AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 20

SAFETY PILOT

Mad dogs and Englishmen

BY BRUCE LANDSBERG

Type club training for proficiency-and friendships

BRUCE LANDSBERG

is past president
of the AOPA
Foundation and
AOPA's senior
safety advisor.

20 | AOPA PILOT January 2015

LATE IN LIFE, I became an aircraft owner after flying other people's airplanes for more than 40 years. I
decided to check into a type-specific clinic-sort of a
practice-what-you-preach deal. With more than 1,000
hours in Bonanzas, my aircraft was familiar, but now
that I'm writing the maintenance, insurance, and fuel
checks it seemed prudent to learn more. Editor in
Chief Tom Haines and I attended a Bonanza/Baron
Proficiency Training (BPT) program in November. Tom
took the refresher while I sat in with the newbies.
Type clubs are super sources to learn who's who and
are well worth joining. Some of the bigger clubs, such as
the American Bonanza Society (ABS), offer proficiency
programs or will point you in the right direction. And
although BPT is not affiliated with ABS, the roots of the
program go back decades to what once was an arm of
the association.
A good training experience comes down to a solid
curriculum and standardization, which BPT deals out in
spades. And much depends on the skill of the individual
instructor, with a personality to pull the best out of you
while not turning the process into an ordeal.
I'm a believer in good simulation training, even
in light aircraft, to practice dangerous maneuvers
and expand situational awareness. Alas, our capable,
complex avionics are not well standardized, which
complicates the training process significantly. If the simulator only speaks Garmin and you're fluent in Avidyne,
Bendix/King, or something else, that's not ideal.
Sims are perfect for procedures training and IFR
brush-up, especially if they approximate your equipment. But there's nothing better than to fly with
somebody who really knows your aircraft after you've
mastered the basics. Many pilots a few years out of
training have soft instrument skills, so these programs
can bring back that polish.
BPT's course is taught by "seasoned" aviators. The
attendees weren't all that young, either, so there was a
lot of wisdom and many good stories in the room. Did
you know that mixing brands of ashless dispersant oil
is perfectly fine because they all meet the same spec?
Neither did I. Safety-wiring the oil filter to the oil cooler,
although handy since they are co-located, is a bad idea.
Our flight training took place on a brutally windy
day with small craft advisories and winds gusting into
the high twenties. At 3,000 feet it was 45 knots out of
the northwest. While a transient might escape with just

limited exposure, only mad dogs and Englishmen were
flogging around practicing maneuvers and approaches.
Stay below maneuvering speed, tighten the belt,
and be ready with the I was just bracketing the altitude excuse. Eventually in your flying career there will
be serious wind, which requires looking for runways
that are somewhat aligned. Today we went looking for
the big crosswind. The Bonanza's yoke will actually
turn more than 90 degrees. I didn't know that; I never
had occasion to turn it much more than 60 in landing,
although it was well exercised on the pretakeoff check. I
got to really crank it when a gust and the aircraft arrived
at the touchdown zone about the same time.
The training process is as much about judgment
as stick-and-rudder skills. While the student is legally
PIC, the instructor should be stretching the envelope
to no more than what you and the aircraft can handle. There's always the balance between energetic
practice and overdoing it. A coupled approach almost
became uncoupled thanks to a 15-knot shear 300 feet
above minimums. The autopilot dutifully pitched up
to glideslope and the extra airspeed margin we were
carrying evaporated. Plenty of power saved the day.
My last flight-training epiphany was the engineout drill. The Bonanza comes down rapidly when the
gear is out, but pilots often fear an overshoot. Thus too
many aircraft wind up short in the trees at a significantly
higher speed than the few that go off the end of the field
more slowly. We were probably 1,000 feet agl and about
a quarter mile from the end of the runway. With full
flaps and airspeed approaching the top of the white arc,
the pitch attitude and sink rate would have done justice
to the space shuttle-or a box of anvils. Rather than land
long on a 6,000-foot runway, the Bo settled very nicely
into the first 1,000 feet and we needed power to make
the first turnoff. Impressive.
Type clubs and specialized training such as BPT
make a valuable contribution to safety and proficiency,
although human nature assures that those who need it
the least are most likely to participate. Periodic training
is the mark of a professional, and those who don't think
they need it are excellent candidates. Aside from all
the practical benefits, our group of strangers ended the
weekend as friends and better pilots. That seems like a
pretty good investment to me.
AOPA
WEB www.airsafetyinstitute.org


http://www.airsafetyinstitute.org

AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015

Contents
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - Cover1
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - Cover2
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - Contents
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 2
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 3
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 4
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 5
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 6
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 7
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 8
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 9
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 10
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 11
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 12
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 13
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 14
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 15
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 16
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 17
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 18
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 19
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 20
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 21
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 22
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 23
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 24
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 25
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 26
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 27
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 28
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 29
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 30
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 31
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 32
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 33
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 34
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 35
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 36
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 37
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 38
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 39
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 40
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 41
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 42
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 43
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 44
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 45
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 46
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 47
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 48
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 49
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 50
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 51
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 52
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 53
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 54
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 55
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 56
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 57
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 58
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 59
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 60
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 61
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 62
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 63
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 64
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 65
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 66
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 67
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 68
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 69
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 70
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 71
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 72
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 73
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 74
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 75
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 76
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 77
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 78
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 79
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 80
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 81
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 82
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 83
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 84
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 85
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 86
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 87
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 88
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 89
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 90
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 91
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 92
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 93
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 94
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 95
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 96
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 97
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 98
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 99
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 100
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 101
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 102
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 103
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 104
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 105
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 106
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 107
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 108
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 109
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 110
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 111
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - 112
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - Cover3
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2015 - Cover4
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202404
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202403
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202402
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202401
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202312
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202311
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202310
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202309
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202308
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202307
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202306
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202305
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202303
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202302
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202301
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202212
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202211
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202210
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202209
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202208
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202207
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202206
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202205
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202204
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202203
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202202
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202201
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202111
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202110
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202109
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202108
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202107
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202106
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202105
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202104
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202103
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202101
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202012
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202011
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202010
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202009
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202008
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202007
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202006
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202005
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202004
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202003
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202002
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202001
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201912
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201911
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201909
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201908
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201907
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201906
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201905
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201904
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201903
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201902
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201901
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201812
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201811
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201810
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201809
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201808
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201807
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201806
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201805
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201804
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201803
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201802
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201801
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201712
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201711
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201710
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201709
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201707
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201706
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201705
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201704
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201703
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201702
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201701
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201612
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201611
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201610
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201609
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201608
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201607
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201606
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201605
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201604
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201603
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201602
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201601
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201512
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201511
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201510
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201509
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201508
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201507
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201505
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201504
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201503
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201502
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201501
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201412
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201411
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201410
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201409
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201408
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201407
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201406
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201405
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201404
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201403
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201402
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201401
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201312
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201311
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201310
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201309
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201308
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201307
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201306
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201305
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201303
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201302
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201301
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201212
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201211
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201210
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201209
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201208
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201207
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201206
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201205
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201204
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201203
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201202
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201201
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201111
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201110
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201109
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201108
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201107
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201106
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201105
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201104
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201103
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201103_test
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201011demo
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201011
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot0308
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com