Learning Experiences

I had been doing a lot of flying, but most of it involved long, multi-hour legs, solo. As one consequence, I was logging only one or two landings for every five or so hours. Even though the airplane I was flying was well-equipped (read heavy for its model), most of my flights ended up with only a couple of hours worth of fuel. In other words, my recent experience with landings, though far in excess of the minimum required to remain legally and technically proficient, meant I always was landing a fairly light airplane.

It had been a long day: Several hours breathing O2 in the low teens, covering more than 1000 nm. But I was on the ground, safe and sound, at Cheap Gas Muni. I was all topped off and on the takeoff roll for the short hop to Cheap Hangar Field. I had to do some broken-field running to get here late on this summer afternoon, but thanks to Nexrad and ATC, I was able to avoid the big bumps and hadnt even gotten wet.

Have you encountered a situation or hazardous condition that yielded lessons on how to better manage the risks involved in flying? Do you have an experience to share with Aviation Safetys readers about an occasion that taught you something significant about ways to conduct safer flight operations? If so, we want to hear about it.

Engine failure. Take a breath and collect yourself. Hopefully you have a flow memorized to try and restore power, and maybe it includes the fuel selector, mixture control, boost pump, magnetos and more. But what about the throttle?

Let’s dispel some myths: Ditching done well is not all that dangerous. My recent ditching was devoid of actual trauma. Most people—about 90 percent—survive a ditching, and those who don’t are usually the ones who did not take basic steps to prepare. Some recent incidents and my own experience demonstrate ditching usually is very survivable and taking a few precautions can greatly enhance the possibility of a favorable outcome.

In response to your October editorial, Hot Water, what I took from these two tragic accidents was that the culture of fear surrounding declaring an emergency is killing people. The FAA needs to change its policy calling for an emergency declaration investigation to address this fear.

Aww, crap,” I thought as I realized my Baron’s right brake went all the way to the floor. Some vigorous pumping returned some of its pressure, and it was usable for low-speed taxiing, but not for much else.

Aww, crap,” I thought as I realized my Baron’s right brake went all the way to the floor. Some vigorous pumping returned some of its pressure, and it was usable for low-speed taxiing, but not for much else.

The day’s mission was to attend a family reunion in Florida, then get back to my home ‘drome in the mid-Atlantic. I had work the next day and my kids had plans. It was summertime, so thunderstorms were a concern, even if that day’s weather wasn’t too bad. The reunion concluded, the kids and I got to the airport, launching into good VMC, and began working our way across Florida and up the Atlantic seaboard.

The thing with postponing or canceling a flight? One is sometimes left with a nagging feeling that maybe they could have made it and everything would have been fine. But, one then realizes that they’ll never know. Until now. I was supposed to fly home to San Jose, Calif., from Yerington, Nev. The route takes one just north of Topaz Lake and a few miles south of Lake Tahoe. The terrain is rugged and the area southwest of the Pine Nut Mountains is almost always bumpy. I called Flight Service for a briefing and got the news I expected: Winds of 60 to 70 knots were blowing out of the northwest and Airmet Tango was in effect.