Low, Slow, And Heavy

A pilot friend of mine once described a trip he and I flew in my airplane as boring. It was a one-stopper from Wichita to Florida, mostly done in or above IMC and at 11,000 feet msl. It was a smooth flight without any drama, but my passenger found it unsatisfactory because he couldnt see the ground for most of it. He would have preferred more opportunities to look out the windows as the world slid past, something only possible if we had flown lower and slower, both of which would have made the trip longer and less efficient. He was okay with that, however. I wasnt.

Joseph E. (Jeb) Burnside

Tuesday, January 16, 2018 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

The article cautions against flying low and slow, highlighting it as a significant link in the accident chain for general aviation pilots due to reduced margin for error and lack of specialized training.
A fatal accident case study illustrates these dangers, where a pilot, operating an airplane significantly over its maximum gross weight at low altitude, stalled while maneuvering to avoid terrain obscured by sun glare.
The NTSB determined the probable cause was the pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed, leading to an aerodynamic stall, with contributing factors including sun glare and operating the overweight aircraft, which significantly increased its stall speed.

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Apilot friend of mine once described a trip he and I flew in my airplane as “boring.” It was a one-stopper from Wichita to Florida, mostly done in or above IMC and at 11,000 feet msl. It was a smooth flight without any drama, but my passenger found it unsatisfactory because he couldn’t see the ground for most of it. He would have preferred more opportunities to look out the windows as the world slid past, something only possible if we had flown lower and slower, both of which would have made the trip longer and less efficient. He was okay with that, however. I wasn’t.

My principal idea of using an airplane is to go somewhere, preferably as fast as it will carry me. Sure; I enjoy boring holes, chasing down $100 hamburgers and taking in the sights as much as other pilots do, but when there’s someplace else to be, I prefer to get there. That said, it’s rare to find me flying low and slow, except when approaching a runway, simply because there’s less margin for error, especially when flying a single.