AOPA Online Members Only -- AOPA ePilot Flight Training Edition -- Vol. 6, Issue 10

LESSONS LEARNED SOLO
A student pilot recently posted a message to the AOPA Aviation Forums, expressing frustration with two "mistakes" committed on his second solo cross-country. Of course, the so-called mistakes are precisely what solo cross-country training helps to eliminate from a new pilot's flying. Most responses to the post encouraged him to look at the trip in a more contented state of mind.

What were the problems? The student wrote, "First, I contacted approach too far from the airport-at 20 miles. The controller was nice and told me to call 10 miles from the airport. Second, after contacting the tower and being cleared to land, I realized that I was much too high; I simply hadn't properly planned my descent. By pulling power and descending at around 1,000 fpm, I was able to touch down about 2,500 feet down a 6,300-foot runway."

The controller's request that he call back in 10 miles does not mean the initial call-up was wrong. Controllers often have operational reasons for requesting a different reporting point. Or radar coverage may have been spotty. (There was a ridge between the student and the airport.) According to the Aeronautical Information Manual's discussion of terminal radar services for VFR aircraft, "Pilots of arriving VFR aircraft should initiate radio contact on the publicized frequency with approach control when approximately 25 miles from the airport at which sequencing services are being provided."

As for the second item-being "much too high"-did preoccupation with the communications issue distract him from arrival chores? If so, another lesson learned: Unexpected developments can throw you off stride. The end result of the two surprises he encountered on arrival at the destination was a long landing, fortunately on a very long runway. It will be remembered. So will various ways it perhaps might have been remedied: adding flaps sooner, reducing power to idle, gentle S-turns on final, slipping to land (see the February 24, 2006, Training Tips), a go-around-suggesting that this too nets out as a long-term plus. (See the May 20, 2005, Training Tips on "Descent Planning.")

Flying now, and evaluating it later, is how pilots learn. One student's experience will benefit countless others who read about it.

' 2005 NALL REPORT' SHOWS DROP IN GA ACCIDENT RATE
The general aviation accident rate for 2004 reached a historic low in 2004, according to the AOPA Air Safety Foundation's 2005 Joseph T. Nall Report. There were 6.22 total accidents and 1.2 fatal accidents per 100,000 flight hours in 2004. In 2003, the accident rates were 6.77 and 1.37, respectively. Instructional flight resulted in only 12.7 percent of all accidents and 4.1 percent of fatal accidents in 2004-not surprising, given the high level of supervision and structure in the training environment. Pilot error continues to be the leading cause of GA accidents. This year's report also noted an increase in the number of weather-related accidents and includes a special emphasis section on the importance of hazardous weather avoidance and the need for pilots and air traffic controllers to work together. Download the 994-kilobyte report from AOPA Online.

HAVE YOU UPDATED YOUR AOPA MEMBER PROFILE?
To make the most of your membership and allow us to serve you better, please visit AOPA Online and update your personal member profile.

SKYMARK TECHNOLOGIES OFFERS FREE ELECTRONIC LOGBOOK
Skymark Technologies offers a free edition of its Aloft electronic logbook for student pilots who are just starting to log flight time. The student edition is limited to 100 flights of up to three hours per flight, but it offers features found in the Aloft private and commercial versions, such as the ability to make customized reports. For more information, see the Web site.

Note: Products listed have not been evaluated by ePilot editors unless otherwise noted. AOPA assumes no responsibility for products or services listed or for claims or actions by manufacturers or vendors.