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380AEW Article

Flight Safety: ensuring safety is not “lost in translation”

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Christopher Boitz
  • 380th Air Expeditionary Wing
In the military, you’ll quickly find yourself speaking a different language than the one our civilian counterparts are accustomed. Whether its acronyms, slang or terminology related to our unique specialties, the way we communicate often leaves an outsider confused and distant from the coded verses being exchanged.

In the case of maintainers and operators, their language may be similar but the pronunciation or accent of the way they interact together can often lead to misinterpretations. In more serious instances, it can lead to flight-related incidents or safety mishaps.

“Maintenance and operations have two different mindsets; maintenance is thinking about getting the jets fixed while ops is thinking about getting the sorties done,” said Tech. Sgt. Scott, flight safety noncommissioned officer. “Being a flight safety NCO, you have to learn what each side is doing and understand that both sides are working together toward a common goal.”

The flight safety NCO is a special duty position which requires a solid foundation in the maintenance and operations realm of practices and procedures. The position necessitates a keen appreciation for the critical interdependence between operations personnel and their maintenance brethren.

In a broader sense, TSgt. Scott is an interpreter of their language and helps bridge the gap when communication is misunderstood.
When aircraft-related mishaps or incidents occur, which include personnel injuries and damaged resources, TSgt. Scott is there to investigate how and why it occurred.

“What Flight Safety does is try to equate all the aircraft together,” said TSgt. Scott. “What we do is make sure that if there is a problem with a jet, maintainers and aircrew working with aircraft across the force know there is an issue and could potentially have the same problem. Our job is to figure out the next thing that’s going to bring down an aircraft without having it happen.”

His unique skillset, understanding how maintainers and operators communicate, helps connect the dots and create a picture of how the interrelated practices and procedures may have contributed to the mishap or incident.

“He knows his job very well and his maintenance background is extremely valuable to us,” said Capt. Ryan, flight safety officer. “Anytime we have questions about mishaps or incidents, we look to him for his expertise. He understands what maintenance is doing and is able to explain it so we can have a clear picture of mishap or incident.”

TSgt. Scott’s translation of why incidents happen and leadership recommendations to prevent future mishaps reaches further than just the flightline he watches over, often having an Air Force wide reach.

“He was responsible for putting together a high accident potential report which identified ramp space issues with multiple aircraft,” said Capt. Ryan. “Because of him, we were able to push it out to other deployed locations and Air Force bases to assist them with potential issues.”

The safety program doesn’t squarely fall on TSgt. Scott or Capt. Ryan, it’s everyone’s responsibility. It doesn’t stop at the end of shift or when we take our uniform off. It’s a language military members must be fluent.

“There are several different aircraft that have different ground operations, it’s important to understand what’s going on so there aren’t mishaps,” said TSgt. Scott. “We have a lot of people out here on the flightline. We want to make sure they’re safe and they know what they’re doing.”

(Editor’s note: Due to safety and security reasons, last names were removed.)