I thought I would post this as there may be an opportunity or two to visit a flight line for some of our members who haven’t been on one before. An AzAP exculsive, please ask permission should you wish to post at another location.

The Flight Line. For an aviation photographer it’s difficult to think of a more exciting place to be. Jet fumes filling your nostrils, heat baking your skin, wind draining the life out of you, sound waves sweet-talking your ear drums into surrendering all function. I’m feeling all warm and fuzzy just thinking about it.

But for all the excitement the flight line affords, be it civilian or military, it is an inherently dangerous place for those on or near it. People along the ramp and taxiways can be blown about (or have objects blown about so as to impact them) and through careless actions the pilots and aircraft themselves can be injured or damaged. Nobody wants that to happen. Besides, should an incident occur that was preventable you can assure yourself that that’s an invitation that won’t be extended your way again (and possibly to a whole lot of other folks as well).

So how do we prevent these nasty things from happening? I’ll explore two main areas of interest: personal safety and situational awareness.

PERSONAL SAFETY

A successful visit to the flight line has a few key components:

1. You and others around you don’t die.
2. You and others around you aren’t injured.
3. You and others around you minimize any short-term effects from your visit.

In order to eliminate or minimize any of the above we have to stay safe and we do that by utilizing PPE or personal protective equipment.

Hearing protection- Engines (jet, radial or piston engines) can be loud. Performance exhaust on piston aircraft can be crazy loud, whining turbines can scream like nobody’s business and afterburners are totally off the scale! Now place yourself on the ramp or near the end of the runway and you can see why hearing protection is essential. At a minimum, foam earplugs (normally rated at 29dB) should be worn and if available earmuff-style as well. I wear both. Exposure to high sound pressure levels can lead to tinnitus (ringing in the ears) that can be temporary; prolonged exposure can lead to permanent hearing damage.

Eye protection- If you will be in the wash area of aircraft, consider eye protection. Sand, grit and other debris can be hurled through the air at high speeds and can cause damage to your eyes (ever notice the guys on carrier decks always wear goggles?).

Skin- Most spotters know what a whole day in the sun can do to your skin so be sure to consider this in your preparations. Don’t let the excitement of being in an aircraft happy place result in you looking like a giant lobster.

Hydration- Again, most of us know to keep hydrated while in the sun, but when coupled with being in a dangerous environment it becomes important for staying safe. Severe dehydration can lead to confusion and when you’re one or two feet from a no-go line confusion can cut your visit short. Somewhat related to this is the wearing of comfortable clothing and if standing for long periods of time do not lock your knees (pools blood in the legs and can cause you to become dizzy and possibly go for a short nap in the dirt).

Situational awareness- Things that can flat-out kill you on the flight line include (but are in no way limited to): propellers, jet intakes/exhaust, maneuvering aircraft, maneuvering flight line equipment, equipment failures. I could go on. And on. But I shant.

The key is pretty easy to remember: keep your head on a swivel. Realize that when the airplane you just watched go through its start up procedure begins to taxi and turns there might be a big blast of air coming your way. Watch for aircraft maneuvering in front and perhaps behind you. Red lines on a fuselage can mean a prop strike line or a “suck zone” for a jet intake. While most visits to a flight line won’t be on a carrier, you might want to take a look at this short video of safety considerations on a US Navy carrier for some things to look out for:

http://tinyurl.com/pbs-deck-safety

FLIGHT LINE ETIQUETTE

FOD- meaning foreign object damage. Simply put: it is stuff lying around that can screw up life for someone. Estimates put annual FOD damage in the aerospace industry between $1.1-2 BILLION a year in direct costs (not counting delays, rescheduling costs, litigation, etc.). FOD can be sent flying into your eye/face/skin causing damage. Even worse, FOD can be sucked into a jet engine and cause an amazing amount of damage to today’s modern turbine engines. Take a look at what a bolt can do to the fan blades of an engine:

http://tinyurl.com/fod-bolt-blades Image from US Navy Flight Safety Center website

Now don’t get lulled into thinking that since you have no bolts in your pocket that you’ll be FOD-free. Think about these things: candy/gum and their wrappers, ear plugs, hats/visors, drink bottles, fast food wrappers/bags, jewelry; handkerchief/bandana, clothing, sunglasses, rocks/gravel (so don’t kick at the ground, scratch a hole, etc.). As a photographer think about memory cards, batteries, cleaning cloths, blower bulbs, lens caps/hoods, pens/notepads.

When visiting any flight line, only take what you need. Some environments do not allow hats or restrict their use to those with straps or lanyards. Personally, I remove pins from hats (if I wear one at all) as well as any jewelry I can easily remove.

Foul lines- Depending on your visit site you will likely get a briefing on where your “go” and “no-go” places are. If not, be aware that if you see a double-yellow line it is delineating the boundary for a taxiway. Keep your head on a swivel (especially if wearing hearing protecting) as aircraft can breeze by. If you’re on a military installation and you see a red line DO NOT CROSS it until you are told it is OK. Red lines are restricted areas (normally referred to as a Priority C restricted area). Often you’ll see a warning stenciled next to it with something akin to “WARNING: Restricted Area- Deadly Force Authorized” or something equally subtle. Your installation briefing/guide will inform you of other no-go areas so pay attention. You do not want to be the reason a visit gets cut short.

Equipment- In some environments equipment is needed to support aircraft: start carts, ground power units, arrestor gear, etc. Some of this equipment has very hot exhaust air and can easily burn you. Some is simply a smack-your-head hazard but can still cut a visit short. If you are anywhere near arrestor gear be aware that cable failures can and do happen! Always keep your eye on the cable until it has returned to its stowed position AND has stopped moving. If you’re on an active ramp beware of APU exhaust which can neatly singe hair from all sorts of body parts.

Air effects- As odd as it sounds, air moves close to maneuvering aircraft. It moves REAL fast when said aircraft are powering up and taking off. Landing aircraft can push out a wave of air that can catch you off guard and send you head-over-heels in a heartbeat. The mass of a 37,000 pound jet passing by at close range can catch you off guard. Be aware and if you’ve never been close to active aircraft, take the first pass or two a step back and simply observe.

To sum up, staying safe on the flight line keeps everyone involved happy and greatly increases you chance of being asked back. Be sure to thank your host (unbelievably some folks don’t) and if you’ve told them you would do something like send prints or a CD, do so promptly. Flight line visits are at the *discretion* of someone, so do your very best to make your visit pleasant and memorable for all the right reasons! Stay safe.

text copyright © James O’Rear all rights reserved