What is Apple Jelly

  

What is Apple Jelly?

Photo courtesy Bill Hoagland, Petroleum Product Marketing Consulting

No, it is not something invented by the late Steve Jobs, it is a redish-brown gooey substance often found in the bottom of jet fuel tanks. Apple Jelly is the nickname given to "APPL Jelly" which comes from the abbreviation for Alberta Products Pipeline where the material was first identified. It is an emulsion of anti-icing additive and water, which precipitates out to the bottom of the tank. These additives are known as Prist, DiEGME, Fuel System Icing Inhibitor (FSII). In 2002 the US Air Force published a study of this problem, worth reading, see references below.

Why Use FSII?

For valid cost reasons, many helicopter operators have their own fuel tanks. It seems to be conventional wisdom that it is a good idea to pre-blend FSII to take out any free water in the fuel. However, the purpose of FSII is to prevent the formation of ice at low temperatures. It is not required above -40°F. Almost all helicopters do not require FSII. If it is used the required concentration is between .10% and .15% by volume.

oto courtesy Bill Hoagland, Petroleum Product Marketing & Consulting

In a follow-up phone call to Bill Hougland of PPMC (See below) he said, “By using proper housekeeping to keep the water out of your tanks it is generally not necessary to use FSII (for helicopters in most cases).  But you must follow your aircraft operation guide.

If Apple Jelly forms in the bottom of your tank is likely that your fuel no longer has the approved concentration of additive thus potentially “off-spec.”  Another argument in favor of its use is the prevention of microbiological growth, although it must be said that FSII is not considered a bio-cide, but only a bio-stat. (In other words it doesn’t kill those bugs.)

The Dangers of Apple Jelly

Apple Jelly is highly corrosive and has been reported to have caused the following events:

• Disarming of fuel filters, which can allow water and sediment to reach the aircraft.
• Corroding and removing fuel tank linings including paints.
• Corrosion of aircraft fuel tanks.
• Causing erroneous readings on aircraft capacitance fuel gauges.
• The potential to cause engine flameout on an aircraft, although a search of the NTSB database finds no accidents or incidents of this nature.
• Potential for off-spec fuel after FSII/water emulsion settles in your tank.

The Solutions

It is highly recommended that your director of maintenance, safety officer, and accountable executive examine all references below. As a matter of priority you should at least consider the following recommendations:

• Sump your tank and filter daily.
•  Perform a white bucket (clear and bright) test prior to accepting fuel from a transport.
• Allow your fuel to settle for one hour per foot of delivered fuel.
• Confirm that your filter is compatible with pre-blended fuel. (See EI 1581 below)
• Conduct drain test on all aircraft every day without fail.
• Write your fuel procedures manual and include it as part of your Safety Management System (SMS) so that you can manage fuel risks appropriately. 

Acknowledgments

Many thanks to Bill Hougland of Petroleum Product Marketingand Consulting, Parker, Colorado

References:

Note: Some documents are not public domain. Therefore it might be advisable to consult with a fuel expert such as Bill Hougland.

Hougland, B. (2004). Securing your own fuel farm. Air Medical Journal, 23(4), 20-23. Retrieved from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1067991X04001154

AC 150/5230-4B - Aircraft Fuel Storage, Handling, Training, and Dispensing on Airports. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.faa.gov/airports/resources/advisory_circulars/index.cfm/go/document.current/documentNumber/150_5230-4

Air Transport Association of America, Inc. (n.d.). Standard for Jet Fuel Quality Control at Airports ATA_103. Retrieved March 31, 2016, from http://www.scribd.com/doc/76675140/ATA-103#scribd

Revision 2006.1

EI 1581 Specification and qualification procedures for aviation jet fuel filter/separators. (n.d.). Retrieved March 31, 2016, from http://publishing.energyinst.org/publication/ei-technical-publications/aviation-fuel-handling/fuel-filtration/ei-1581-specification-and-qualification-procedures-for-aviation-jet-fuel-filterseparators

REF/ISBN: 9780852935750 Edition: 5^th

Spec 103: Standard for Jet Fuel Quality Control at Airports. (n.d.). Retrieved April 04, 2016, from https://publications.airlines.org/CommerceProductDetail.aspx?Product=82 (See Note above)

Investigation of "Apple Jelly" Contaminant in Military Jet Fuel. (2002, March). Retrieved April 04, 2016, from http://www.researchgate.net/publication/235142727_Investigation_of_Apple_Jelly_Contaminant_in_Military_Jet_Fuel

A million reasons for Safety Management Systems

Straw Poll Makes us Think

A recent straw poll asking what people knew about Safety Management Systems (SMS) in aviation produced some surprising answers. This got me thinking about why anyone would go to the trouble and expense of introducing SMS when it is currently not mandatory for on-demand (FAA Part 135) operations in the USA.

