“Jumpin’ Jehosaphat!” Gramps bellows across time and space from his perch within the Naval Air Safety Center. “Any dad-burned idiot knows you can’t fly with the wings folded!” That, along with a thousand more rants, was leveled by the salty curmudgeon for more than 20 years, and though they had an effect on the naval aviators of the day, it paled by comparison to NATOPS, the six-letter acronym for the Naval Air Training and Operating Procedures Standardization launched in 1961 to increase combat readiness while stanching the loss of lives and aircraft in an accident rate that at that time stood at 19 major accidents per 10,000 flight hours, or nearly one crash for every 500 hours…not good odds for the pilots, and certainly not sustainable given the greatly increased cost of the jet aircraft entering service.
So what’s my purpose in bringing up NATOPS, an aviation-related program, in my web log? Well, first of all, it’s to point out that the key to the program lay in the last word, standardization, and the processes the term implies is as valid in the proper operation of a skid-steer or dozer as it is in an FA-18, backbone of Naval Aviation’s strike force.
But I’d be less than honest if I didn’t own up to the fact that I have a 15½-year-old grandson who intends to perform his first aircraft solo on his 16th birthday, and as part of the preparation is a member of an Air Explorer Scout troop. Because of my fairly extensive background in aviation, they’ve invited me to speak to the group in early July, and I’m gearing up so as not to make a fool of myself in the process.
Here’s the deal. I’m going to look at how a seemingly simple program could have reduced accidents to today’s rate of two mishaps per 100,000 flight hours—an entire order of magnitude despite the severe demands of carrier and combat activities. I’ll compare this with general aviation’s 6.63 rate in 2011 and, finally, assess why this disparity exists and what my grandson and his cohorts can do to improve the situation.
Should this be of interest to you? I hope so, because I’m fairly certain that the same factors will apply to your operations and may lead to improvements in your bottom line.
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Upcoming Forester University Webinars
May 2nd, 2012
Limitations of Commonly Found Construction Site Sediment Control BMPS
Are your temporary BMPs reliable? Join Jerald S. Fifield and Tina R. Evans for the third installment of our advanced Sediment and Erosion Control Master Class Series and the second part of our Effective Sediment Containment Systems Series, Limitations of Commonly Found Construction Site Sediment Control BMPs, exploring temporary BMPs, their limitations (e.g., barrier BMPs), and the principals and practice in assessing and evaluating the effectiveness of barrier BMPs.
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May 3rd, 2012
How to Conduct a Water Audit and Avoid the Pitfalls
Avoid the water auditing pitfalls! Join Troy Aichele, LEED AP (O+M) of Aichele and Associates LLC for How to Conduct a Water Audit and Avoid the Pitfalls on Thurs., May 3rd to learn the step-by-step process of performing a water audit; the key information, tools, equipment, rebates, and typical pitfalls in performing successful audits; and learn how to use a custom plumbing fixture water audit spreadsheet. Learn how to successfully conduct your own water audit and avoid common water auditing pitfalls to ensure your audit goes smoothly.
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May 17th, 2012
Effective LID Stormwater Reduction
Improve your stormwater reduction through effective low impact design (LID). Join Douglas Beyerlein, P.E., P.H., D.WRE to explore the different types of LID (e.g., green roofs, rain gardens / bioretention, impervious runoff dispersion, etc.), how they work
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May 31st, 2012
How to Calculate Water Audit Payback Periods and Write Water Audit Reports
Maximize your payback! Join Troy Aichele, LEED AP (O+M) of Aichele and Associates LLC for How to Calculate Water Audit Payback Periods and Write Audit Reports on Thurs., May 31st addressing the most essential skill in water auditing: how to calculate payback period and incorporate it effectively in your water audit report. Within this discussion, Aichele will explore how to calculate water audit improvement periods using a custom-built payback spreadsheet calculator; how to calculate use rates; how to incorporate savings, rebates and utility increases into your payback calculations; and how to write a water audit report letter incorporating water audit results and payback periods.
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April 18th, - May 25th, 2012
Sediment and Erosion Control
Master Class Series
Join industry expert and bestselling author Jerald S. Fifield, Ph.D., CISEC, CPESC and Tina R. Evans, PE, CISEC for a comprehensive 6-part online master class and workshop series (0.9 CEUs / 9 PDHs) exploring the ins and outs of effective sediment and erosion control plan design and review based on Fifield’s recently released 3rd edition of the bestselling manual Designing and Reviewing Effective Sediment and Erosion Control Plans (included in your Master Class Series package).
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April – May 2012
Water Auditing Master Series
3-Webinar Series
Learn the ins-and-outs of water auditing! Join 2010’s Speaker of the Year, Troy Aichele, LEED AP (O+M) of Aichele and Associates LLC for the Water Auditing Master Series, a 3-part webinar/webcast series focusing on getting you up-to-speed on the key attributes, uses, and opportunities in water auditing, as demonstrating step-by-step how to conduct a water audit, avoid the pitfalls, calculate payback periods, and incorporate these into your reports.
Series includes:
* Water Auditing 101: Introduction to Water Auditing
* How to Conduct a Water Audit and Avoid the Pitfalls
* How to Calculate Water Audit Payback Periods and Write Water Audit Reports
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