Insights

I love to fly, but...

A newly soloed student pilot told me he loves to fly, but frequently becomes apprehensive when thinking about it. Honesty is always the best policy, so we found a quiet place to discuss his concern, which I think is typical for some students and pilots--particularly those who fly infrequently.

Fear causes apprehension. When I asked the student what he should be afraid of when flying, he said forced landings. I said, no, you're trained for that situation. You should, however, be afraid of two things: midair collisions and fire. Eyes in the cockpit for more than four or five seconds, or relying on air traffic control for traffic avoidance, should make the hair on the back of your neck stand straight up. Fire aloft is an extreme rarity in light airplanes.

Lack of proper knowledge, self-confidence, and proficiency cause apprehension. You must study, not just read, the aviation regulations and procedures, pilot's operating handbook, meteorology theory and reports, and navigation chart legends. You must practice until your mental and physical skills become habitual. You must frequently review what you have learned. And to avoid being victimized by one of flying's mortal sins--complacency--you must always be prepared for the unexpected.

Flying, like most other endeavors, means risk management. Risk increases when complacency occurs. If planning a cross-county flight and the direct route would overfly terrain that would not permit a safe forced landing, you are taught to pick a route that will take longer and cost more--but you are providing yourself with options, which is proper risk management.

Assume that after you acquire your private pilot certificate, you must fly to an airport with rugged terrain along the route for a meeting. However, because you're late, you fly the direct route, which takes you directly over mountainous terrain. You arrive on time and tell yourself that yes, you did not follow the procedures you were taught, but it really wasn't that bad and you did get to the meeting on time, not to mention the time and money saved.

Subsequent flights are required to the same airport, and the allure of less time and less money makes the direct routing seem worthwhile. That's pilot complacency and compromised risk management. Why? Because the risk never changed. If an engine failure occurred over that terrain, you'd be regretting your route decision.

You've read the headlines regarding such accidents--headlines that never reveal the true cause. "Friends of the pilot could not understand how the accident could happen. He was a conscientious, safe pilot. We all enjoyed flying with him." To me, that means the pilot's brain developed a short circuit and complacency caused him to ignore risk.

In most weather-related accidents, I tell myself that pilots failed to use in-flight resources. Many pilots will get a weather briefing and assume that what they heard is what they'll encounter. That isn't always the case, and if weather deteriorates, they hope for the best or unwisely decide to continue.

Apprehension does not occur when a pilot gets a proper weather briefing and then uses the proper resources while en route: En route Flight Advisory Service (EFAS or Flight Watch), flight service stations contacted through remote communication outlets or VORs when unable to contact EFAS, Hazardous In-flight Weather Advisory Service using designated VORs, or datalink weather information if the airplane is so equipped.

Apprehension does not occur when a pilot understands the structural characteristics of an airplane. Yes, the airplane will crumble like a piece of tin foil during a midair collision, during a forced landing with obstructions, or when hit by a fuel truck. However, the airplane is incredibly strong during extremely hard landings on the main wheels (not the nosewheel) and when flying in severe turbulence at or below maneuvering speed (V_A).

In severe turbulence, occupants are often violently shoved against their safety belts and the airplane is momentarily out of control, but a pilot can correct those deviations. If speed has been reduced to V_A, the wing will stall before the airplane exceeds its structural limits. Adjust power so that V_A is not exceeded, maintain a level flight attitude, and do not chase altitude and airspeed deviations with pitch. They will occur.

You're a safe, confident pilot. You manage risk properly. You maintain your proficiency. You're always be prepared for the unexpected. You trust no one, assume nothing, and have an escape plan for deteriorating weather or aircraft equipment failure. You're the captain of your airplane. Apprehension does not exist.

Ralph Butcher, a retired United Airlines captain, is the chief flight instructor at a California flight school. He has been flying since 1959 and has 25,000 hours in fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft. Visit his Web site.