AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2015 - 94

P&E

94 | 

NEVER AGAIN

a dogleg that had to be negotiated after
touchdown, with the tailwheel slightly off
the surface. Things grow quickly in the jungle. What had been a clear approach had
become obstructed by encroaching tropical growth, forcing our touchdown point
farther up the airstrip, conveniently beyond
the dogleg. Not having to make that turn on
a rain-soaked surface was a bit of a relief.
And it happened gradually, so we got used
to giving up more and more runway surface, each new touchdown point becoming
the new standard.
On one pleasant flight near the top of
the descent point, I noticed the altitude
was 100 feet low, and my first thought was,
"So what?" Then we began our descent
into the 730-foot Bitogen airstrip. It was
on a slope; you landed uphill, which made
it easy to get stopped but also pushed the
no-go point well before touchdown. It had
terrain on all sides; it was narrow with village houses on both sides and the kids, pigs,
and dogs were free to roam; there was no

weather reporting other than a scraggly
windsock; it had a rough, patchy surface;
and there was no provision to make repairs.
Now that's aviation as it was meant to be!
On descent into that unforgiving strip,
my safety officer's words came to mind
when I caught myself hunching forward
in the seat, wiping the constant flow of
sweat from my hands. That's when it
dawned on me that if I couldn't hold my
altitude within commercial pilot standards when all there was to be done was
to fly straight and level in smooth air, it was
arrogant-and dangerous-to think that I
could consistently and predictably make
an approach and landing to that airstrip,
holding airspeed on final within two knots
and touching down within a 20-foot zone.
Self-disciplined aviation applies though
all levels of an organization. Leadership
needs to set the example and execute on
the standards. Leadership needed to say
no to the deteriorating airstrip conditions
at Lagubang, which intersected with an

airman who needed to say no to becoming casual toward airspeed control on final.
Every time an individual in an aviation organization operates with less-than-sterling
flight discipline-and gets away with it-
they collectively move closer to an accident.
How will you fly? How will you fly
when no one is watching and you know
you can get away with it? No SOP, no ATC,
no FARs, and no chief pilot will take you as
far as professional self-discipline will; it's
a maximum-effort maneuver.
AOPA
DAN GLEASON, of Bridgewater, Virginia,

is an ATP and CFI-A. He has flown more
than 10,000 hours and is type rated in the
Beechcraft Super King Air, Bombardier
Dash 8, and Douglas DC-3.

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AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2015

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