84 African Pilot April 2015
RECOMMENDATIONS
To all instructors who are invited to just fly along in order for the actual
pilot to have some experience on board; please regard all flying with
those who need help as if you are officially on board. We have seen
numerous accidents where the check pilot’s reaction speed was too
slow and had to be part of the resultant tragedy. Assertive inputs are
always a must when we fly. Egos must take a back seat. Never feel it
would be rude to interfere as an instructor when it is necessary. You
sort the egos out on the ground after a safe landing.
After a long period of not flying, or flying too little due to whatever
reason, especially if your hours are still low, one must do proper circuits
and landings, basic stall recovery and after take-off emergencies.
I know that there are many that would not do it, but that would be to
their own detriment. I do not allow anyone to hire my aircraft unless
they have proved to be recent enough to handle an emergency or
unusual situation. If I only drive one hour per month, I am not sure my
Dad would give me his Ferrari to go for a spin. Well, my aircraft are
worth as much as a Ferrari; in some cases more difficult to handle
and when a mistake has been made, recovery ability is critical. Ability
always follows knowledge. So stop bragging about how you have
become a hero doing everything outside the law and learned from
mistakes, lucky enough to survive. Bragging now shows the utmost
form of arrogance and I for one do not think you are cool. Quite the
opposite actually and now the idiots guide to whatever comes to mind.
To have a lot of money is great. However, having a lot of sense is
admirable. A lack of money is not a crime, but a lack of common sense
is. Well, certainly in this game.
Wow, please continue reading as I am over that one for now.
Then there is training towards stall and advanced stall recovery.
I know most people are scared of this exercise and when they need to
recover, it is clear that they were absent during that period in school.
The symptoms of the encroaching stall are quite clear; high nose, low
speed, sloppy controls, mechanical warning (hooter), some buffeting
and then the stall which during
positive ‘g’ above the value of
one, becomes more violent.
Note that the symptoms follow
logically from the one state to
the next. The first one is high
nose. What were you occupied
with when the over rotation
took place? Meddling with
navigation equipment, GPS
settings, frequency changes
or some silly remarks? I very
respectfully remind you that
blind people cannot fly. Flying
is attitude related during VFR
or IFR. Attitudes can only
be appreciated when seen,
so open your eyes and pay
attention to the basics. Loss
of control is the number one
cause of destruction, but loss
of control most of the time is
exposed through researching
the candidate’s training background. Speed is a result of the aircraft’s
attitude, but I have never heard of any accident during straight and level,
except where there is no more sky due to terrain. In manoeuvring, that
is anything other than straight and level, the aircraft attitude results to
speed under a constant power condition.Stall recovery must always entertain, when possible obviously, the
unloading of the aircraft. This has two effects; that of reducing the
stalling speed as well as reducing the angle of attack. Know it, practice
it and then pay attention and apply it. Get a competent instructor and
do stalling to gain confidence in recognising the approaching stall,
as well as the recovery from the stall. Remember that prevention is
exceedingly better than cure.Freezing on controls is a dead giveaway of being scared into numbness
and scared people should not fly. However, we all were somewhat
scared or nervous when we started flying. Through repetition of those
manoeuvres where danger is perceived to more prominent, we can learn
to gain confidence which in turn will give us the automated skills to recover
from stressful situations. In short, the lady in this instance will in all
probability make a great pilot, but she must work through her prejudices.
My bet is that there are more pilots incapable of proper stall recognition
and recovery than those well capable of handling the situation. Her
prejudices are most probably a reflection of her instructor’s prejudices.Instructors, please note that your shortcomings manifest in each and
every student you have. So, get advanced training yourself until you
have the capability and confidence to train the needed stalls and
incipient spin phases. Our deeds should live, but living is determined
through professional knowledge and skills training.This is again the time to look at yourself in the mirror. Speak to that
reflection and be honest about your likes, dislikes, capabilities and
shortcomings. You owe it to yourself to recognise and then address
those issues that when addressed, would give you a better chance of
a long, happy flying career.