Flying Life: Are you guilty?
Top five pilot weaknesses
5. The distracted taxi. My 8-year-old daughter is a master of the hula hoop. She can keep that thing going forever. One day I asked her, “Can you sing the ABCs while you hula?” She only lasted for 15 seconds before the hula hoop hit the floor. Two tasks that seemed relatively simple on their own became challenging when attempted at the same time. I’ve noticed the same thing when I try to taxi an airplane while reading a checklist or swapping a frequency. After only a few seconds, I look up to find myself veering toward the grass. So here’s my new taxi policy: If my aircraft is moving, I’m head-up. All other tasks can wait until I stop.
4. Emergency memory items. When you were training for your private pilot certificate, what was the one emergency procedure you memorized? If your answer was “in-flight engine failure,” then you are not alone. But there is something that scares me even more: fire. Depending on the altitude, a fire could make things very unpleasant before you ever make it to the ground. There are three fire procedures I memorize for every airplane I fly: fire on engine start, engine fire at cruise, and electrical fire. The last thing I want is to be on fire and fumbling around for my checklist.
3. Handling unexpected weather. About two years into my flying career, around the 500-hour mark (translation: just enough knowledge and confidence to be dangerous), I was on a winter cross-country when a cloud layer formed beneath me. The outside air temperature was already above freezing, so I wasn’t worried about icing. Imagine my surprise when the windscreen completely iced over as we descended into a temperature inversion. Because of my limited experience with winter weather, I called ATC and waited for permission before descending further. When landing, I extended flaps and approached at the normal airspeed. I cringe now, thinking about how all of those mistakes could have resulted in a much different outcome. First of all, if ice is rapidly developing on an aircraft that is not certified for it, do not hesitate to declare an emergency and change altitudes immediately. Also, if you suspect your airframe may still be covered with ice when coming in to land, approach at a faster airspeed (because of increased stall speed) and do not extend the flaps.
2. The open door or burned-out bulb (and other things that should not cause you to crash). In December 1972, an Eastern Air Lines flight crashed in the Florida Everglades when all three pilot crew members became so engrossed with a burned-out landing gear indicator that they failed to notice their gradual descent. It seems inconceivable that 101 lives would be lost because of a faulty light bulb, but things like this happen over and over again. I was once giving a commercial multiengine checkride when the cabin door popped open on the takeoff roll, around 40 KIAS. The applicant released the control wheel and used both hands to close the door, all while continuing to accelerate. When flying, so many things demand our attention, it’s easy to get distracted. But don’t forget what’s most important: Someone still has to fly the aircraft.
1. Basic stall/ spin aerodynamics. During my commercial training, a friend and I were practicing steep turns when we heard the faint whistle of the pneumatic stall horn. Our conclusion? Malfunctioning stall horn. Looking back, however, it was more likely we were nearing an accelerated stall. Up to that point, all I had ever experienced was the traditional high-pitch, low-airspeed stall. Very few of us really study detailed aerodynamics unless we’re training for a flight instructor certificate. Thankfully, with the updated Private Pilot Airman Certification Standards, basic aerodynamics are now being tested. While that subject can be overwhelming, there are a few key points to keep in mind. Increased load factor means increased stall speed. So, if you are in a steep bank or making aggressive control inputs, the airplane may stall at a much higher speed. And if you enter that stall while uncoordinated, you’re setting yourself up for a spin. Do you know the spin-recovery procedure for your airplane?
If you find you are guilty of any of these mistakes, then be proud. Honestly assessing our own limits and weaknesses is an important survival skill. And, if we learn from the mistakes of others, then we don’t have to make them all ourselves.
