From: amazon@sgi.com (Stormwind)
Subject: Re: Any tips for a pilot-to-be?
Organization: X Industries, Heavy Weapons R&D
Date: Mon, 11 Jan 1993 22:14:51 GMT

(Matthew L. Ginsberg) writes:
>Mr. Chong is pretty lucky not to have killed himself by flying into a
>cloud.  Based on the partial account of the incident, it appears that
>the mistakes made included at least the following:
>
>1) Inability to determine vertical distance from cloud
>2) Over-reliance on weather forecasts
>3) Failure to respond appropriately when in the cloud
>4) Poor understanding of "terrain management"
[...]

>There is much for Mr. Chong (and his instructor!) to learn here about
>a variety of topics.  What Mr. Chong appears to have learned is that
>he shouldn't be flying around in clouds.  I guess that's a good
>lesson, but it is really something he should have known before this
>incident ever occurred, and it some sense misses the "point" of what
>happened to him, which is (to my mind) about avoidance as opposed to
>recovery.

as i'm often reminded (mostly by my
own experiences) one doesn't stop 
learning after getting one's license.
it is really a license to learn.  it
doesn't mean you've learned everything
there is to learn.

clouds, in particular, are difficult to 
judge distance from.  since they are not
a solid object, it is very hard to fix 
one's eye upon them and figure out how
far one is from them.  my rule of thumb
is: get as far away from them as you can.
clouds can be real pretty, but not when 
they're too close to you.

>Well, Mr. Chong, it was a *good* situation, and you dealt with it like
>an amateur.  You *are* an amateur.  So that is my advice for all
>pilots-to-be (and pilots, too!): Recognize your limitations, and learn
>from your mistakes.  Don't think you're a better pilot than you are.
>
>If you don't understand, have a look at some of Stormwind's postings.
>My guess is that she's a little *too* conservative, but I really
>respect her careful attitude toward flying.  I'm very happy to share
>airspace with her.

ooo, thanks!  yes, i'm more than a
*little* conservative, but i'm still
building up my experience base and
discovering the edges of my comfort
level.  while i wasn't happy about
getting stuck in columbia last weekend,
i was even LESS comfortable with trying
to take off with frost on the airplane
(hey geoff, did that ever get posted?)

another example: on the way to 
columbia, flying at 3,500 feet and
talking to stockton approach, with both
my passenger and myself continually 
scanning for traffic, my passenger 
suddenly shot out one arm.  i had spotted
the traffic at nearly the same instant,
another single engine high wing aircraft
headed the *opposite* direction at
my altitude, and who had clearly only
just spotted us a fraction of a second
earlier.  he was just initiating a turn, 
and i deviated to remain clear as well.
we were already halfway through the turn 
by the time stockton warned us of traffic 
at 1 mile.

what did i learn?
1.  remain ever vigilant even with flight
following (shouldn't have to be said, but
there you are).  remember that flight 
following is on a "traffic permits" basis
only.
2.  teach your passengers the value of scanning
for aircraft.  play "spot the airplane first".
you may not always see the aircraft first, 
but you double your chances with two sets 
of eyes.
3.  be real careful when climbing/descending.

i came to the conclusion on 3.  because i 
really couldn't figure out how he managed
to be at 3,500 headed the opposite direction
when he should have been at 4,500.  giving him
the benefit of the doubt, i concluded that
perhaps he was climbing or descending and
was not able to see me during this process.
therefore, lest i repeat the same thing 
myself, i am even MORE careful during climbing
and descending.

			stormwind

			hell's amazon