AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2018 - 18

LETTERS

FROM OUR AUGUST 2018 ISSUE

Learning from the pros
Could retiring airline pilots apply their experience and insight to instructing a new generation
of pilots? Readers thought Barry Schiff might be onto something.
Barry Schiff's recent article on
IFR training by retired airline
pilots makes a lot of sense. I wish
my training had been so oriented.
About 10 to 15 percent of
my flying was in real IFR. I
admit that I was never really
comfortable in the soup. Even
though I could do well on practice approaches or holding
patterns, I tried to avoid taxing
situations. Learning from a real
pro would have been helpful. I
hope that retired airline pilots
pick up on his suggestion.
Hugo Freudenthal
AOPA 306381
Dunedin, Florida

Barry Schiff makes some great
points but doesn't mention the
main reason why experienced
airline pilots, like myself, don't
flight instruct. Liability. I'd love
to put my CFI certificate to use
and give back to the GA community but the liability threat
looms large.

FLYING LIFE

What are you afraid of?

BY NATALIE BINGHAM HOOVER

Contagious courage and the case for vulnerability
"Vulnerability is not weakness. That myth is profoundly
dangerous." -Brené Brown

NATALIE BINGHAM
HOOVER is a
designated pilot
examiner and
corporate pilot.

BRENÉ BROWN IS A POPULAR AUTHOR, public speaker,
and research professor at the University of Houston.
She has written four number one New York Times
bestsellers. Her Ted Talks have received nearly 50
million views to date. The crux of her research is
this: People who live happy, wholehearted lives are
those who have the courage to let their most authentic selves be seen. They are not paralyzed by a fear of
failure. Rather, they have the courage to be vulnerable, both at work and in their personal lives. For most
folks, however, vulnerability is something we avoid at
all costs because of the fear that if we allow ourselves
to be truly seen, we will experience loss of respect,
loss of connection, and shame.
I have long been a fan of Brown's work, as I've seen
how it can be helpful in my personal life. However,
recently, I read a passage in her new book, Daring
Greatly, that shows her work has direct implications
for aviation culture. Brown writes about interviews
she conducted on how men and women experience shame in their lives. These were the subjects'
answers that, as a pilot, I found alarming: "Revealing
any weakness is shaming...Showing fear is shameful...
You can't be afraid-no matter what." If the research
is true (and thousands of interviews say it is), then
this is bad news for those of us who fly. If the aviation culture views weakness as shaming, then that
means we will work hard to cover up our weaknesses,
rather than asking for help from a flight instructor to
improve our skills. If we can't talk about the things
that scare us in airplanes, because of the fear of being
viewed as weak or not having the "right stuff," then
how in the world are we going to keep ourselves safe?
In 2014, an industry-wide study conducted by
the General Aviation Joint Steering Committee (a
work group consisting of FAA and industry leaders
including AOPA) determined the number one reason
for aircraft accidents is "loss of control." Their recommendation? Angle-of-attack indicators in every
airplane. While the study proves stalls are a common weak area among pilots, what it doesn't answer
is why. Brown's work would suggest that we're reluctant to get help becoming more proficient because
we don't want anyone to know we're weak in that

area-and also a little bit afraid of stalls and spins.
But unless we get comfortable discussing it, accident
statistics aren't going to dramatically improve. No,
I'm not talking about some painfully awkward, pilot
kumbaya moment. I'm just advocating a little honest
introspection that would hopefully lead to grabbing
a flight instructor and going up periodically to practice stalls or crosswind landings or whatever we know
our deficiencies to be.
That's not to say that everyone in the industry is
scared of vulnerability. There have been great articles
in which people write about their own incidents and
accidents in hopes of making it a learning experience
for all. When I worked at the airlines, there was a system in place where you could anonymously report any
incidents with the idea that if it were discovered later,
you would be granted immunity as long as your actions
weren't intentional. I used the system once when I
forgot to slow my CRJ-200 below 250 knots before
descending through 10,000 feet. General aviation has
a similar system set up through NASA, whereby you
can self-report unintentional regulation violations and
avoid enforcement action under certain circumstances.
While these programs are certainly valuable, I wonder
how much more effective those stories would be if they
were shared face to face, pilot to pilot, in hangars and
cockpits everywhere?
While this may sound like a pipe dream, I'd like
to think we pilots have evolved from the days when
Maverick and Goose were our role models. We could
make our industry so much safer if we're only willing
to do two things. First of all, we have to stop playing Monday morning quarterback when we hear
about the sticky situations other pilots have gotten
themselves into. Yes, there is a place for objective
accident analysis, but criticism merely for the sake
of making ourselves feel better than the other guy
or gal helps no one. The second thing we can do is
share our stories, and be honest about our weaknesses and fears. Transparency will go a long way
toward everyone's goal of safer flying. In the words
of Brown, "Vulnerability-the willingness to be 'all
in' even when you know it can mean failing and hurting-is brave....Courage is contagious. Every time we
choose courage, we make everyone around us a little
better."
AOPA
www.myaviation101.com