Some know "What", few know "Why"

Quite a few responders to the poll said they had good knowledge about what SMS is, but it is clear very few understand why. Quite by chance this video by the comedian Michael Jr. popped up. Watch the video then read on.

Know Your Why

Everybody's Doing It?

There may be a million reasons why anyone would introduce SMS, but "everybody is doing it" is most certainly not one of those reasons. At the first International Helicopter Safety Symposium in Montreal, September 2005, one of the speakers referred to the fact that we had already plucked the low hanging fruit in safety. Using a safety system for many decades that had consistently failed to reduce accident rates, it was agreed at that meeting to form the International Helicopter Safety Team (IHST) It set an aggressive goal of reducing the worldwide helicopter accident rate by 80% in 10 years (by 2016) There has been some success, with a notable reduction in accident rates globally.

Out With The Old

NTSB: Stall Warning Sounded Before Phenom 100 Crash

So what was the old system? Well think about it, we'd see pictures of smoking holes in the ground surrounded by accident investigators. Given time, hopefully those investigators would find a cause and make recommendations to prevent recurrence of that specific accident. But were those recommendations followed, and if so did they do as expected, i.e prevent a recurrence of that accident? This kind of tombstone safety management has failed to reduce accidents down to the ideal of zero. No doubt changes in technology, procedures, and training have made aviation the safest way to travel. But is it not a disgrace that we have to climb on the backs of so many dead people before anything gets done?

In With the New

How can we change from being reactive, that is after the crash, to proactive, that is before the crash, in our efforts to keep us safe? This is the key to SMS, the "Why". We are beginning see the "What" of SMS in that it is a systematic approach to managing safety, including the necessary organizational structures, accountabilities, polices and procedures. Wow! What a mouthful! OK, so Mom and Pop Aviatiors Inc. decide they need this, and simply copy and paste someone else's manual calling it their own. Job done? Nope... for the simple reason that neither Mom nor Pop actually understand the "Why" of the whole thing. Nor, indeed, do they understand the "What", either. And in any case isn't the "what" they're now doing exactly the same as "what" they've been doing so badly for so many years?

Risk Management and Safety Assurance

Risk management, somewhat new in concept, is how we can become proactive. Before the crash, identify risks, do something to avoid or minimize (mitigate) those risks to an acceptable level, and then make sure that what we did works! This checking back has not been part of safety before. You may have heard aviation companies boast that they are much safer than their competitors simply because they've never had an accident. WRONG! They are just lucky, because the statistics prove them wrong. On the other hand, if they practice effective safety assurance, they can rightly say, "We are safer than our competitors, and we can prove it."

Is it All About Costs?

I am an unabashed cynic. We all know that manufacturers have often been caught out not recalling something they've known about simply because it was cheaper to pay compensation to those hurt. When the accountants (or bean counters) get to the point where they decide it would be cheaper to recall that faulty motor car, or whatever, then and only then do they do it. Anyone with an interest in aviation history know that the cargo door design flaw in the DC 10 eventually led to the demise of McDonnall-Douglas. They knew about it, did nothing, and paid the price in lives lost.

Stand Head and Shoulders Above the Rest

So I would say to Mom and Pop that if they really want to stand head and shoulders above all the rest, they need to consider what they do to prevent accidents, to become clear-headed about why, and to set their standards high and then make sure they achieve those high standards. This involves an enormous commitment to working at it in every aspect of their business. This will pay huge dividends when the regulators announce that SMS is mandatory, because by that time it will be too late to go through the growing pains that all face when completely redesigning the way they manage safety. As they continue to convert their large fortune into a small one in aviation, they can at least sleep soundly at night knowing they are doing their best at preventing accidents.

More Information:

There are many resources out there. Try the USHST links page first.

What I hate about this place is the apathy, but there again who cares?

