Sincerely,
Anonymous
Dear Anonymous,
I can understand your embarrassment, but don't enroll in the wingless protection program just yet. Let me give you a little perspective. Having an accident doesn't mean your potential for an aviation career is over. Many years ago, a good friend of mine landed gear-up in a twin-engine airplane. Would you believe he's now a captain for a major airline? During his airline interview years later he used the experience to his advantage.
When asked if he had ever had an accident, he replied that he had. Then he proceeded to describe the event, taking full responsibility for it. He didn't pass the blame off to someone else; he didn't act as if he was a victim; and he didn't suggest that occult forces were responsible. He simply stated that he forgot to put the gear down, then discussed how he learned and grew as a result of that experience. His forthrightness was an act of humility that endeared him to his interviewers. (He has a good sense of humor about the experience, too. He told me that, as a precaution, his company makes him fly all over the world with the gear down on his Boeing 747.)
OK, your airplane was shaken and stirred, and now it's in the hands of your local dent specialist - James Bondo. So be it. What's done is done. If flying is really important to you, then don't run away and hide. Learn from this mistake. Find out why you made it and do what it takes to avoid making the same mistake again. It's also important to remember that the airlines are unlikely to look at this accident the same way they would if you were a rated, seasoned private pilot. Rightly or otherwise, it's not uncommon for people to look as much at the instructor as the student when assessing blame for a student's accident. If, however, this problem was a result of deficient instruction, then you'd be wise to find a new instructor.
Instrument Cross-Country Time
Rod,
I'm working on my instrument rating and need at least 50 hours of cross-country flight time as pilot in command. I'm a little confused as to what the minimum distance must be for these cross-country flights and whether I am re- quired to land at each airport to which I make an instrument approach?
If you could help with this, I'd be very thankful.
Sincerely,
Rick
Greetings Rick,
To meet the instrument rating's requirement, a cross-country is considered a flight with a landing that was at least a straight-line distance of more than 50 nautical miles from the original point of departure. The same requirement applies to the cross-country time required for the private and commercial certificates. Yes, you can have as many instrument approaches and landings in between these two airports as you like.
No, you don't need to land at every airport at which you make an instrument approach. Suppose you made 23 instrument approaches to 23 different airports. You could count that entire flight as cross-country time as long as you landed at one airport that was more than 50 nm from the original point of departure. Of course, this assumes you are still able to write and speak coherently after 23 instrument approaches in one day.
The Right Way To Use Checklists
Dear Rod,
I am a private pilot with 120 hours. I have read several articles on the use of checklists. Some experts say that you should commit the checklist to memory and then use the checklist to verify what you have already done. They also say that the checklist should not be used as a to-do list or set of instructions, because an item could be overlooked if your finger slipped off the checklist. I would like to know how you teach the use of checklists to your students.
Thank you,
Ray
Greetings Ray,
When you're learning to fly or you're in an airplane that's unfamiliar to you, then you're dependent on the checklist. In these instances, the checklist is a to-do list. It tells you what to do in the airplane. As you become more familiar with the airplane, you'll find that you can follow a natural sequence of hand and eye movements (called a flow pattern) that accomplishes the same thing as the checklist. In this situation, the checklist functions as a true checklist, not a to-do list. In other words, you should follow the flow pattern and back this up by confirming your actions with the checklist. In this way, you have two means of ensuring that the necessary items are checked. Even a pilot who is intimately familiar with an airplane should never rely totally on memory or the checklist but rather use them to support one another.
The one exception is an emergency that demands immediate action. For certain emergency procedures, you have no choice but to memorize critical items. For instance, there's just no time to start poking your finger at a checklist when you've had an engine failure. You may be able to stabilize the problem with a short memorized version of the checklist, then revert to the paper checklist.
Fortunately, in many small airplanes, the emergencies that demand immediate action have nearly identical initial steps. You may only need to memorize a few items to cope with a variety of problems.
Holding Pattern Helpers
Dear Rod,
My instructor and I disagree about my use of a holding pattern computer during instrument training. This aid makes it easier to figure out how to enter a hold. She's against my using it. She says I can use it once I have the rating, but while I'm training with her, she wants me to figure out entries the old-fashioned way. What do you think?
Thanks,
Tara
Greetings Tara,
I think you have a good instructor. While I'm not averse to using whatever helps you, there is a time for everything. The early stage of instrument training is not a good time for holding pattern computers. Holding patterns serve a very important purpose in instrument training. Preparing you to hold in IFR conditions isn't the main reason you do them, either. The real payoff is in the development of your abstract thinking skills. The more you use your brain in the plane, the more skill you're likely to gain.
Several years ago, Tom, a fellow instructor, told me about a student who wanted to use a holding computer. Tom said no, telling his student that if he lost the device, he'd be unable to enter a hold (this isn't a good reason, but it's how Tom rationalized his decision). On the next lesson, the student pulled out five computers. Nice try, eh?
Please e-mail your questions to "Since You Asked" at [email protected] . Only questions selected for publication will be answered.
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