Aero-Tips!
A good pilot is always learning -- how many times have you heard
this old standard throughout your flying career? There is no truer
statement in all of flying (well, with the possible exception of
"there are no old, bold pilots.") It's part of what makes aviation
so exciting for all of us... just when you think you've seen it
all, along comes a scenario you've never imagined.
Aero-News has called upon the expertise of Thomas P. Turner,
master CFI and all-around-good-guy, to bring our readers -- and us
-- daily tips to improve our skills as aviators, and as
representatives of the flying community. Some of them, you may have
heard before... but for each of us, there will also be something we
might never have considered before, or something that didn't
"stick" the way it should have the first time we memorized it for
the practical test.
It is our unabashed goal that "Aero-Tips" will help our readers
become better, safer pilots -- as well as introducing our
ground-bound readers to the concepts and principles that keep those
strange aluminum-and-composite contraptions in the air... and allow
them to soar magnificently through it.
Look for our daily Aero-Tips segments, coming each day to you
through the Aero-News Network. Suggestions for future Aero-Tips are
always welcome, as are additions or discussion of each day's tips.
Remember... when it comes to being good pilots, we're all in this
together.
Aero-Tips 03.24.06
I was instructing in a high-end piston twin simulator, sitting
in the control booth behind the pilots’ seats. Up front
occupying the left seat was my client, an experienced multiengine
pilot. In the right was one of his employees, a nonpilot who often
flew with the businessman-pilot.
My client asked before the lesson if he could fly it the way he
normally did with this passenger, and I enthusiastically said yes.
I saw no reason to artificially change the pilot’s habits,
and frankly was curious to see what he meant. Once settled into
"the box" long enough to buy into the simulation, the two worked
surprisingly well together. Right-seater ran checklists when called
by the pilot, tuned the transponder correctly and even handled
communication radio frequency changes and audio panel manipulation
when handed off by (me playing) Air Traffic Control.
I gave vectors for the ILS (Instrument Landing System) approach.
The two set up and masterfully briefed for the approach. Inside the
marker and sliding down the glideslope the pilot asked his
passenger: "Let me know when you see it."
I’d set the ceiling at 400 feet and visibility about
¾ mile. That meant the "box’s" visual display grew
dark green with surface detail as the flight emerged from clouds,
but was still too far from the runway to see its details in the
gray ahead.
"I see it," called the passenger. The pilot looked up, expecting
the runway squarely in his sights, but saw a road slightly to one
side instead. He nudged the simulated airplane in that direction
and continued his descent into obstacles just as the runway
approach lights became visible to his left.
Debrief
My client and his employee were emotionally crushed by the
unexpected crash. I commended them for the obvious thought and
practice they’d put into working as a crew to reduce the
pilot’s workload. The failure was not one of cooperation, it
was simple communication. When the pilot asked "Let me know when
you see it," the passenger thought "it" was the ground. What the
pilot meant was "let me know when you see the runway
environment." This lead to a short lesson for both on approach
lighting and runway markings, and more importantly, how to phrase
questions and answers when working as a crew. I also cautioned the
pilot not to become dependent on his passenger, because they
didn’t always fly together. Afterward, they flew several
approaches together using correct terminology, the pilot "soloed" a
few good approaches as well, and went home a much safer flight
operation.
Aero-tip of the day: You can dramatically
reduce your workload by making use of a knowledgeable person in the
right seat. It takes briefing and practice, but more importantly
communication, to make this a safety benefit.