Quickstoppers Published Feb. 5, 2014 By AMC HQ AMC/SEG Spring 2014 -- There I Was ... Call Me Flipper By Mr. Joe Hughes HQ AMC/SEG As I watched my young son doing flips on the trampoline, he taunted me into trying it myself. At age 45, this was well within my ability, or at least in my mind it was. I practiced over and over again, in secrecy of course, until I perfected the flip, which took about three weeks. (Laugh--however, it is more difficult than you think.) The next time my son and his friends gathered, they taunted me. With my newly perfected skill, I climbed on the trampoline and left them speechless. My day had finally come. The aftermath of this new activity will surprise you. As summer approached and I opened the pool, I decided to take my new trick, turning flips, from the trampoline to the diving board. As some of you may know, a flip on the trampoline is straight up and straight down. Flip-turning techniques applied on the diving board, straight up and straight down, can be painful. Well, the old dog learned a new trick that resulted in a fractured collarbone and a new life lesson as well. As one may imagine, the flip, although executed the same on both the trampoline and the diving board, produced a different result. Lesson learned: what works in one environment does not necessarily transfer without modifications. At work or at play, apply appropriate risk management. Communication ... Still the Key By Mr. Lalo Maynes HQ AMC/SEF Taxi mishaps can happen anywhere planes taxi, here in the United States or on the opposite side of the globe. Recently, AMC aircraft experienced two taxi mishaps on two different aircraft types that caused substantial damage to four aircraft and inhibited mission execution and velocity. The first mishap occurred during a training exercise. While taxiing to park, one aircraft's tail struck the tail of another aircraft parked directly across the apron. This preventable mishap occurred due to lack of communication, lack of training, and lack of awareness. The parties involved were the local transit alert, deployed maintenance, airfield management, and aircrew. Faulty assumptions concerning the specified parking locations led to the two aircraft striking tails. The second mishap occurred after an aircraft blocked out of parking and turned left onto the taxiway. At 175 feet down the taxiway, the left wingtip struck and tore the radome off another aircraft parked on the ramp. As with the previous mishap, lack of communication between parties existed, and aircrew did not properly assess wingtip clearance. If you're supervising a parking plan for a short notice TDY, ask your local Airfield Manager if your plan is well devised. Then, in execution, ensure all players are informed as to specifics on the parking plan and all its intricacies. Make no assumptions. Are nose wheel stop markings clear? Do they apply for all aircraft types? Do aircrews know the plan? Does tower ground control know the plan? The time to ensure the plan and players are informed is at groundspeed zero. Remember, "No Faster Than Safe!"