AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - 18

PROFICIENT PILOT

Airmanship

BY BARRY SCHIFF

Safe, legal, and comfortable
WHEN I WAS HIRED by TWA in 1964, a challenging aspect
of being a new co-pilot arose when the captain “gave me
a leg,” meaning that it was my turn to fly the airplane.
Although the best part of the job, flying “the captain’s
airplane” also meant having to conform to his modus
operandi, which wasn’t always the way we had been
taught at TWA’s training center. All captains are different. This made it difficult to know what was expected
of me at any given time. To be effective, a co-pilot has
to be chameleonic and adapt without conflict to the foibles of a wide variety of personalities.
There was no such challenge when I first flew with
Capt. Frank Timoshik on a round-robin Boeing 707
flight from Los Angeles to New York. He cleared the
air as soon as he offered me the return leg. “It’s your
airplane, Barry. Do whatever you’d like as long as it’s
safe, legal, and comfortable.” With those few words, I
completely understood how he wanted me to perform.
Timoshik was a great captain, one for whom I developed great respect and attempted to emulate when it
became my turn to warm the left seat.

Imagine that every flight is being made under the
critical eye of an FAA inspector in the right seat.

BARRY SCHIFF

is a former TWA
captain who has
flown around the
world more than
two dozen times.

18 | AOPA PILOT March 2013

Those four words, “safe, legal, and comfortable,”
helped to develop the manner in which I have attempted
to fly all aircraft, large and small. I cannot think about
flying safely without recalling Sailor Davis, a veteran
safety instructor for TWA. He used to begin every newhire class with this admonition, “You are professionals
trained to deal with three things that can kill you: gravity, combustion, and inertia. Keep them under control,
and you’ll die in bed.” It is difficult to summarize the
safety role of a pilot better than that.
Safety in flight also requires judgment honed by
experience. This means assessing variables as they
occur, weighing them against possible risk, and determining the safest and most practical course of action.
It is the stuff of which good pilots are made. One way
to ensure exercising good judgment is to imagine that
every flight is being made under the critical eye of an
FAA inspector in the right seat.
Although complying with regulations might seem
cut and dried, there is more to “staying legal” than
meets the eye. Most pilots realize that material in the

Aeronautical Information Manual is not regulatory, but
it does detail what is expected of a prudent pilot. I generally regard the AIM as regulatory even though it is not.
Complying strictly with all regulations and safety
practices is not easy. Try driving an automobile in the
city for an hour without violating any traffic rules.
When Bob Pastore was my first officer (before he
became a captain), he enjoyed challenging me and other
captains to fly the perfect flight—without so much as a
single regulatory violation. This, too, was almost impossible. Allow airspeed during a climb below 10,000 feet
to exceed 250 knots by as little as a knot and Bob would
point it out. “Two-fifty below 10 is a maximum,” he
would say. “You’re not allowed to bracket that speed.”
It was nit-picky, of course, but by the end of a flight there
had been worthwhile discussions about a number of
regulations not often given sufficient thought. You can
accomplish the same by hiring an instructor to go along
on one of your flights and asking him to critique all that
you do. It can be humbling. We might strive for perfection, but it is almost impossible to achieve.
Keeping a flight comfortable is where stick-and-rudder skills enter the picture. My mentor and close friend,
Paul Blackman, used to advise that if a passenger can
feel what you are doing with an airplane, you’re doing
it wrong. “There is no excuse for being ham-fisted with
the controls. Caress the wheel with a velvet hand and
minimize your passengers’ awareness of attitude, power,
and configuration changes; smoothness is the key. Fly an
airplane as though your mother were in the back seat.”
He taught also that many pilots overreact to turbulence
and compound the discomfort and anxiety it can cause.
Consider a VFR pilot suddenly realizing during
descent that he is about to overshoot his target altitude. He hauls back on the yoke, adds a G, and arrests
the hands of the altimeter at exactly the right place. A
pilot aspiring to professionalism instead momentarily
accepts the error and raises the nose with finesse, carefully returning the airplane to altitude without the
passengers realizing it. Same thing goes when discovering that you’re about to overshoot the desired heading
during a turn. Don’t snap-roll the airplane to capture
the heading. Accept the error and return gracefully.
Conducting a safe, legal, and comfortable flight is more
an attitude than it is skill. It’s called airmanship. AOPA
WEB

www.barryschiff.com


http://www.barryschiff.com

AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013

AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013
Contents
President’s Position
Visual Approach
Letters
Waypoints
Proficient Pilot
Foundation Focus
License to Learn
Pilot Counsel
Fly Well
Mosquito Bomber
Debonair Sweepstakes
History
Fly Outs
Fly Outs
News
Test Pilot
Test Pilot
Fun and Games
Panel Power
Make Mine a Tail Dragger
Meigs 10 Years Later
Fly Off: Head-To-Head
Safety Pilot Landmark Accident: When Nothing Makes Sense
Remedial Landing School
Technique
Technology
Wx Watch
Avionics
Avionics
Frugal Flier
Frugal Flier
Never Again
Never Again
Membership
State & Local Action
Member Products
AOPA Foundation
Insurance Services
Fly by Wire
Pilots
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - Cover2
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - Contents
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - 2
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - 3
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - President’s Position
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - 5
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - 6
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - 7
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - 8
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - 9
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - Visual Approach
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - 11
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - Letters
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - 13
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - 14
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - 15
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - Waypoints
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - 17
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - Proficient Pilot
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - 19
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - Foundation Focus
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - 21
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - License to Learn
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - 23
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - Pilot Counsel
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - 25
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - Fly Well
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - 27
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - Mosquito Bomber
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - 29
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - Debonair Sweepstakes
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - 31
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - History
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - 33
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - Fly Outs
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - 35
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - Fly Outs
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - 37
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - News
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - 39
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - Test Pilot
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - 41
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - Test Pilot
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - 43
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - Fun and Games
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - D-1
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - D-2
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - 45
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - Panel Power
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - 47
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - 48
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - 49
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - 50
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - 51
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - 52
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - 53
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - Make Mine a Tail Dragger
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - 55
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - 56
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - 57
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - 58
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - 59
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - 60
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - 61
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - Meigs 10 Years Later
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - 63
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - 64
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - 65
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - 66
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - 67
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - Fly Off: Head-To-Head
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - 69
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - 70
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - 71
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - 72
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - 73
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - Safety Pilot Landmark Accident: When Nothing Makes Sense
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - 75
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - 76
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - 77
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - Technique
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - 79
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - 80
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - 81
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - Technology
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - 83
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - Wx Watch
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - 85
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - 86
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - 87
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - Avionics
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - 89
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - 90
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - 91
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - Frugal Flier
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - 93
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - Never Again
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - 95
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - 96
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - 97
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - Membership
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - 99
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - State & Local Action
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - 101
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - Member Products
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - 103
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - AOPA Foundation
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - 105
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - Insurance Services
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - 107
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - Fly by Wire
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - 109
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - 110
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - 111
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - Pilots
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - Cover3
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2013 - Cover4
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