AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - August 2024 - 18

PROFICIENT PILOT
The flight that
never was
Fly like the FAA is watching
BY BARRY SCHIFF / AOPA Foundation Legacy Society chairman
MY SON, BR I AN, once owned part of a nicely restored Aeronca
Champ that was hangared on the outskirts of St. Louis, Missouri.
He derived great joy from the fabric-covered taildragger and often
called to bubble forth about his flights of fancy.
" Dad, " he once began, " I had a great flight today. One of the
best. The wind was sweeping across the grass runway and offered
a perfect opportunity to practice crosswind takeoffs and landings.
It was a little rough taxiing out, though. The wind kept shoving
the Champ in one direction while I struggled to go in another. Just
as I began adding power for takeoff, a strong gust sideswiped the
'Airknocker' and began lifting a wing. When things settled down,
I turned to my passenger, shook my head, and taxied carefully
back to the barn. "
" I don't get it, " I said. " What did I miss? I thought you said
you had a great flight. "
" I did, Dad. It was great. It was great because it left me feeling
so good about not having gone. It could have been a bad flight, a
really bad flight. "
Had I taught him that kind of wisdom? Probably not, I
thought. Either a pilot is blessed with good judgment, or he is
not. Aviation judgment-or aeronautical decision-making (in FAA
jargon)-is the ability to assess the variables, weigh them against
risk, and determine the safest, most practical course of action. It
is the stuff of which good pilots are made.
Famed aviation author Ernest K. Gann once said that " sound
judgment is the ability of a pilot to maintain his options. This is
because a given situation becomes more critical as the number
of options declines. Accidents most often occur, " he said, " when
options dwindle and a pilot is left without choices. "
The exercise of sound judgment is what pilots are supposed to
demonstrate during flight tests. This seems logical. After all, those
incapable of exercising sound judgment should not be certified
as a pilot in command.
Unfortunately, determining a pilot's ability to exercise sound
judgment is easier said than done. This is because a pilot under
observation is on his best behavior. He knows that situations
requiring sound decision-making during a flight test are largely
theoretical, and he responds to them conservatively and with
relative ease. He takes no chance with a response that might
jeopardize his passing a flight test.
18
AOPA PILOT / August 2024
This makes it almost impossible for a designated examiner to
accurately appraise the applicant's ability to exercise judgment.
He has no way of knowing how a newly rated pilot will behave
when beyond scrutiny and confronted with reality. Many pilots
are more concerned about not doing something wrong during a
flight test than they are about not doing something risky during
a normal flight.
Anyone doubting this should consider that pilots taking
a flight test never overload the aircraft; they never engage in
scud running; they never run out of fuel; they never buzz a
friend's house. Some do, however, take such chances during
an unsupervised flight. They do it because they fail to exercise
good judgment. The annual report of accidents published by
the NTSB unfortunately testifies that many do not survive such
lapses of judgment.
One of the best pilots I know is not a particularly skillful
pilot. This may seem paradoxical but is not. Although not
particularly adroit with " stick and rudder, " she is acutely aware
of her limitations and stringently abides by them. As a result, she
is one of the safest and, therefore, one of the best pilots I know.
I would rather put my family in her care than in the hands of a
more skillful pilot who lacks her judgment.
A technique that almost assures the exercise of sound
judgment and enhances safety is for a pilot to operate every flight
as if there were an FAA inspector in the right seat observing his
every move, grading his every decision. This attitude alone would
probably prevent most accidents.
It is almost impossible, however, to operate a flight exactly by
the book. It is also impossible to conduct a flight without violating
at least one regulation or another. Those who believe they can
conduct a flawless flight should hire an instructor and ask him
or her to make a list of all errors committed during that flight,
irrespective of how minor they might be. This can be a humbling
experience. The list might be longer than you would expect.
Perhaps we can all benefit from the philosophy that my son
expressed on that windy day,
that some of our best flights
are those that never get off
the ground.
www.BarrySchiff.com
BARRY SCHIFF has been
instructing since 1956 and
has all CFI ratings except for
powered-lift aircraft.
http://www.BarrySchiff.com
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - August 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - August 2024
