Flight Training - March/April 2021 - 8

UNUSUAL ATTITUDE BY DAVE HIRSCHMAN

Editor at Large DAVE HIRSCHMAN has
been a flight instructor for 21 years.
dave.hirschman@aopa.org

LAST FLIGHT

The flight review is usually a formality-but this one was
going badly.
During a simulated engine failure, the elderly pilot had trouble selecting a suitable
place for an off-field landing. And his situational awareness and airspeed control were
marginal. Really, less than marginal. They were substandard. I knew it, and so did he.
" The third time's the charm, " he said with a mix of feigned optimism and gallows
humor after a second botched engine-out glide. But the third attempt was awful, too,
and it would have ended downwind, short of our target, in a line of tall trees despite
the presence of abundant, flat farm fields in the area we were flying.
We'd been airborne for an hour, and it was time to return to the pilot's home
field. But even that seemingly routine process was plagued by mistakes and unforced
errors. He stumbled with programming his panel-mount GPS, missed a radio call, and
errantly reported his position and direction of flight to the tower controller.
I dreaded telling this highly experienced, veteran aviator that I wouldn't sign off
his flight review-but I didn't believe I had a choice. I told him I'd be glad to provide
dual instruction or set him up with another instructor who could help him sharpen
his technique, but his performance on this flight didn't meet the required standards
for safety or proficiency.
He took the news stoically and without complaint, even though he must have
been disappointed and embarrassed. But this pilot had become accustomed to
dealing with loss. His wife of many years had died several years before after a
long illness, and he had been her constant caregiver. Flying, and building a Van's
RV-12 kit airplane, had provided some relief from that exhausting and emotionally
8  FLIGHT TRAINING MARCH/APRIL 2021

wrenching duty. And the airplane he built
was a thing of beauty.
I'd signed off his previous two flight
reviews and noted a few rough spots. His
radio skills were weak, so he addressed
that shortcoming by plugging in a handheld radio and tuning it to the tower
frequency during the many hours he
toiled in his hangar.
He had built, owned, and flown many
airplanes over the decades, including a
Stearman biplane with a well-deserved
reputation for ornery ground handling.
During our previous flights in his RV-12,
I'd been impressed by his instinctive feel
for the airplane, and his uncanny ability to
set it down gently on the runway centerline-no matter how strong the wind was
blowing, or its direction.
During our unsatisfactory flight
review, however, his usually sure hands
had an unmistakable tremor. Was he
nervous? Flustered? Cold? I wasn't sure
and, frankly, didn't give it much thought
because I was busy monitoring the troublesome flight itself.
A few weeks later, however, I saw him
working in his hangar and ducked inside.
" Hey, I've got a short story to tell you, "
he said. " I've got Parkinson's. "
His deteriorating flying skills and
unsteady hands suddenly made sense in
the cruelest way possible. My dad died
from Parkinson's disease, and that process
wasn't quick, or painless, or merciful.
The pilot said he was going to sell
his RV-12 and, since I was familiar with
it, he asked whether I'd be willing to
provide demonstration flights for prospective buyers.
Of course, and I let him know I'd
happily fly with him any time of the day
or night he decided he wanted to get off
the ground.
The unsatisfactory flight review foretold far bigger problems than rusty flying
skills. The veteran pilot pursued aviation
with skill and vigor, and he generously
helped fellow fliers along the way. He
left aviation in a better place through his
lifelong participation in it.
As pilots, we fondly remember our
first flights, and we celebrate milestones
such as first solos and successful checkrides. But each of us has a last flight, too.
I won't dwell on it-but I hope that
when my last flight comes, I'll accept it
with a fraction of the grace and dignity of
this veteran aviator. FT
Flight Training - March/April 2021

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