Somebody asked me the other day why I was so passionate about safety. I answered his question with a question, "Am I more passionate than you?" I have lost too many friends, been to too many funerals, and endured the horror of being first on scene of an aircraft crash to find someone with whom I had shared a few social moments the night before spread all over 2 miles of German countryside. I have seen the look on the faces of widows and orphans. I never want to experience any of that again.

http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01238/helicopter_crash3_1238515c.jpg

So how do we generate enthusiasm amongst those who have never been touched personally by tragedies brought about through unnecessary accidents? Of course those of us who are long in the tooth can tell a few war stories when the hanger doors are open. (and how we love doing that!) But that is hardly enough. I have to remember that the timing of the question was was during initial training for all employees about our All New Safety Management System. My obvious passion for safety came across because I was so enthusiastic about SMS, and what it could do for us.

There are many reasons why an SMS is the right way to go, and many of those reasons have already been well documented. (See the United States Helicopter Safety Team (USHST) website for many such examples.) I have yet to see anybody concentrate on the fact that a well-organized, well-designed, and well-supported SMS can do a great deal to encourage the apathetic. Under our old safety system there was one twelve-month period when not one safety concern report was filed. I come to find when I return to the job that it was mainly because, "nothing ever gets done." So if your policy makers commit to and devote the resources to a safety management system, they are therefore by definition committed to being much more responsive. It is little good having a non-punitive reporting system if the general perception is that nothing will get done.

http://media3.s-nbcnews.com/i/newscms/2014_15/314101/140409-unmh-chopper-crash-jms-2139_f3133d0c6da1a33e07778a744569fc53.jpg

One of the pillars of SMS is safety promotion, difficult in the old paper-based systems. How do you get a completed safety investigation piece of paper into everyone's hands? Under our SMS when a form is posted, all employees can read what was found on the investigation, what was done to fix a problem, and what residual risk has been accepted by the accountable executive. Who? A requirement of SMS is to identify the person who controls the purse strings in the organization. That person is therefore required to sign off on risk management and hazard analysis processes.

If you want to add to those two major advantages just one more feature of SMS it would have to be as follows. Many of us have seen trite phrases on notices saying, "Safety is our number one priority,” when we know it is not. By making people accountable from top to bottom within an organization you can only add to that safety culture where it is no longer acceptable to walk past a hazard that you see, it is no longer acceptable to ignore the reports of people who care, and it is no longer acceptable to minimize the risks associated with our “risky business.” Members of the organization with any brain whatsoever know full well the hollowness of the often quoted phrase, "We are a safe organization; we have never had an accident." That may just be luck, because statistically most aviation operations have existed for many decades without an accident.

With SMS in place, running well, supported by all levels of the company, we can now say, 

"We are a safe organization, and we can prove it!"

HERALD OF FREE ENTERPRISE - Ships and Planes and Managers who don’t know!

HERALD OF FREE ENTERPRISE

Ships and Planes and Managers who don’t know!

Have you ever wondered if a pilot in command can learn safety lessons from a ship's captain? The answer is unreservedly yes because the similarities between the two professions are remarkable. Both are in command. Both are ultimately responsible for the safety of their vessel, their crew, and their passengers. And strangely enough in many cases they are working for people who are not experts in their profession. One of the requirements of a Safety Management System (SMS) is to define an accountable executive, he who controls the purse strings. How many pilots are working for pilots? For that matter, how many sea captains are working for sea captains? In both cases not many.

The historical lesson we can take from previous accidents in either field, whether in the air or on the sea, cannot be more clearly highlighted than by a study of the Herald of Free Enterprise Disaster. This was a roll-on roll-off ferry that capsized on 6 March 1987 causing the deaths of some 188

Figure 1 Herald of Free Enterprise 

persons because it left port with the bow doors open.  This was, as are many transportation accidents, a human error accident. The report into this accident (UK Department of Transport MV Herald of Free Enterprise Report of Court No. 8074, MV Herald of Free Enterprise) said, “At first sight the faults which led to this disaster with the aforesaid errors of omission on part of the master, the chief officer, and the assistant boatswain…" (Report paragraph 14.1) As usual, this is not the whole picture. Somewhat controversial for the time, the report's authors created somewhat of a precedent of adding the cause, "Failure of Management", to the list of causes. The most damning piece of the report is, "…all concerned in management, from the members of the board of directors down to the junior superintendents, were guilty of fault in that all must be regarded as sharing responsibility for the failure of management. From top to bottom the body corporate was infected with the disease of sloppiness."

