FLYING LESSONS for November 19, 2015 suggested by this week s aircraft mishap reports

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1 FLYING LESSONS for November 19, 2015 suggested by this week s aircraft mishap reports FLYING LESSONS uses the past week s mishap reports to consider what might have contributed to accidents, so you can make better decisions if you face similar circumstances. In almost all cases design characteristics of a specific make and model airplane have little direct bearing on the possible causes of aircraft accidents, so apply these FLYING LESSONS to any airplane you fly. Verify all technical information before applying it to your aircraft or operation, with manufacturers data and recommendations taking precedence. You are pilot in command, and are ultimately responsible for the decisions you make. FLYING LESSONS is an independent product of MASTERY FLIGHT TRAINING, INC. This week s lessons: Mastery of Flight This week I m working at the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) convention in Las Vegas, on behalf of the American Bonanza Society and as part of the NBAA Safety Committee s Single-Pilot [Airplane] Working Group (SPWG). In this capacity I delivered part of the series of presentations focusing on Loss of Control in Flight (LOC-I) that made up the day-long Single-Pilot Safety Stand-Down (SPSS). Learn more about the SPSS, including a link to a video production that shows the devolution of pilot control in a high-workload single-pilot environment. See: Because these duties took most of my time this week, I ll interrupt the discussion of loss of directional control during landing and other topics until next time. In its place let s revisit an article I wrote many years ago while I was working as education and safety director and flying a pair of Beech Barons for a large highway construction company. I hope you find it interesting and thought-provoking: Flight 600 People in technical skill fields perform unsafe acts an average 600 times for every one time there's an accident, according to a construction insurance industry study. Researchers observing operators of heavy earthmoving equipment noted workers frequently jumped off their machines instead of climbing all the way down the boarding ladder to the ground. Hundreds of operators jump without bad results. Every now and then, one might lose his/her balance when they hit the ground. A few of those would actually fall over. With large enough a sample group, a couple operators would twist an ankle, one or two break a leg or arm, and tragically, one might fall just right to hit his or her head on a rock and die. Once an unsafe action is taken, the outcome is mainly a matter of luck. Contributing factors (uneven ground, rocks, a minor head-cold affecting balance, distraction, wind, whatever) can make this a non-event, result in an embarrassing but otherwise harmless minor spill but it could end in broken bones, or even death. Pilots, like construction equipment operators, use complex machines (airplanes) to perform highly technical tasks (aviating). It stands to reason, then, that pilots do their jobs much like those in the highly technical world of modern construction operations...and that although we know better, we too may take shortcuts. This, too, can happen hundreds of times for every one time there's a mishap Mastery Flight Training, Inc. All rights reserved. 1

2 The problem is that every time we take a shortcut and something bad doesn t happen, we re conditioned to do it again and again. Even worse, we get accustomed to the risk of that unsafe act, so comfortable we tend to make progressively greater and greater transgressions. Soon we may readily accept situations we would have considered downright scary earlier in our flying career. For example, scud running might be successful. Busting minimums on an instrument approach, or taking off through low fog without following IFR departure procedures, or stretching the airplane s range to the very limits of its fuel reserves, may result in success, i.e., no accident and our destination safely reached. Or, you might nearly hit a tower, have a near-miss with another airplane in the murk, get lost, momentarily lose control in instrument conditions, run out of gas, or fly straight into the ground. Like the equipment operator jumping down onto uneven ground, once you've committed to violating what you know is the right thing to do you're depending in large part on luck for the outcome. Taking unsafe actions, and escaping because of luck, reinforces bad decisionmaking. It s bad to be thinking: I've done it before. Sneaking in under the weather in poor conditions, landing without enough fuel in the tanks to reach an alternate, or descending below minimums on an instrument approach and breaking out for a landing might convince you it would work next time. A few close scrapes that luckily turn out fine can desensitize you into making this your normal mode of operation. When flying on the edge of the envelope becomes normal, the new edge is a point where the visibility's a little lower, the crosswind's a little stronger, or the obstacle's a little higher than before. I can kick it up another notch. If you can find the field in one mile visibility, why not three-quarters? How about one-half? Ten gallons is enough of a reserve, you reason, 'but my fuel gauge shows I'll only have five left on landing that's still enough. Fifty feet below minimums makes the difference in breaking out on the approach, but today it's still murky at that altitude. How about a hundred feet this time? Repeated success at being lucky can goad you into pressing your luck just a bit more -- until you cross over the line. The rules are for less experienced pilots. You've told me and told me to keep at least three miles' visibility, ten gallons in my tanks, or not a foot below MDA. But I showed you: I can do it with less. What about all these other rules? They're for novices. I'm better than that. Danger: Ignore one rule and you're tempted to ignore them all. Just remember -- the Feds generally make rules after a crash, not before. Reading the Federal Air Regulations (FARs) is like reading an history of aviation accidents. Most rules exist because violating them killed somebody. Not having an accident is not in itself an indication that you are flying safely. Don t depend on random luck to keep you and your passengers from getting hurt perhaps badly. Any flight during which you intentionally break the rules could be your Flight #600. Like many in the U.S., I ll be enjoying time with family next week for the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday and will not publish FLYING LESSONS for November 25. We ll resume the conversation the week following that. No matter where you live and where you fly, fly safely I don t want you to give me something to write about in the next FLYING LESSONS. To all U.S. readers, and readers who will be in the U.S. next week, have a great and safe Thanksgiving holiday. Questions? Comments? Let us know, at mastery.flight.training@cox.net 2015 Mastery Flight Training, Inc. All rights reserved. 2

