Courtesy of MSgt Steve Ball and USAF Air Combat Command’s
“The Combat Edge” online newsmagazine.

Foreign Objects Can Become FOD
by MSgt Steve Ball, Minot Air Force Base

I was headed to Texas on temporary duty. As I sat in one of those big airports, waiting for a long layover to end, I began watching the baggage handlers down below. They move real fast and can load up a jet Pretty Darn Quick (PDQ). Anyway, I was watching these guys driving around for about 30 minutes when I started to look at something else down there in the loading area: Yup. FO! You know, Foreign Objects that can lead to Foreign Object Damage (FOD)! The funny thing was, it wasn’t on the ground exactly.  [Read more…]

Compliments of U.S. Navy Safety Center

…wait a minute, it is a snake! This photo sent in by one of our users shows a crewman taking care of this unusual preflight problem. [Read more…]

After civilian airports asked for a follow-up to its ground-breaking AC on FOD detection, the Federal Aviation Administration has issued the final release of its new AC on FOD program procedures and equipment.

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Between the growing numbers of migrating birds and other wildlife, and the increased air traffic, the potential for collision with wild geese, seagulls and even vultures is growing. And, bird eradication is getting more difficult and more costly, said civilian and military aviation and wildlife experts attending the Bird Strike Committee USA/Canada, which drew 400 people in August. [Read more…]

Keeping track of captured enemy combatants isn’t the only worry at US Naval Station Guantanamo Bay. Military personnel there treat FOD seriously. So should you.

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Transportation authorities in Australia report that FOD occurrences have increased significantly at the nation’s airports. The report includes an interesting list of the types of FOD most commonly found.

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Take a Puzzle Break!

One of our site visitors* sent these puzzles for you to enjoy.

• Print out and challenge your team. Give a prize to the first to finish.
• Make up your own – anything to keep minds focused on FOD.
• Have a contest – you may have a few creative puzzle writers close by, eager to make up more mind twisters.

[Read more…]

Aviation attorney Stephen P. Prentice raises an alarm over France prosecuting two Continental Airlines employees for criminal manslaughter. Why should the USA share safety data with the Europeans if a foreign government could use it to throw innocent Americans in jail?

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Compliments of U.S. Navy “Mech” Magazine

By Ltjg. Jason Bauman

Five minutes to flight quarters and my flashlight doesn’t work. I was already late, the HAC had already strapped in, and I was just now getting to preflight my SV-2. Luck would have my flashlight going from fading in and out the night before to not working at all. Hindsight would say the responsible thing to do would have been to take care of the problem the night before. However, I found myself taking the easy way out. I thought, “Nobody’s around; there’s no time to find new batteries. No harm, no foul, I’ll just grab a flashlight off of one of the SV-2’s hanging above me, return it when I get back, and no one will be the wiser.” Bad idea. This was the first mistake in a string of them, which ultimately led to me downing two aircraft. [Read more…]

A preliminary NTSB report indicates that a stray metal bearing roller may have jammed an elevator control system, causing a pitch-up event during the attempted landing of a Boeing 737 last year.

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The Concorde nearly repeated itself in Mexico, happily this time with no fire or casualties. During takeoff from Cancun, an engine cover fell from an Airbus 318, shredding a tire on a nearby Boeing 717. Here is the news report, translated into English from the original Spanish.

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What is FOD?

by Master Sergeant Frank Merchant,
Whiteman AFB

So what is Foreign Object Damage and what can it do?  What does FOD mean to a pilot and crew?

It may be ice, birds, tools or hardware, sucked into a turbofan.  Sometimes “acts of God” (ice and birds) but all too often FOD is an act of man.

An aircraft frightfully out of control, its occupants feel their hearts in their throats.  The pilot struggles desperately to wrestle control, as the plane goes down in a billow of smoke. [Read more…]

Enjoy this presentation on Foreign Object Elimination: Click here to Download the powerpoint file.

Public access to previously confidential bird strike records has been granted by the FAA.

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