Risk Management Magazine

After 24 years in Army aviation and six more as a civilian helicopter emergency medical services pilot, I recently returned to the military community as a Department of the Army civilian (DAC) aviation safety inspector. In just six months on the job, I discovered a trend that has not changed since I first left the Army — the lack of near-miss reporting.

It was my first deployment to Afghanistan, and I was involved in a nighttime mixed-aircraft, six-ship air assault to insert troops for a cordon-and-search for a high-value target. It was also my first air assault of the deployment.

Everything we learned in military flight school also applies to civilian aviation. No matter how fast or cheaply we want to get somewhere, the laws of physics will not change for us.