboard’ booklets well into the 1960s. And that’s of course if they had any printed safety information on board at all. As IRC founders would discover, that was the wrong approach. “Studies show the more text you have on a page, the less likely it is to even be picked up,” said Ferguson. In 1989 Tower Air had mostly shifted to pictures for its safety card, designed by IRC. Illustration is where it’s at, she says, adding that “people consume illustrated instructions at a much higher rate than they consume text.” Interestingly, that also means no photos, which “detract from the content of the information,” said Ferguson. Illustrations have a number of advantages over text beyond simply being more visually approachable. For one, they’re language neutral. “We eliminate language from our cards as much as possible, other than what is required [by regulations],” Ferguson said. Factors such as reading comprehension levels and how different cultures literally approach reading (left to right vs right to left) add complexity to text that illustrations don’t necessarily share. Illustrations are also more accommodating of inclusive representation, something aviation, and by extension safety cards, have struggled with in the past. “We took a look at our cards about a decade ago and weren’t happy with our standard,” she said. As a result, Ferguson says they’ve become proactive with airlines about broadening representation on their cards, including everything from body types to hair textures, gender representation to diversity of skin tones. It’s an effort that pays off: “We know if passengers see themselves reflected in the illustrations of a card, they’re much more likely to continue to consume the information and consume it at a higher level,” she said. Mostly images to explain safety on the Northern Pacific card. It also includes exit row details in nine languages. Still, it’s not quite as simple as swapping out text for doodles. “It can’t be so busy that people are overwhelmed by it,” said Ferguson. But it also can’t be so minimal that people are left with questions either. “You have to be cognitive of human behavior and consumption of information,” said Ferguson. Which means “it has to be done well. It is colors, it is fonts, it is the size of the font, the size of the illustrations, the flow of the card,” Ferguson explained. “Is all of your over water evacuation material in one area, so that as the brain is thinking about what to do in a ditching situation it’s all in one spot?” “Colors evoke emotion in all of us,” she added, noting that red and blue are more likely to get the card picked up in the first place. Red and green are also more likely to call attention to critical parts of the card. Factors like stroke weight, otherwise known as the thickness of a line or text, can make reading a card feel heavy and plodding versus lighter and easier. Accuracy in the depictions is also critical. Simply having a lifejacket emoji isn’t enough, says Ferguson. It has to look just like the type of life jacket that the airplane has on board. If the carrier swaps out for a different brand or model, that means issuing a new card. Same goes for just about everything else on the airplane, from seat type to exit location to medical devices to O2 masks to door handles to, well, you get the idea. That accuracy not only extends to an object’s illustration, but also to its usage. We might chuckle a little bit at the seemingly overkill explanation of how to fasten a safety belt, or how to put on a life jacket. Yet IRC studies from the 60s and later routinely showed that people overestimate their abilities. “There was a failure rate of 80% with in-person life jacket donning tests,” says Ferguson, who shows me a contact sheet from a test to prove it. People kept assuming aviation life jackets were the same as maritime, she said. A safety card that never took flight…AirBahn never quite got off the ground, but its safety cards meets all the regulations. The result is the detailed, step-by-step walk through you’ll see today on every card for both adult and infant life jackets. Oxygen masks are similarly underestimated by passengers. “Studies done by IRC showed passengers thought they had more than two or three minutes to put on the oxygen mask, when in reality it could be as little as twenty seconds,” said Ferguson. And that’s before often putting them on incorrectly, she added. The result, another illustrative sequence that also includes a timer. Exit doors are another area that seem obvious on their face, but turn out to be more complicated. The main doors on Boeing 737s open by pulling a handle counter-clockwise, while Airbus A320 family jets require pulling up. Even aboard a specific type, differences abound. Aboard Boeing 737NG models, over-wing exit doors automatically open away from the cabin at the pull of a handle. Try that on a 737 classic and you’ll be going nowhere awfully fast. As a result, you guessed it, door operation is a required part of the card. Others are less obvious, like the orientation of the airplane itself on the card. “Those evacuation studies showed human behavior is to return to the point of entry instead of the closest exit to you,” said Ferguson. The solution was to orient the point of view as top down, with every exit marked. It’s also why the “your closest exit may be behind you” is part of the verbal pre-flight safety briefing (along with both of the above examples). Even today, after decades of experience, every new card is focus-tested for comprehension by an outside firm. This is done by groups in the United States, and, if applicable, in the card’s soon to be home country (i.e. a card destined to Gulf Air would be tested in Bahrain and the US), Ferguson says. “If it’s not understood by 90% [of participants] or more, we go back to the drawing board; change colors, change font sizes, change how it flows,” and then try again, she says. In large part thanks to IRC, regulatory requirements are now the single largest guideline for what will or will not be on a card. That includes everything mentioned above, at least on part 121 US carriers, plus 45 additional pages of regulations, says Ferguson. Some of the more obscure, if not invisibly obvious, include the country of final assembly of the aircraft and a strict ban on any non-safety related information like advertising or menus (so long, page buried in the welcome aboard booklet). Whether all of that intention and time works is a bit of a squishy question. Stats aren’t exactly easy to come by, but Altman himself noted in a 2020 interview with the podcast “99% Invisible” that only something like four percent of passengers are thought to actually pick up and examine the card. And that may yet be a misleading statistic, especially given how incredibly unlikely it is that you’ll ever need to act on the information found in the card. Ferguson earlier pointed to two high-profile examples, the infamous Tenerifie disaster (1977), and the hijack-induced ocean ditching of Ethiopian 961 (1996). In both cases, Ferguson says, surviving passengers credited the on board safety card as a key component to their survival. “Ultimately, it’s important information,” she said,” and when you need it, it’s right there and it’s accessible.” Curt Lewis