To best illustrate this failure of management the report examined in detail the consideration that had been given, at the request of the sea captains, to fitting an indicator system to show whether the bow doors were open or closed. The captain's concerns were repeatedly documented and yet rejected for the reasons of costs or even trivial, sarcastic, and frankly incredible statements such as, “do not we pay somebody to close the doors?" Another management failure was the lack of clear orders for the crews and their officers. In short, nobody was actually ordered to close the doors. There was evidence that on many occasions the ships had been overloaded, that they sailed incorrectly ballasted and therefore unstable, and that these shortcomings had been drawn to the attention of management on many occasions by the captains.

So who were these captains working for? The report states, "… those charged with the management of the company's fleet were not qualified to deal with many nautical matters and were unwilling to listen to their masters, who were well qualified." Does this sound familiar to many a pilot? How many pilots work for management qualified to deal with aviation matters? Are not many aviation companies run by those with degrees in business, or accountancy, or almost anything except aviation? Surely this must lead to the same frustrations the ferry captains must have felt at the lack of action on serious concerns and other safety issues they had raised with management?

So is there a possible way to solve the issue of specialists working for layman? This whole story of the Herald of Free Enterprise was actually a pivotal point in the history of safety management. The introduction of safety management systems to the transportation industry in particular has many attractive features. Perhaps the most important has already been mentioned; the identification of the accountable executive. This defines, perhaps for the first time, the desk upon which Harry S Truman's sign, “the Buck Stops Here,” must sit. Part of the measure of a safety culture is the attitudes and commitment of management toward safety; having committed to adopting SMS that attitude is by design subject to change.

So if we are truly to learn from this tragedy management must listen to those who are experts in their appropriate field, react to hazards identified by their experts, and prove that they really are committed to safety by their actions not by their words. Pilots can learn from this too, for they are in the best position to find hazards both in the air and on the ground. They only have themselves to blame if they do not report these hazards.

So has your organization recently adopted SMS? Have you had your Herald of Free Enterprise moment? Have you noticed your management responding more positively to your concerns than before?

Weather for Pilots - absolutely the best website.

So you are planning a trip in your aircraft, eh? Don't you just love DUATS with the raw format for METARS and TAFS? No! Neither do I.

There's a gentleman called Dan Checkoway who felt like I did, that the so-called decoded plain language text version of the weather observations provided by DUATS are hard to read. You might just miss something critical!

Over the years I've been a supporter of Dan's service, called Weathermeister I've been amazed at how it has improved. It's so good, that Dan has put weathermeister.com up for what is called Qualified Internet Service Provider (QICP) with the FAA. See FAA QICP


Want to read more about Weathermeister? See this link: About Weithermeister

Want to see Weathermeister on Facebook? Click Weathermeister on Facebook

Click that "Next Blog" Buttton

Greetings, oh so few readers.

Wondering what to say? What to write? Well, out of curiosity I clicked on the "Next Blog" button. This opened up a new world for me. I'd like to recommend in particular this blog. "Wild Life in the Woods" Why? Simply because the author, Susan, writes well, speaks her mind, and inspires many. As she says in one of her blogs, "COMMENTS: HAVE I MENTIONED HOW MUCH I LOVE YOUR COMMENTS??? They are absolutely the first thing I check every time I come here. I love to write, but the only way I have I of knowing if something I have said has resonated with you is if you TELL me so!!! So, PLEASE, leave me COMMENTS!!! I hate to beg...but..." How true that is. My two (?) readers sometimes write an email to me when I've blogged, which is all too infrequently.


So, if you're reading this, do leave a comment. One of the useful bits of information you could share is how you found the blog!


So onto a different topic.....


Float Planes and video camera error!


I was most grateful for a phone call the other day. Barry, the owner of a Widgeon who I met at Rochester Airport Wings day. He told me that there was another Wednesday fly-in at the north end of Conesus Lake. Now talk about small worlds, one of my facebook friends once popped a status up saying he was flying onto the lake! Talk about small worlds.


All the pilots seemed to know me, and all expressed gratitude for a flight I flew in June. Their good friend, pilot, Jim had crashed the Curtis Museum's Hudson replica on one of its first test flights. We are all glad to report that Jim is doing fine, going home shortly to continue his recuperation.


So these gentlemen of the air all wanted to say hello and thanks for something quite routine in the EMS world, flying a patient to hospital! Oh well.


I took some videos of them departing, all great stuff, but somehow managed to let iPhoto delete them off the camera before I'd had a chance to load them into iMovie! One of these days computers will be idiot proof!


Suffice to say, the stills below were the best you're going to get!


Thanks for reading, and PLEASE comment, if only to say hello.