lml@lancaironline.net Mailing List Archive

David,

Please please Jeff, think of some useful concrete recommendations for our behavior as pilots and let us know what they are……….. (I have already posted 3 of them.)

I am trying to modify your behavior but I am not having much luck. You think every Lancair pilot is "dead serious" about the "entire process". I disagree. Some are, some are not. I currently have an accident case in which the Lancair pilot never got a flight review in over 20 years. Dead serious?-- no just dead. Another gent took off from Oshkosh with a known malfunctioning engine that he was urged to have fixed before he departed. He did not. His aircraft was also out of annual (condition inspection). Dead serious? ---no just dead.

Learn from the pilots that exemplify good flying habits. Listen to them. Emulate them.

Case in point. Would you put your family on an airline if you knew in advance the pilot was going to buzz the airfield or do some stunt aerobatics to show off to some friends? Probably not. Why not? So why do it in your Lancair? Because it is fun? What do you really know about low altitude flying? What are the hazards, what is the risk? The Navy20and Marine Corps dedicated entire training syllabi to low altitude flying because of the numbers of aircraft they were losing in the low altitude environment. In the late 80's and early 90's, 30% of the Navy/ Marine Corps tacair (fighter) losses were controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) ie. low and fast on aurthorized training missions.

Sometimes flying isn't all about having fun,showing off the toy, or impressing the neighborhood. In my book it is about acting responsibly, getting to my destination in one piece and delivering the precious friends and family to the destination in one piece. It ain't "Topgun". If you want to fly like Maverick and Goose, join the Navy --or if you want to fly in the second best flying organization in the world join the Air Force. Can you have fun in your Lancair? Sure... but you don't have to put yourself and your passenger at risk to do it.

Why does general aviation have a high accident rate? There are many reasons such as training, experience, equipment, operating environment, operating rules, etc. BUT if we addressed training alone you would find that the average GA private pilot has only 20-30 hours of flight instruction before getting a private piltot certificate. A Naval Aviator, by contrast has had two years minimum in training command, close to two hundred hours of flying (much of it with an instructor) and then is sent to the boat (aircraft carrier) in a jet where the aviator is "day qualified." BIG difference in amount and quality of tr aining. Two years in classroom , in simulators or in the cockpit.

On the other hand the GA private pilot trained in the GA world with a brand new ticket is minimally qualified to act as PIC with passengers. Why? He or she signs up at the local airport to learn, probably just watched John & Martha King on a DVD, got some home study guide and memorized the answeres to the written test and is proud they got a 75, came in one or twice a month for a flying lesson and after two years of intermittent lessons with three differnet 22 year old (300 hour) flight instructors on the way to the airlines got a ticket from the local DPE. Remember what the DPE said when he issued you your private pilot certificate? "This is a ticket to learn." The brand new private pilot can get around the pattern under ideal conditions without scratching the paint. Can usually get to the practice area and back without getting lost (if the GPS is working). The GA private pilot is trained to minimal standards that will not change in spite of the change in technology because the 800 pound gorilla in Frederick, MD will not allow the FAA to change it. Unfortunatley, some pilots who were trained to this standard think they can fly to the military standard. Got news for you.. they can't, at least not out of the box. Can you get there? Yes. It takes lot's more training and experience. My experience as a flight instructor and as an accident investigator shows me that only about 10% of20the GA pilot population takes recurrent training or advanced training of any sorts--ever. Why? Most of them think they know all there is to flying. There is a lot more to learn.

For example, stalls. The successful private pilot only has to demonstrate two stalls on a checkride. Power off and power on. Here is the Power off Stall. Pretty basic. Want to know why many folks are afraid of stalls? Because this is all they have ever done. And many haven't done one since they got their private ticket. No accelerated stalls, cross control stalls, no upright spins, inverted spins etc. in the Private PIlot syllabus. The naval aviator gets all of this in his first 50 hours.

Private Pilot Practical Test:

B. TASK: POWER-OFF STALLS (ASEL and ASES)

REFERENCES: FAA-H-8083-3, AC 61-67; POH/AFM.

Objective. To determine that the applicant:

1. Exhibits knowledge of the elements related to power-off stalls.

2. Selects an entry altitude that allows the task to be completed no

lower than 1,500 feet (460 meters) AGL.

3. Establishes a stabilized descent in the approach or landing

configuration, as specified by the examiner.

4. Transitions smoothly from the approach or landing attitude to a pitch

attitude that will induce a stall.

5. Maintains a specified heading, ±10°, in straight flight; maintains a

specified angle of bank not to exceed 20°, ±10°; in turning flight,

while inducing the stall.

6. Recognizes and recovers promptly after the stall occurs by

simultaneously reducing the angle of attack, increasing power to

maximum allowable, and leveling the wings to return to a straightand-

level flight attitude with a minimum loss of altitude appropriate

for the airplane.

7. Retracts the flaps to the recommended setting; retracts the landing

gear, if retractable, after a positive rate of climb is established.

8. Accelerates to VX or VY speed before the final flap retraction; returns

to the altitude, heading, and airspeed specified by the examiner.

fmi see http://www.faa.gov/education_research/testing/airmen/test_standards/pilot/media/FAA-S-8081-14A.pdf

So here are my recommendations in case you missed it before:
=0 A
We all benefit from more training. If I had to make a list of recommendations to the group on how they could improve their flying skills and reduce their risk of having an accident it would be this:

1. Upgrade your pilot certificate. If you have a private pilot certificate get a commercial certificate. If you have a commercial certificate get an ATP. You already have the most expensive part of flight training sitting in your hangar. Put it to good use! The training to upgrade exposes you to so much more. You don't have to have aspirations of flying heavy metal to benefit from this upgrade training.

2. Get a new rating or certificate in something totally different. It will broaden you flying skills in ways you cannot imagine. I got a seaplane rating a couple of years ago. Recently I added a glider certificate. I land "engine out" every time in a glider. No sweat!

3. Sign up for the FAA FAAST program. Take the online courses. Great new training material. Structured program. And it is free! See www.faa.safety.gov

4. Take a flight review once a year with an instructor who specializes in your aircraft type. Take an IPC every six months if you fly IFR.

5. Enroll the services of a Master CFI. They are the country's best flight instructors. see http://www.nafinet.org/mastercfi/master_lookup.html Do more than the min imum required by the FAR's.

6. And a couple of others.... take an aerobatic course. There are many excellent instructors that specialize in aerobatics. Take a formation flying course-- and learn how to do it right.

Have fun, know the hazards, and make informed decisions about the risk of flying.

Jeff Edwards
MCFI (I)

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