AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2019 - 22

FLYING LIFE

Shades of gray

BY NATALIE BINGHAM HOOVER

Safety is not always a black-and-white issue

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

22 | AOPA PILOT July 2019

IN 2008, a New York mom allowed her 9-year-old to
ride the subway unaccompanied, sparking a nationwide debate that continues today. If you have children,
know anyone with children, or watch the news at all (I
try not to), you will be familiar with the terms "helicopter parents" and "free-range parenting," which fall at
contrasting ends of the parenting spectrum. The former
hover over children in the interest of keeping them safe,
whereas the latter believes that giving children freedom
creates stronger, more confident kids. I know parents
who fall into each category. While their parenting styles
are different, they all love their kids and are doing what
they think is best. Why, then, is there so much judgment
between the two groups-as if there can only be one
right way to raise a child?
In aviation, we are often guilty of a similar offense,
judging the way other pilots make decisions. I don't
believe it comes from a malicious attitude so much as
the ever-logical pilot brain: If my way keeps me safe, and
your way is different, then you must be wrong. So, here's
the question: Is there only one definition of safety? And
if you take a risk I would not take, does that make you
unsafe? On the parenting scale, I think I fall more toward
the free-range mindset; my mother, who was raised on a
farm in the 1960s, would disagree. However, in the airplane, I confess, I make decisions like an overly cautious
grandma, preferring an extra safety margin in all things.
Take for example my recent spring break trip. My
husband and I had a grand plan to fly with our children
from Memphis to Asheville, North Carolina, to watch
our nephew's basketball tournament, then head south
to Cape Coral, Florida, to enjoy time with friends on the
coast. To make the trip even sweeter, a friend let us borrow his Beechcraft B55 Baron, a considerable upgrade
from my Cessna 172. We were going to get there fast-
until I got behind the wheel and started making
decisions like a 95-year-old. On our initial departure
out of Memphis International Airport, I was cleared
to line up and wait on Runway 18C. A FedEx Boeing
757 was then cleared for takeoff on 18L. With a strong
crosswind from the east blowing those vortices my way,
I was feeling uneasy. Sure enough, the tower controller immediately cleared me for takeoff with a "caution
wake turbulence" warning.
No thank you, grandma whispered. "Tower, I'd like
to cancel my takeoff clearance for 18C and request a
departure from 18L please." Was I safe to depart on

18C? Probably. The runways are a decent distance
apart, and the departure ends are staggered. The 757
probably rotated several thousand feet beyond where
my liftoff point would be. However, one look at my
precious sleeping cargo in the backseat, and I knew I
couldn't take that chance.
When we neared the Smokies, somewhere around
Chattanooga, I noticed the ceiling creeping lower-only
about a 2,000-foot clearance over the mountains. To
make matters trickier, the freezing level was low, meaning I possibly would have to deal with icing conditions if I
chose to pick up an IFR clearance and climb into the soup.
Now, the Baron was well equipped with pitot heat, prop
and wing deice, and more. Could I have done it safely?
Yes, and many pilots would have. But grandma chose to
divert south about 50 miles to avoid the mountains and
ice altogether. We landed safely in Asheville and had an
uneventful leg down to Cape Coral a few days after my
nephew won his conference championship (Go Wofford!).
The trouble came on the leg home to Memphis, when
a passing cold front meant possible thunderstorms and
low ceilings en route. With SiriusXM Aviation and a fuel
capacity adequate for diverting around scattered storms,
the Baron was more than capable of making the trip
home in one leg. But I thought it best to stop in Valdosta,
Georgia, in order to get some contingency fuel while reassessing the weather situation. By the time we landed in
Valdosta, the storms ahead had dissipated, allowing us to
make an easy flight home. The total trip, with diversions
and the extra stop, took a bit longer, but the extra margin
of safety lowered the stress for this pilot.
Did I exhibit good decision making on my trip? I
think so. Could I have done it differently and still been
safe? Yes. Please understand, I'm not advocating recklessness. Flying into the face of a thunderstorm seems
categorically unwise. But for the everyday aeronautical decisions, I think it's time we stop judging the way
other pilots think, even if it doesn't fall in line with the
way we would necessarily do things. Let's not forget
that pilots have different experience and comfort levels, thereby making their definition of safety different.
Is there room for a thoughtful discussion of the risks
of different decision-making patterns? Absolutely.
But let's keep that discussion open-minded. Very few
things in life, flying included, demand a one-size-fitsall approach.
AOPA
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http://www.myaviation101.com

AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2019

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