AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2019 - 22

FLYING LIFE

Are you guilty?

BY NATALIE BINGHAM HOOVER

Top five pilot weaknesses

NATALIE BINGHAM
HOOVER is an FAA
designated pilot
examiner and a
corporate pilot with
a type rating in the
Beechjet.

AS A FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR and FAA designated pilot
examiner, I am fortunate enough to meet a multitude
of pilots. We share many things in common: our love
for cloudless days; our dislike of tall towers; and, unfortunately, our weaknesses. On checkrides, regardless of
the certificate or rating, I keep noticing the same issues.
I suspect those mistakes are also common among the
general pilot population. If you are guilty of any of the
following unsafe flying behaviors, you're in good company. I've made all these mistakes and then some.
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 headup. 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,

22 | AOPA PILOT September 2019

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.
AOPA
myaviation101.com

http://www.myaviation101.com

AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2019

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