Air mishap helps shape teaching skills
Friday, September 19, 2008
Lt. Col. Todd Hubbard poses for a photo moments after learning an Iraqi fighter plane
had targeted his high altitude U-2 aircraft, but that wasn't his only scrape with
death.
“I had just taken off from Beale Air Force Base in California on July 18, 1984, for what was supposed to be a high altitude practice flight in a plane with a brand new engine when something went wrong just 400 feet in the air,” said Hubbard, a retired Lt. Col. with the U.S. Air Force.
Hubbard would later learn that his plane’s new engine had actually broken apart and slid down to the tail end of the aircraft, causing the entire tail section to fall off—much like a stage in a rocket ship. What’s worse, due to a malfunction in his ejection seat, Hubbard would ultimately hit the ground before that tail section.
“The airplane tumbled onto its back and blew up while I ejected through the canopy. Because the personnel in charge of the ejection seat had disconnected vital functions, I barely got out of the plane. The biggest part of the airplane hit the ground first, me and my parachute were second, and the tail section of the aircraft crashed onto the runway last,” said Hubbard.
“The entire episode took 15 seconds, from the time I applied full power for takeoff to the time I hit the ground with my parachute.”
So what does that horrifying experience have to do with Hubbard’s dedication to teaching?
As a result of the malfunctioning ejection seat, he sustained more injuries than just the physical type. His broken back, broken jaw, and various cuts and bruises would heal in time, but Hubbard admits there were psychological implications of that event that are still in play today.
“I teach a graduate-level course called ‘Human Factors and Aviation Mental Health’ because of my ejection experience. I want to make sure every pilot I teach is prepared for both the physical and psychological aspects of piloting an airplane,” said Hubbard, who holds the Clarence E. Page Endowed Chair in the OSU College of Education.
In addition, Hubbard and Robert Bor edited and authored a book titled “Aviation Mental Health: Psychological Implications for Air Transportation,” which Hubbard uses to teach the aviation mental health course.
The mishap in California was only one experience that helped make Hubbard a better teacher. There was also that near miss high-altitude event over Iraq as he was patrolling the no-fly zone at 70,000 feet in 1993. Hubbard didn’t find out that an Iraqi fighter had his plane in its missile sites until he landed. No one has been able to explain why the Iraqi plane did not fire—which would have meant sure death for Hubbard.
But that’s another story, and another good excuse to make a difference in the classroom.