CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 2 - 12
ASI MESSAGE
times, the error comes with only minutes or seconds to take action. In
both cases, the error is so clear. The right path so obvious in hindsight. We
scratch our head and ask, " What were they thinking? " If the pilot were
sitting beside us, comfortably, at zero knots and 1 G, with no pressure and
all the information we have, they'd nod their head and agree: " What were
they thinking? " That rhetorical question is better reframed, " Why were
they thinking that? "
Asking " why " prevents us from dismissing a poor decision by thinking
I'd never do that. I read about accidents with an assumption the pilot
was skilled, knowledgeable, and bringing their best to the situation, but
something derailed them. Something corrupted the decision-making that
has served them so well in their lives up to that point. My paradigm comes
from experience. In my lifetime of flying I've known skilled, professional
pilots who made a costly bad decision. Something clouded their head-work
so that what is so logical in hindsight eluded them in the moment. If it could
happen to them, it can happen to me. So, I study their mistakes, and I learn.
An experienced pilot takes off in zero-zero conditions with the people they
adore most. A VFR-only pilot takes their child into instrument conditions.
A friend takes off overloaded on a hot day for a joyride. A pilot anxious to
keep a holiday promise launches in a winter storm. These flights ended
tragically, under control of an experienced pilot who had flown safely for
decades and earned a reputation with family and friends as an excellent
pilot, a safe pilot. The point is not to dispute the convictions of those family
and friends, rather to appreciate the innocent faith nonpilots place in us.
In his ballad Mayer laments: " Shoulda done more. Shoulda learned a lesson
from the year before. " Let's heed his regrets. Lessons are only learned
when we change behavior. Unless we change behavior, it's simply a lesson
observed. We owe it to the pilots who've perished and their families who
endure the painful analysis to learn as much as we can from these tragedies
and change our behavior in response.
Let's learn these lessons and fly like the pilots our family and friends believe
us to be.
Fly safe!
Richard G. McSpadden, Jr.
Senior Vice President, AOPA Air Safety Institute
Richard McSpadden is a commercial pilot and CFI with more than 4,500
hours in 30 years of flying a variety of civilian and military aircraft. He is a
former F-15 pilot and Thunderbirds leader for the U.S. Air Force, and he has
extensive experience in aviation safety, including ground, flight, and special
event operations.
Email: richard.mcspadden@aopa.org
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 2
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 2
CFItoCFI Newsletter—Volume 13 Issue 2
CFI Notes
From the Editor: Discover the Backcountry
You Are Cleared For…:What It Means in the Training Environment
Safety Webinars: Hone Your Skills—Be Well-Informed
NTSB Accident Investigation: Finding the Golden BB
ASI Message: Lessons Learned—It Works if We Change Our Behavior
CFI News
CFI Tips: Making a List—Checking It Twice
Checkride Checklist: DPE Answers for Students and CFIs
There I Was…: Trouble During a Training Flight
Chart Challenge: Sectional vs TAC
CFI's Point of View: Caught in a Crosswind
From the ASI Archives: Stall/Spin—Classic Facts and Myths
You Can Fly: 4 Things You Didn't Know About AOPA's Flight Training Advantage
Safety Quiz: Density Altitude
CFI Tools: VFR Into IMC—An Insidious Trap
Chief's Corner: Graduations
ASI Safety Tip: Marshalling Signals
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 2 - CFItoCFI Newsletter—Volume 13 Issue 2
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 2 - CFI Notes
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 2 - From the Editor: Discover the Backcountry
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 2 - 4
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 2 - You Are Cleared For…:What It Means in the Training Environment
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 2 - 6
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 2 - 7
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 2 - 8
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 2 - Safety Webinars: Hone Your Skills—Be Well-Informed
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 2 - NTSB Accident Investigation: Finding the Golden BB
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 2 - ASI Message: Lessons Learned—It Works if We Change Our Behavior
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 2 - 12
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 2 - CFI News
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 2 - 14
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 2 - 15
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 2 - CFI Tips: Making a List—Checking It Twice
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 2 - 17
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 2 - 18
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 2 - 19
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 2 - Checkride Checklist: DPE Answers for Students and CFIs
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 2 - 21
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 2 - There I Was…: Trouble During a Training Flight
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 2 - 23
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 2 - Chart Challenge: Sectional vs TAC
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 2 - CFI's Point of View: Caught in a Crosswind
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 2 - 26
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 2 - From the ASI Archives: Stall/Spin—Classic Facts and Myths
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 2 - 28
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 2 - You Can Fly: 4 Things You Didn't Know About AOPA's Flight Training Advantage
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 2 - 30
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 2 - Safety Quiz: Density Altitude
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 2 - CFI Tools: VFR Into IMC—An Insidious Trap
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 2 - 33
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 2 - 34
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 2 - Chief's Corner: Graduations
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 2 - 36
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 13 Issue 2 - ASI Safety Tip: Marshalling Signals
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