3 See Debrief: Readers write about recent (and some not-so-recent) FLYING LESSONS: Frequent Debriefer David Heberling writes about recent LESSONS about crosswind landings: I read all of the reader responses for crosswind landings. Great feedback. I agree wholeheartedly. Crosswind landings are near and dear to my heart. You are not really a pilot if you cannot consistently land in a crosswind up to the demonstrated maximum. Does it take superman to do that? Absolutely not. You do have to be willing to use all of the available rudder and aileron travel to compensate for the conditions at hand. Many times, the rudder and ailerons are constantly moving because of gusts and changing winds as you fly down short final and onto the runway. All I can say to anyone wanting to improve their crosswind ability is practice, a lot. I was fanatical about crosswind landings with all of my students. Some days, that is all I did all day was stay in the pattern and do touch and goes in a good crosswind. Nobody ever complained that it was a waste of time. See I agree with you, but caution about using a phrase like you are not really a pilot if... and challenge that pilot to fly to maximum aircraft capability. I d amend what you say and suspect you d agree that you are a pilot truly in command of the airplane when you evaluate the crosswind, your aircraft, your crosswinds currency and your fatigue state at the time, and attempt a crosswind only to the maximum that all those factors together permit. Thank you, David. Another frequent Debriefer, Dick Druschel, adds: It is all well and good to be able to calculate the amount of crosswind to be expected when landing at a given airport. But it must be understood that the number arrived at is simply a number. What to do with that number is the real challenge. I have seen seasoned pilots have problems with a simple five-knot crosswind because they did not understand how to deal with it. They either did not learn the techniques properly or have failed to practice the technique routinely and probably are not taking training or Flight Reviews when the winds are anything but calm. Take your pick. Maybe all of the options apply. Personally, I favor the crab and kick method. It worked in the Gulfstream V and the Citation X and it works in my Bonanza. I believe that when the winds are gusty and changing the crab method works much better than the constant slip approach. Personal opinion, however. The other issue with landing in a crosswind is that many pilots stop flying the airplane when the main wheels touch the pavement. That may be similar to a doctor walking out in the middle of an open heart operation. The job is only half done. Loss of control can and does happen in all phases of the flight. But, with proper training and routine practice, the odds of it happening can be greatly reduced. Besides, most of the pilot population likes a challenge, don t we? Contact a VERY COMPETENT instructor, with a lot of time in YOUR type aircraft and do some crosswind work. You will be surprised just how good it can feel to make the airplane do what you want it to. Oh, by the way, you will be a safer pilot too. Thank you also, Dick. I ll get back to techniques for crosswind landings (and takeoffs) in future issues of FLYING LESSONS. Reader and Crosswinds Concepts instructor Taylor Albrect adds to his previous comments about estimating the crosswind component before landing: 2015 Mastery Flight Training, Inc. All rights reserved. 3

4 Fantastic article and focus for this Weekly. Pilots rarely get enough crosswind practice. Almost never is crosswind technique demonstrated during a practical exam. And what practice we do get provides very limited experience - somewhere between five and 20 seconds of view and muscle memory for each landing. Clearly crosswinds are top of mind with many pilots, and prevent them from flying. This was evident at [my] seminars at AirVenture this year, where over 575 pilots attended our Mastering Crosswind sessions. See Thank you, Taylor. This was actually the first of three planned LESSONS devoted to the subject. The first LESSON was Evaluating the Crosswind before landing. I wrote about that first because, in my experience, almost no one determines the crosswind component before landing the mental game. However, many articles (including past LESSONS) address the physical skills of crosswind control. This mirrors past LESSONS about the need for attention to ALL THREE aspects of flying proficiency: 1. Aeronautical Decision-Making (ADM) 2. Stick-and-Rudder Skills (STARS) 3. Technological Mastery (TM) I ll get back to that discussion, Angle of Attack, and many other FLYING LESSONS topics after the holiday. Happy Thanksgiving to you all! What do you think? Let us learn from you, at mastery.flight.training@cox.net I really appreciate your FLYING LESSONS. In my opinion they are among the best things published in aviation! Taylor Albrecht It takes most people about five minutes to read an issue of FLYING LESSONS Weekly. That adds up to about four hours each year. If you ve enjoyed at least the equivalent of one hour s worth of dual instruction from the nearly 50 FLYING LESSONS you ve received this year, please consider donating what you d pay an instructor for that hour of dual in the aircraft you fly. If you have benefited more please consider that as well. Income from this source will be used to make FLYING LESSONS more visual and more meaningful to you and your family s safety and enjoyment of personal aviation. Thank you! Please be a FLYING LESSONS supporter through the secure PayPal donations button or the mailing address at Thank you, generous supporters Mastery Flight Training, Inc. All rights reserved. 4

5 Share safer skies. Forward FLYING LESSONS to a friend Personal Aviation: Freedom. Choices. Responsibility. Thomas P. Turner, M.S. Aviation Safety, Three-time Master CFI Flight Instructor Hall of Fame 2010 National FAA Safety Team Representative of the Year 2008 FAA Central Region CFI of the Year FLYING LESSONS is 2015 Mastery Flight Training, Inc. For more information see or contact mastery.flight.training@cox.net Mastery Flight Training, Inc. All rights reserved. 5