CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 12 Issue 4 - 14

ASI mESSAGE
EXPANDING THE ENVELOPE
ED WISCHMEYER IS ON A PILGRIMAGE. His venerable path slogs
through loss-of-control mishaps in general aviation. His holy
destination: eliminate loss of control as the leading cause of GA
fatal accidents.
Wischmeyer, an ATP/CFII, is convinced the problem is
misunderstood and that loss of control is mis-analyzed or perhaps,
more accurately, analyzed incompletely. He applied his doctoral
degree background and considerable capacity to collect and
review data to reach several conclusions. Among them is that
the fundamental problem in loss of control mishaps is a gap in
training that leads to pilots not recognizing flight parameters leading to loss
of control-so they don't correct deviations early enough, or they apply the
limited correction skills they've learned to all unfamiliar conditions, which
sometimes exacerbates the problem. When pilots end up in flight conditions
unfamiliar to them, Wischmeyer believes they become " cognitively
unavailable, " meaning the stress of unfamiliar conditions prevents them
from processing all of the cues available to avoid loss of control.
Wischmeyer's solution is Expanded Envelope Exercises (E3), a series of
exercises that encourage operations outside typical routines and closer to
BY RICHARD G. MCSPADDEN, JR.
the edge of the performance envelope. Airborne, E3 exercises go beyond
typical airman certification standards and stop short of upset prevention
and recovery training. Wischmeyer recognizes upset prevention and
recovery training is valuable training in curbing loss-of-control mishaps;
however, upset prevention and recovery training requires uniquely
qualified instructors, specialized aircraft, and parachutes, since it crosses
the aerobatic threshold. Wischmeyer designed E3 so the exercises can be
flown in almost any airplane with most instructors. The maneuvers remain
under 2 Gs, and within 30 degrees of pitch and 60 degrees of bank, so no
parachute is required. Some examples of E3 exercises are stalls in a turn
with recovery in the turn; full-deflection Dutch rolls; low-speed, 60-degreebank
turns with smooth, quick reversal in the opposite direction; deliberate
base-to-final turn overshoot and recovery; and low-speed spiral recovery.
After listening to Wischmeyer's seminar, I flew some E3 exercises in my
Navion. Meh. I didn't find them revealing and they weren't difficult to fly. I
use a few similar exercises with primary students, so some weren't new.
I reported my reaction to Wischmeyer. He offered that first, they aren't
maneuvers with exact entry and exit parameters. They aren't supposed
to be difficult to fly. They are exercises, the primary focus being new
Educating pilots on improving their skills and enhancing GA safety is a core tenet of AOPA's Air Safety Institute and its educational programs.
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CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 12 Issue 4

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 12 Issue 4