If you’re heading to a new airport, or one you’ve not been to for a while/ aren’t they familiar with it then you have two options… You can rock up and see how it goes, hoping that the pilot next to you has been there recently and is paying attention.
Or you can prepare for it.
That preparation means familiarising with the airport and getting to know the threats and hazards it has waiting for you, and of course thinking up some mitigations for it.
This what the Airport OGRE is designed to help you with.
DISCOVER WHAT MIGHT BITE YOU!
There is a long old list of hazards to look through. It might not be all of them, but it’s most of them.
Sure, you might oneday head to an airport where a rogue giraffe occasionally sunbathes on the runway… actually, that would come under wildlife so even that’s in there…
YOU HAVE TO DO IT YOURSELF
Why? Because that way you learn stuff. If you just got a long list of things to look out for you’d probably only half read it, and you wouldn’t really be all cognitive about it (that means putting it inside your brain and doing something with it).
It is a bit time consuming, but think of it like a road trip through a really beautiful landscape – sure, you’re looking forward to seeing the highlight at the end of the trip, but the drive still has a lot to see along it.
By working through the hazard list, and looking over airport charts and information, a whole load of info is worming its way into your brain and hopefully taking up root there.
I realise that image may have completely put people off using this.
MITIGATE! MITIGATE! MITIGATE!
There’s no point just spotting a load of stuff that might bite you, you probably want to do something about it too. This is where step 2 comes in. We’ve added in some possible mitigations for you to get you thinking. You can use them. You can ignore them. It’s up to you.
The point is, as you identify hazards, also think about how to manage them. Giant worm angling for your eye ball? Try a pair of sunglasses. Massive mountain squatting beside the airport? Consider briefing maximum rate of descents, what navigation mode you’ll use to ensure you don’t fly into it…
DESIGNED TO SCARE…
Yes, we don’t want anyone getting complacent or nonchalant about threats, so we’ve cunningly programmed the OGRE to let you know what horrors might befall you if you don’t properly mitigate.
Each hazard can contribute to one or more major occurrences.
We didn’t invent these, they are the monitored each year (check out EASA’s Annual Safety Review somewhere around page 34, or the Airbus’ accidents statistics stuff – it’s not just Airbus included).
So your report will give you an indication of which of these you are at a potentially higher risk of, because of the threats and hazards at the airport you’re heading to.
Don’t want to have a runway excursion? Then think about what could lead to that and do something about it before it does.
We’ve also included an OGRE rating. This just shows how may hazards you found so you can rank airports in order of how much each might bite you.
Finally, you get a little ICAO categorisation rating. This is based off some standard categorisations ICAO recommend for determining if an airport is Cat A, B or C. Your operator/airline safety department should do this for you anyway, this is just a general indication.
SHARING IS CARING
Which is why we’ve also made it so you can print our your familiarisation form. Take it with you, waggle it in front of the other pilot, and use it to brief them in a Threat and Error Management sort of a way.
WHERE CAN I FIND THE OGRE?
He is currently living on the Apple app store, but is soon renting a spot on the Google Play store as well. He also has a home here at AirportOGRE.com
FEED THE OGRE
If you want to ‘feed’ him please do so by getting in touch and sharing your wisdom with us. Things like mitigation suggestions, or intriguing things about airports which can’t be found in charts and AIPs.
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