Risk Management Magazine

Flying in a multiship formation into inadvertent instrument meteorological conditions can be a wakeup call to revisit tactics, techniques and procedures for your unit. The following incident led my unit to update its procedures.

Young men and women volunteer for pilot training to fulfill often long-held desires to break the bonds of the earth. The luster of flying eventually fades for some; but for the rest of us, aviation remains an important life focus.

One night, I was on a night vision goggle training flight with my company instructor pilot and two crew members. The IP was a very experienced NVG aviator who was trained at the High-Altitude Army Aviation Training Site in Gypsum, Colorado, and made it a point to demonstrate mountain flying and pinnacle operations.