Tag: ntsb

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RWS 80 – Influencing a Positive Aviation Culture with Natalee Johnston

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There are differing and some very academic definitions for what culture is. I like – “the way we do things around here”.  This is a chat about organisational culture and how it impacts on aviation and specifically helicopter operations. 

Natalee Johnston spent most of her time in the Royal Australian Navy as a Sea King pilot. A fatal crash of a RAN Sea King ‘Shark 02’ in 2005 brought with it an increased focus on culture within that Unit and the larger Navy Fleet Air Arm. As Natalee progressed in her career through pilot instructing positions, Flight Commander, Fleet Air Arm Flight Safety Officer and SQN Executive Officer roles she was observer many of the changes and the programs put in place from the findings of that accident investigation.

Now out of the Defence Forces Natalee is taking that knowledge and applying her background in the safety field for civilian organisations with a focus on human factors and the influence of culture on company or organisation performance.

Flight 2, 817 squadron on the flight deck of HMAS KANIMBLA with Seaking 10 and Seaking 22, on return to Australia from OPERATION PADANG ASSIST.

In this episode we cover:

  • Natalee’s Defence career and how she got a start flying helicopters
  • Culture – what is it / definitions / is it measurable
  • Why it is important and its impact on safety outcomes
  • What are the elements that make up culture
  • What individuals or leaders can do to influence a better culture
  • Culture as a competitive advantage
  • Women in Aviation organisation – goals / scholarships
Sea King Shark 22 – At work Shoalwater Bay

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Links from this week’s episode:
Support the podcast on Patreon

assimilatedsafety.com – Natalee Johnston’s consulting company

2005 Sea King Crash Investigation – the executive summary from the Board of Inquiry highlights some of the causal themes that lead to an increased focus on ‘culture’ as a safety indicator/opportunity.

Women in Aviation – Australian Chapter – information about mentoring, events and scholarships provided by this organisation.

‘Just Culture’ concept is mentioned in the podcast. The video below is an expansion on that idea.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVWjgqDANWA

Life on the outside of Defence. Natalee trying her hand at plank driving.

Natalee with MRH90 crew for a flight into Milton Public school March 2018

WAI Australian Chapter March 2019 at Women in Aviation International conference

Have a comment or feedback about Episode 80? Maybe you have some great tips of your own that others can benefit from.  Be part of the conversation by leaving a comment below.

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RWS 79 – Tackling Helicopter Aircrew Distractions with Kimberly Hutchings

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Kimberly Hutchings juggles flying helicopters, running a longline training school, family, being a physical trainer and speaking on safety for high risk industries.

Have you ever taken your eyes inside the cockpit to check a notification or had your preflight inspection interrupted by a phone call? Distractions of all kinds are increasingly a problem for aircrew and they are starting to show up in safety stats. 

Picture for a moment – you are aircrew on a helicopter pre-1995 conducting a preflight on the ramp. For someone to distract you from your task they would have to come out onto the ramp and yell at you to get your attention. Chances are that unless something really important was up that your pre-flight would be uninterrupted.

In 2019 when you preflight you are likely to field calls from Mum asking why you haven’t called in a week, your wife/husband checking to see who is picking up the kids that afternoon and your boss wanting to know if you can work on Saturday. Then there are the social media post notifications, vibrations to let you know a new email has arrived and a recommendation from YouTube that PilotYellow has just posted a new video you might want to watch.  

And that’s just on the ground. Bluetooth headsets, ipads and selfie taking passengers bring a new level of challenges to our ability to focus.

Distractions are enough of an aviation hazard now that the US NTSB include it as the first item on their Most Wanted List.

Kimberly Hutchings is a helicopter pilot, helicopter business CEO, speaker who holds a Bachelor of Psychology, a Masters of aeronautical science specialising in Human Factors and Safety systems and a Masters of Management w/ Organizational Behaviour and Leadership.

Kimberly regularly speaks to groups and companies around the dangers of loss of focus, distractions, emotional intelligence and mindfulness.

In this episode we look at what the problem is, how helicopters compare to other forms of transport and strategies to prevent our attention being pulled away from critical tasks.

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Links from this week’s episode:
Support the podcast on Patreon

Volomission – Vertical Reference and Longline Training.

Kimberly Hutchings on LinkedIn.

NTSB Most Wanted List – more info on Distractions and the other top US aviation safety concerns.

Training at the Volomission ranch in Texas. Kimberly and her husband Andre run a dedicated external load and vertical reference school.
Helicopters are more like cars than aeroplanes when it comes to distractions from passengers.

Have a comment or feedback about Episode 79? Maybe you have some great tips of your own that others can benefit from.  Be part of the conversation by leaving a comment below.