Page 22 - Tennessee Magazine 2017 Issue 1

Pipeline Safety

ave you ever ilown in an ierleral agency—Lhe u.s. Departnient of ironi a plane several thousand ieet

airplane? At this point in Transportation. in the air has to be more spectacular

histor , if ou are readin than ins eetin the i eline from the
I 1th.s,.Keo§osareyou g W"i°'3f‘h'"sW.haPP€"“°a" groundp g "P
Pmbably have M: YD“ mm M airplane, e pilot is literally always > I
H W SD Wh m ml Wh ml? The considered a possible cause. when A lot of the training ior pipelines is

ying , y , y . . . .

Mm,“ ma 0" of N 19 who soinething bad happens to a pipeline, siniilar to the training required of
°“°"" g’'’'‘’*’ h l t-lv- lvhd-bld t
fly rcaoh their destination saiely. in fact, ‘ ‘WP? ‘"9 °*’““ °'‘“ “ W” P“? 2 Y‘ °. ““3“' ‘" :°‘’‘.” 2

H H “E ‘hat mm “mm considered a primary suspect. and rnaintain airplanes. situational

‘’"° “°“ '3 . P r -. 'Iical iactur in both
to and ironi the airport is tar more one big ditterenee; when an airplane E“. _“‘““"l" “‘f"( 1 F f ‘b I“
dangerous than flying itself (no, I crashes, the pilot is ALWAYS the i’-irst to 11'‘ ‘:‘*,’,°' ““ fl’ “ 9’ ‘h°°d " ,,,‘;:Y
have not researched the “ °“ ’ ’““ ‘““ ‘ —"°“’ 9" “Pi
statistics) A remarkable fvT;§¥:‘§"]"AT§’E
thing about airplanes is DONG, K. d ,
that today's airplanes are _ . ' “h.°‘”“ ‘
amazingly reliable. what ff” "SW" ‘““ ‘
happens when there is a “_ "““}‘1""“:h"‘°‘*' ‘
problem while an airplane ' “ ‘““‘ "““ b“‘“
is in the air? Pilots are V L 4 ‘° be “ “'2 g‘°““fi
trained to deal with ‘ \ ‘;‘”l““5h—""“ WE” ".‘
problerns. some problems \ ea, , ‘ 9 “‘“ ““ '“ 9 “"

_ , I wishing you were on
are worse than others é \ f h d
Most are niinor. some i ‘ 9 g’°““
require heroic action. There is no need to be
can you say "Miracle on .itr.iid of ilying and
the Hudson”? captain there is no need to be
sullenberger will tell you atraid of pipeline. But
he rloes not consider hirnselt a hero. the seene of the crash: lknow 7 l ani a both demand respect.
He was well trained and used his skills pilot and the pilot sits at the iront of the
to identify the best option Lives that airplane. That is not always true with UN" “°"“, ‘““° ’ “"9 “"““' "“d b‘ *"‘°
could have easily been lost were not pipeline operators. °“‘ ”‘°’‘‘’' '
because of the decisions sullenberger .
inarle and the wily he iinpieineated ffm§°m= “W W gvbmg I» *'°'"=j 0;
Ihw decmor-~= I1-av»:-1’l a-zen the 1”" °’“ "““T‘}t“‘“,lf" Y '“°"‘";“, ° /aliii r('Im'd/ram PHMSA and IS rllrrmfly
movie “awn: Tom Hank» yet but I ” ‘°’“ ‘Em’? ‘ “‘ “ my "°‘." ““ a“ vice Prrsldcnf ii/pipeliiie 5_I/§I('m caaiplie
undmtand it 1» fairly renlhuc ::°:“P“§D‘f {‘1:‘:““u‘f”’°" arire and apemtioiis siwicrs far c2 Plzrfr
why are we talking about airplanes getting your lieense to leai-n wears off, ""5 LLC 5”" /"’"‘ /""‘1’1“*‘82"5»“”"
when this is supposed to be about a lot of flying is (at least to me) boring.
pipeline safety? Think about the As boring as it may be, you still have to
similarities Both teohnologies started stay vigilant. Things can go ironi boring
about the sairie tinie (the early 1900's). to terriiying quickly! The sanie holds
both airplanes and pipelines are true for operating a pipeline There may flflfl
extrernely reliable. when either one be sorne pipeline personnel who get a 5 s t 7 2 3 \ 4
has a iailure, it has the potential to thnll out of staring at a pipeline control T ? '§ 7 3 5*‘?
be catastrophic with both, there is inonitor (a lot like an air rraihc Control % 7
the potential that innoeent people nionitor),but, at least tor me, that is g g
could be injured or killed. Airplanes not the same as flying an airplane 5 -3 5 9 3 2 7 3 ‘
are incredibly complex and so are npelines are in the ground Yes, they as § Hun
pipelines l-ilots and pipeline operators have to be patrolled at speciiic intervals '5‘ 9 4 2 5 7 l 3
are typically very well trained. Both depenrling on the pipeline but it is not “ 2 7 3 t 4 1 9
are highly regulated by the same the sanie as taking off, navigating and an

finding a sate plaee to land. The view
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