AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2019 - 22

FLYING LIFE

Committed to memory

BY NATALIE BINGHAM HOOVER

Do you know enough about your airplane?
"Never memorize something that you can look up."
-Albert Einstein

NATALIE BINGHAM
HOOVER has logged
more than 3,000
hours of dual flight
instruction given.

22 | AOPA PILOT April 2019

IN AVIATION, we often pride ourselves on knowing every
detail of the flying world. We memorize specifics like
the model number of the engine or the optimal PSI of
the nosewheel tire. I have a friend we fondly call the
walking FAR/AIM. He can cite chapter and verse with
incredible powers of recall. I am always impressed by
pilots who can spout off these facts, but I must confess
that I am not one of them. Maybe in my past, when I
only flew one or two airplanes, I might have been able
to impress with my keen knowledge of a Cessna 172, but
I have slowly let those details slip. In the training world,
we call it the iceberg problem. There are only so many
penguins that can fit on a single iceberg. So it goes with
the capacity for information in our brains. When a new
concept arrives, another must leave to make room for
it. Whether or not the penguin analogy holds true (I
suspect some people's icebergs, like mine, are just a bit
smaller than others), I'd like to make a case for limiting
the amount of memorization we subject ourselves to, if
only for sanity's sake.
As an FAA designated pilot examiner, I've formed
some pretty serious opinions on the subject of what
should be committed to memory. Here's how it works.
If the information is of a time critical nature-typically
information you would want to know in the air-that
should be a memory item. But, if the information is more
ground-based, such as reporting rules for an accident
versus incident, that's something that could be looked
up in the leisure of an air-conditioned building. I'd like
to make a case for memorizing the following list of
essential items:
Immediate actions. If my airplane is on fire, I
want to know what to do about it, and fast. There are
three fire situations I always memorize for any airplane I fly: fire on engine start, in-flight engine fire,
and electrical fire. I've experienced two of the three
and will always be grateful I knew exactly what to
do before the fire was strong enough to harm me or
my airplane. I think most people would agree the
procedure for engine roughness or failure is also
important. Most pilot's operating handbooks have
certain checklist items printed in bold lettering. Do
yourself a favor and commit those to memory before
you have to use them.

Dangerous weather encounters. Although most of
us take great pains to avoid encountering bad weather,
there is always the possibility that it could happen. The
"that would never happen to me" mindset is naive at
best. If it's a thunderstorm, slow down to maneuvering speed and accept heading and altitude deviations to
prevent structural damage. If it's icing, change altitudes
to get away from the freezing level and keep your speed
up on landing to compensate for the higher stall speed.
Airspace and weather minimums. I know there
are people groaning when they read this one, but I
really think these two are memory-worthy items. No
one wants to work hard to earn a rating only to get violated when you unintentionally bust the floor of Class
B airspace without the required clearance. Likewise,
knowing the proper distance to stay away from clouds
will keep you safe and reduce the risk of a midair
collision.
Spin/stall recovery procedure. Really, you do not
want to be rotating toward the ground at a rapid rate
and trying to read a checklist. Enough said.
Regulations that apply to in-the-air scenarios.
I'm talking about minimum safe altitudes, right-ofway rules, lost radio procedures, and the like. But the
majority of regulations can be easily looked up as long
as you have a working knowledge of the FAR/AIM. If
I discover something broken on a preflight, I see no
shame in referring to FAR 91.213 and 91.205 to determine airworthiness.
Basic systems understanding. What are the
sources of power for the different systems on my aircraft? If I lose all electrical power, what will stop
working? If I turn that fuel pump switch off, will my
engine quit? If I get ice on the static port, what sort of
problems will I have? The finer details, such as engine
horsepower or the amount of voltage to specific components, are something that can be quickly looked up if
the information is needed.
I intentionally make this memory list short not so we
can let ourselves off the hook, but so that we can focus
on the things that matter. I consider it a valuable skill to
be able to effectively use our resources, whether that's
the FAR, a checklist, or the legend on a sectional chart.
I realize some of you will disagree with me. Perhaps you
think there are additional items that should be added to
the list? I welcome the conversation.
AOPA
www.myaviation101.com

http://www.myaviation101.com

AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2019

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