Risk Management Magazine

During Operation New Dawn, I served as a Shadow unmanned aircraft system standardization operator at Forward Operating Base Warhorse. After a seemingly uneventful mission supporting my brigade combat team’s collection requirements, I was called to the hangar by a ground crewmember to look at an aircraft that had just landed.

Many aviation mishaps or near misses result from a failure to practice procedures that have been taught since the beginning of pilot training. As time passes and we gain experience, sometimes these foundational elements become easily overlooked. If so, the results can be catastrophic. As the mission evolves and the timeline condenses, it’s essential to not overlook these keystone elements to ensure the job is done safely and successfully.

Snow and ice — while not an uncommon forecast to receive depending on the season and operational environment, it contributes an additional layer of planning and tasks for aviators, maintainers and operations personnel. While deployed, this forecast is taken heavily into consideration, as it is a requirement to maintain mission-capable aircraft.