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Posted for vtailjeff@aol.com:
Phil,
There is always is a great need for Aernautical Decision Making (ADM)
training. Not every pilot comes equipped with a whole bunch of experience when
they start out. Some learn the hard way-- most of us have scared ourselves
once or twice along the way and say to ourselves, "Lord, I will never do that
again." Others, unfortunately have scared themselves so badly they never get
back in the air again or stop flying a particular make and model-- I know a
few Lancair pilots that have scared themselves and won't fly it anymore or put
it up for sale. A shame.
Hangar flying is one way to learn about ADM as long as we learn the right
lessons. The "Never Again" stories in AOPA are a good example. On the other
hand, sometimes we learn bad lessons from others and think that is the correct
way to do it, ie. "my instructor told me...." when in fact the instructor
never got it right. I think it is a wonder man ever got out of the cave. Must
have been a lot of false starts along the way. Anyway....
I was giving a check ride last year when near an airport at 4000' agl in a C
172. The student id's the ariport (it was 5000' long) and we talk a little
about it. I pulled the throttle to simulate a power failure and he turned away
from the airport that was less than a mile away and started looking for a
field. I asked him what was wrong with landing on the airport. He said, "his
instructor had never shown him how to make an engine out landing to a runway,
it had always been to a field." The field he selected could not have been more
that 700' long. I about busted a gut laughing. Talk about decision making. I
went back to the flight school and said from now on everyone tested was going
to demonstrate a glide to a landing from altittude to a full stop accuracy
landing at an airport-- no more waving it of at 1000' agl and calling it
success. All since have been very good-- even the 40 hour private pilots. Its
not a matter of "if" you will ever have an engine failure but of "when". As
pilots we must all insist on good decision making from everyone all the time.
It is the only way to hang on to the
freedom of the skies we enjoy.
Regards,
Jeff
(I do not know it all but I am trying to learn ;)
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