AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2018 - 26

SAFETY SPOTLIGHT

Pilot in command
Some aviators really earn the title
I'VE FLOWN VERY LITTLE ROTARY WING, besides a little
stick time embarrassing myself in a Bell UH-1, trying
to hover in the New Mexico desert while searching
for a $100,000 tow target I had jettisoned from my
F-15 earlier in the day. So, when I met a Eurocopter
pilot recently and he offered a left-seat ride, I jumped
at the offer and experienced an exhilarating flight
that reinforced some important safety principles.
I had met Rich, the Eurocopter pilot, at a bar the
night before. We were both on vacation, and struck up
an interesting conversation about the joys of low-altitude, slow-speed flying. We could relate, since that's
the kind of flying I'm doing the most of recently in
my Piper Super Cub: wandering the countryside,
immersed in the joy of flying. It's rarely directly point
A to point B, and time just seems to slip by pleasantly.

I love flying with this kind of pilot:
fun when conditions allow, all business
when it's appropriate.

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.

26 | AOPA PILOT June 2018

I'm careful with whom I fly, especially in an aircraft that I am not trained or proficient in flying.
Once, during my time as flight leader for the U.S. Air
Force Thunderbirds, I was home on vacation, bumming around our local airport, and met a pilot about
to go flying. We chatted for a bit and when he offered
the right seat to join him, I took it. After engine runup he concluded his pretakeoff briefing by stating that
if we had any problems, he would give "Thunderbird
1" the airplane and I would get us down safely. Whoa!
I asked him to pull to the side of the run-up area and
made clear to him that he was the pilot in command:
The success of this flight would depend on him. If we
had a problem, I could offer some support from broad
aviation experience, but our success would depend on
his knowledge, his analysis, and his actions. I asked
him to pause and let that sink in before we took off.
The flight went well, and he later mentioned it was a
valuable learning experience for him on the responsibility of being PIC.
I immediately felt at ease with Rich, the
Eurocopter pilot. We flew out of a place he frequents,
and the line personnel are top notch. Still, he closed

BY RICHARD MCSPADDEN
Executive Director
AOPA Air Safety Institute

his own fuel cap. It's too critical an item to leave to
anyone else. This self-described "couple hundred
hour pilot" was already showing good judgment. As
we strapped in, he instructed me on the seat adjustments, the seat belts, and the emergency exit. As all of
us know, these are required briefing items, but they're
frequently dismissed. Rich demonstrated the flight
controls, reminded me to keep clear, and noted the
dangers of inadvertent interference. He didn't hesitate on any of these items for fear of insulting my
intelligence; he went through these preflight items
smoothly and confidently. No doubt in my mind, this
is always his routine.
We chatted amiably, but at start time, he was all
business. We departed in silence as he climbed up to
500 feet and we began cruising.
I love flying with this kind of pilot: fun when conditions allow, all business when it's appropriate. As
we cruised the Florida Keys, he offered me the controls and didn't hesitate to point out errors and offer
suggestions and techniques. At one point over a desolate stretch, I asked what we'd do if we lost our
engine. Without hesitation, he pointed me to a small
mangrove forest just off our starboard side, and then
discussed where we'd go if that weren't available, and
how he'd handle a ditching. It was clear: Not only
was he thinking about it as we flew, he had put a lot
of thought into this contingency.
As we returned to the airport, he took the aircraft
and flew a fixed-wing pattern to more easily flow
into traffic without disrupting operations. Managing
winds of five gusting to 13 knots, he taxied to our
parking spot and rotated us 270 degrees, settling
perfectly aligned on our tiedown spot. He talked me
through his shut-down and explained how he always
engages the rotor-brake at a certain blade position as
a sign his shut-down is complete.
I learned Rich is a true "couple hundred hour
pilot" and not just a one-hour pilot, a couple hundred times. The flight was immensely enjoyable and a
reminder to me that there's no shortage of good pilots
who serve as an inspiration to all of us.
Go fly-and no matter who you're flying with, if
you're pilot in command, embrace all that stands for.
You earned it.
AOPA
EMAIL richard.mcspadden@aopa.org

AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2018

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