Flight Training - November 2019 - 52

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practice saying the exact words you would
use over the radio, simulated to your CFI,
when practicing emergency maneuvers.
As a student pilot, I had CFIs expect me
to give them an overview, telling them "I
would advise ATC," but never simulating
the exact transmissions. Just like practicing other emergency procedures, creating
muscle memory for phraseology during
maneuvers will help in real-life situations.
I believe instrument-rated pilots
should practice spatial disorientation training under the hood with an instrument
flight instructor on a regular basis. VFR
pilots also should practice this at least once
to raise their awareness in case they ever
inadvertently fly into IMC. I highly recommend you practice telling ATC to stand by
during those simulations with your CFII.
If you fly an aircraft that has an autopilot
with a wing leveler, use the wing leveler in
some of your practice scenarios.
The NTSB final report was published
on the PC-12 accident with the probable
cause: "The pilot's loss of airplane control
due to spatial disorientation during
the initial climb after takeoff in night
instrument meteorological conditions
and moderate turbulence." The pilot held
an airline transport pilot certificate with
ratings in single- and multiengine aircraft
for both land and sea. He was also a CFI,
CFII, and multiengine instructor and
logged 5,866 total hours.
If such a highly experienced professional pilot succumbed to spatial
disorientation, imagine the level of risk
you are susceptible to when flying IMC or
during a dark night. According to the FAA
brochure Spatial Disorientation: Seeing Is
Not Believing, "between 5 to 10 percent
of all general aviation accidents can be
attributed to spatial disorientation, and 90
percent of these accidents are fatal."
My sympathy goes to the family
members and friends of the victims of
this tragedy. I hope pilots can learn from
this accident in order to avoid spatial
disorientation. FT
ANDY WATSON is an instrument-rated private

pilot, air traffic controller, and public speaker
for pilot groups and colleges.
atcAndy.com

Learn more about spatial disorientation in the AOPA Air Safety Institute
Safety Advisor.
airsafetyinstitute.org
52  FLIGHT TRAINING NOVEMBER 2019
http://www.calaero.edu/AOPA https://www.aviationseminars.com http://www.BuildAPlane.org http://www.atcAndy.com http://www.buildaplane.org http://www.airsafetyinstitute.org
Flight Training - November 2019

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