Two Levers Over

Hanging upside down in a three-point harness certainly gives you a new perspective on flying. Especially if you are on the ground, in the grass, beside the runway. My first thought was unprintable, but my second thought was, How did that just happen?

Editorial Staff

Wednesday, June 21, 2017 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

A pilot inverted an RV-8A during landing due to inexperience with the aircraft type and mistakenly grabbing the mixture lever instead of the throttle during an attempted power addition in a high sink rate flare.
The incident highlighted the critical importance of developing correct muscle memory for new aircraft controls and the elevated risk during the first 100 hours in an unfamiliar plane.
The pilot concluded that extensive practice, particularly through multiple go-arounds, is essential to prevent control confusion and ensure safe operation.

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I had just bought a Van’s experimental RV-8A, and I was still learning the new controls and flight characteristics. I had just six hours in type and was landing at my home field, at 6000 feet msl elevation. The RV-8A is a faster, aerobatic plane with shorter wings and higher wing loading than the RV-12 I had most recently used, and I was still learning how quickly it would quit flying in the flare unless I kept my speed up and some power on.