BUDDY BOX SAFETY
When using a “Buddy Box” system for flying training it is vitally important that you ensure correct operation of the system before each flight is made.
A recent review of incidents and accidents showed a number of cases where aircraft crashed due to problems with the Buddy link. These included broken switches, switches that jammed due to being “gummed up” with fuel, plugs that did not lock securely to the socket, frayed and worn leads leading to poor or intermittent connection.
Another area that has caused problems is the constant plugging and unplugging of the TX connection either for “Buddy Box” use or for flight simulator connection. On some brands of transmitter the socket is mounted directly to a printed circuit board and in some instances repeated use has led to a crack in the host board which is exhibited as an intermittent fault.
For many pilots their second transmitter is one that is not used regularly and is brought out solely for training use, a thorough pre session check should be carried out at the start of the session and a “handover check” carried out as part of the pre flight checks. If there are any doubts over the operation of the system then do not fly with it.
Manny Williamson
Development Officer
On behalf of the Safety Review Committee