22 | AOPA PILOT September 2018

"Flying Life: Happy
Birthday, Olivia" was
outstanding. What
a crackerjack young
lady. I was inspired.

I enjoyed Julie Summers
Walker's "Will Fly For Food"
article.
I'd like to offer a few midAtlantic suggestions:
* Sugar Buns, Easton/Newnam
Field (ESN), Easton, Maryland.
* Blue Skies, Hampton Roads
Executive Airtport (PVG),
Norfolk, Virginia.
* Suffolk BBQ Co., Suffolk
Executive Airport (SFQ),
Suffolk, Virginia.
* T h e Vi rg i n i a D i n e r,
18 | AOPA PILOT October 2018

Alan L. Wagner
AOPA 746247
Virginia Beach, Virginia

Edward Story
AOPA 704126
Torrance, California

Jeffrey Hicks
AOPA 1190531
Sussex, Wisconsin

WFFF

Also, I'd like to suggest
what many might consider a
significant value-add/member benefit. Given the success
of the new and improved flight
planner, let's add to its "tools"
a drop-down menu with member-recommended airport
restaurants along/near the
line of flight. Similarly, a second
selection of members' recommended attractions along the
proposed line of flight. I prize
my old copies of AOPA's Places
To Fly books.
As you have demonstrated,
the location and price of gas is
important, but for many trips,
it's the fueling of the tummy
that is the primary mission of
the flight planning.

Wakefield Municipal Airport
(AKQ), Wakefield, Virginia
(they'll come and pick you up,
or it's a 10-minute walk).
* Tangier Island Airport (TGI),
Tangier Island, Virginia-multiple small places on the tiny
island in the middle of the
Chesapeake Bay.
* Stevensville Crab Shack,
Ledo Pizza, Bay Bridge Airport
(W29), Stevensville, Maryland.
* Kentmorr Airpark (3W3),
Stevensville, Maryland (grass
field).

Every Sunday morning a group
of us fly somewhere for breakfast-as long as the weather is
VFR. Here is the list of restaurants we fly to:
* Kay 's at the Airport,
Cambridge-Dorchester
Regional Airport (CGE),
Cambridge, Maryland, lunch
and breakfast.

* Robin's Nest Café, Shannon
Airport (EZF), Fredericksburg,
Virginia, lunch.
* Arena's at the Airport,
Delaware Coastal Airport
(GED), Georgetown, Delaware,
lunch and breakfast.
* Pilot House and Eckards,
Hummel Field (W75), Saluda,
Virginia, great German food at
Eckards for dinner.
* Bryce Resort, Sky Bryce
Airport (VG18), Bayse, Virginia
(some mountain flying).
* Lamplighter Restaurant and
Lounge, Lake Country Regional
Airport (W63), Clarksville,
Virginia, they have two courtesy cars for a drive to the
restaurant in town; call Mike,
the airport manager, to get the
keys to the cars.
* Kings Corner, Richmond
Executive-Chesterfield County
Airport (FCI), Richmond,
Virginia, lunch during the
week and dinner on Friday and
Saturday night.
* Williamsburg-Jamestown
Airport (JGG), Williamsburg,
Virginia, lunch during the
week.
* Fred's Restaurant, Franklin
Muni-John Beverly Rose

Have you filed a confidential, voluntary, nonpunitive report
to the aviation safety reporting system (commonly known
as a NASA report)?
4%
Yes

53%

43%

Not sure what a NASA report is.

Aviation eBrief poll

43%
53%

http://www.myaviation101.com

AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2018

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2018