Sport Pilot Talk

In another thread, a member of this site called another pilot a moron for having been involved in an accident.

I don't want to get all preachy, but I think that was rude and totally unwarranted.

In the accident in question, the probable cause has not yet been determined. It very well could have been pilot error.

But this "moron" pilot had about 9,700 hours of flying time. It's best to view a single mistake, if that's what it was, against the background of a previously safe and professional career.

I worry about hubris. I think we have some pilots here with far less than 9,700 hours passing judgments on other pilots and telling us (and themselves) about what kind of mistakes they may or may not be capable of as pilots.

The longer one is at this game, the more one sees that no one, NO ONE, is immune from mistakes. God knows I've made my share. To start to think one is immune from even a class of piloting mistakes is a very dangerous mindset.

Finally, if and when you do have an accident, maybe one caused by a "beginner's mistake", would you really want others calling you degrading names?

Anyway, I'm not a moderator nor my bother's keeper nor an enforcer of forum etiquette. Just asking for some courtesy.

Thanks.

Past due and well said, AMEN

Way too many pilots think they are above mistakes of their own. Until they make them.

Delete

The moron comment was wrong. The poster claimed there was nothing to learn but there is. Certainly we learned that automation is misused and abused. If you cannot keep the aircraft on its intended flight path and no-one knows the airspeed on final there are issues to resolve.

We learned we need to look at CRM RE cultural issues again.

We learned there may be an AT issue.

We learned that some pilots don't hand fly and skills degrade.

CharlieTango wrote:The moron comment was wrong. The poster claimed there was nothing to learn but there is. Certainly we learned that automation is misused and abused. If you cannot keep the aircraft on its intended flight path and no-one knows the airspeed on final there are issues to resolve.

We learned we need to look at CRM RE cultural issues again.

We learned there may be an AT issue.

We learned that some pilots don't hand fly and skills degrade.

Can add (or possibly rephrase):

We learned that using automation requires *greater* diligence in monitoring systems to make sure it doesn't lead you astray. The worse the situation gets before taking over, the greater skills required to recover. This is applicable to us lowly GA/SPs, too. Reliance on a navigation system exposes us to greater risk of the system itself malfunctioning, or inaccurate input of data. Autopilots, ADHRS, too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZDjkIjuHGE

When I learn that the pilot needs to monitor the automation to the point where there isn't any deviation from the intended flight path ( I assume this includes deviation from intended airspeed ) I assume it would be easier to hand fly.

Delete

FlyingForFun wrote:

CharlieTango wrote:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZDjkIjuHGE

When I learn that the pilot needs to monitor the automation to the point where there isn't any deviation from the intended flight path ( I assume this includes deviation from intended airspeed ) I assume it would be easier to hand fly.

No, you can't assume that. Well, I guess you can assume anything, but you would not necessarily be correct.

Really. Why the rush to judgment?

Delete

FlyingForFun wrote: Not making a judgement.

I knew that.

But many seem to be.

"The longer one is at this game, the more one sees that no one, NO ONE, is immune from mistakes."

At an EAA chapter meeting last Saturday, 6 members shared in doing a presentation on flying from N Florida out to the Rockies for their annual backcountry flying fix. (This was Year #6 for them). The 6 guys all had flying careers in the Navy and then flew for the airlines, along with their individual GA flying. They have flown together for many years in their RVs, both on these long trips and when doing hops closer to home. The chapter Prez, himself a former USN Wing Commander for the West Coast and a commercial pilot of many years, later estimated the group represented 250 combined years of flying and 100,000 flight hours.

Mostly, it was an entertaining debrief that made us all envious. But they then described an incident that occurred on a backcountry strip when their normal method of departing almost bent metal and caused an accident. It was a very close thing. They described their mistake, pointed out it was surprising to them given their years together and demonstrated complacency, and then described how they had changed the brief portion of their departures to (hopefully) prevent such a thing from happening again. It was an excellent example of Eddie's point.

Sounds like it was a great presentation Jack.