Flying Life: Slower is Faster

It turns out that in aviation, the “slower is faster” rule applies as well. I recently took a trip to Dallas, Texas, for my annual recurrent training in the Beechjet 400A. Over the course of two hours in the simulator, we saw multiple instrument approaches, engine failures, icing conditions, electrical malfunctions, wind shear encounters, ground proximity warning system alerts, and more. At times, as we were running checklists to get an engine restarted while also trying to set up for a single-engine approach into New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, we felt like we were hanging on by the tail. Everything was happening so fast; we had to work really hard just to keep up.

During the debrief, our instructor, Jim Collins, a retired F–16 pilot with the U.S. Air Force, gave us the advice that in order to stay ahead of the airplane, we had to do everything in our power to make things happen at a more manageable pace. “Slower is faster,” he said. One of his students had just made the trek up Kilimanjaro and shared the Swahili phrase with him, although that particular bit of wisdom was certainly not new to Collins. With his fastest groundspeed on the F–16 reaching 1,470 knots, the idea of slowing the airplane down to normal human processing speeds is one of Collins’ soapbox topics.

I sometimes find it tempting to rush an approach or landing just because I’ve been cleared for one. This doesn’t save any time. Airplanes go fast. That’s kind of the point, right? So how do we slow down an airplane that is moving at speeds faster than we can keep up? I think this process starts on the ground before we ever get into the airplane. I find it helpful to do a two-minute “chair flight” of my entire route, from parking space to parking space, including expected departure and arrival runways and taxi routes as well as planned VFR pattern entry or IFR approach, depending on the weather. That way, when I’m in the air, I can devote my feeble amount of mental energy to holding straight and level or looking outside for traffic.

Also, I sometimes find it tempting to rush an approach or landing just because I’ve been cleared for one. This doesn’t save any time. I end up flying distracted while trying to finish setting up, or having to do a go-around because of the unstable approach. One of the things I often remind my checkride applicants is that ATC can give delaying vectors until you are ready to commence the approach. Also, I like to take care of all descent and landing checklists as soon as possible so that when the time comes to fly an approach, I can focus on what’s important: flying the airplane.

Once you begin the approach, if you start to get that “everything is moving too fast” feeling, remember you still have several tools at your disposal. Reducing the power or changing the pitch is not the only way to slow an airplane down. We also have various methods of drag, i.e. flaps, landing gear if retractable, propeller angle if controllable, spoilers, or just a good old-fashioned slip when all other options are exhausted. Do keep in mind, though, that if the entire approach has felt rushed, there is a good possibility that the unstable approach will result in a landing you’re not going to like. Also, remember that takeoffs and landings are high-workload situations. Rushing the process may lead to pilot task saturation, leaving no mental power to handle the unexpected, such as inoperative equipment, wind shear, or crossing traffic.

Although it may feel painfully tedious at times, remember that thorough preflight planning and long, stable approaches may actually be the fastest way to arrive at our destination. Just like the mountain climber, we can arrive in much better shape, unscathed and unstressed, if we can just adopt the motto that slower is faster.

Web: www.myaviation101.com