The first-ever zero-crash record achieved by the air force last year is the result of a risk management mechanism which the service has copied from its Singaporean and US counterparts, the air force says.
The record looks especially impressive given the relatively high crash rates in the air force.
TAIPEI TIMES FILE PHOTO
Over the past five decades, there has been a total of 522 aircraft crashes, an average of 10 each year, according to statistics provided by the air force general headquarters. Casualty figures are not available.
Air force deputy commander in chief Lieutenant General Liu Kuei-li (
"I hope the achievement did not come by chance. We still have a lot of work to do. Our risk management mechanism needs to be further strengthened and expanded," Liu said.
"The mechanism was first introduced into Taiwan one and a half years ago when service chief General Chen Chao-ming (
"At that time, the Singaporean air force had already maintained a zero-crash record for five consecutive years. We are not ashamed of learning from our former pupils. It is true that the Singaporean air force was established under our assistance," Liu said.
"We will learn anything that is of benefit to us regardless of whom it comes from. We only hope to get better and better."
Liu made the remarks during a recent meeting with the media, at which the air force gave a briefing on the ongoing implementation of the risk management mechanism in the service.
The mechanism was formally enforced last March, said Colonel Chin Ping-ho (
The mechanism features a quantitative control of all sorts of risk factors which might be associated with flying. It requires combat pilots to do a self-evaluation of risk factors before each flight mission.
"We had met opposition during the early phases of the implementation of the system. But it is now well received service-wide," Colonel Chin said.
"Last year's zero-crash record is not something which we can be satisfied with. But it is a remarkable achievement, anyway. We must keep in mind that before 1989, the number of crashes in the service was almost in double digits each year," he said.
"The best record before the enforcement of the risk management system was achieved in 1994 when ex-premier Tang Fei (
"We had our own risk management mechanism in the past. But it is different from the new model we are now building in that it was less precise. The new model is basically a quantitative management system."
Admitting to the air force's lack of experience in the field, Chin said the service is now seeking assistance from a local risk management association, which is comprised of renowned business management scholars.
"Even the association itself is new. It was established only two or three years ago. But it is the best of its kind we can find in the country. We do not have the knowledge or experience to judge how helpful it can be to the air force. It will be a learning experience for both of us," Chin said.
For the moment , the risk management mechanism covers only the pilots, with plans for it to be extended to other priority sectors like logistics, Chin said.
If the extended results prove to be good, Chin said, the system could also be introduced into the army and navy for high-risk work areas.
Meanwhile, General Liu also gave an in-depth analysis of factors causing the relatively high aircraft crash rates in the service over the past five decades.
"Before the acquisition of F-5E fighter planes [in the 1970s], our air force had only second-hand aircraft to use. That was the major factor behind the crashes at that time," Liu said.
"The F-100 fighters, for instance, had already been in service for a substantial period before we got them from the US. The F-104 fighters were even older ... The F-104 had some design problems, which earned it the nickname `the flying coffin.' A lot of our best pilots were killed in F-104 crashes," he said.
"Another factor was the shortage of replacement parts for the aging fighters. Human factors were also an important element."
Following the induction of F-5E fighters in Taiwan in 1974, Liu said, the aircraft crash rate in the air force started decreasing because the F-5E was a new plane and parts could be sourced easily.
Another reason behind the significant drop in the aircraft crash rate since 1994 was the decision at that time to replace older fighters with second-generation jets such as the US-made F-16, the French-made Mirage 2000-5 and the Indigenous Defense Fighter (經國號).
"In 1994, only one plane crashed. It was mainly due to a reduction of overall flight hours as aircraft were being replaced. At that time, quite a number of fighter wings were relieved of combat missions to get ready for the new fighter planes," Liu said.
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