Operating on the Margin
Friday, February 11th, 2011
When we fly, we operate in one of three regimes: Conservative/Safe; Unsafe; or on the Margin. The Margin is that grey area between flying in a conservative manner, and flying unsafely. We have all pushed the envelope at some point, gone flying when we knew we shouldn’t, or continued flying when we knew we should put her on the ground. It’s tempting to say to ourselves, “OK, I know the weather doesn’t really look good, but I’ll just fly a bit further and see what it looks like. I can always make a 180.” The FAA’s accident statistics are full of reports of people who ran into mountains or became disoriented soon after they decided to go have a ‘look-see’. It’s painful to read those reports!
How to teach students to use good judgment is a major challenge in flight instruction. We know that the rule of primacy says that what we teach them now will follow them through their entire flying career. So, how do we convince students to be conservative when they fly?
Perhaps the most important thing an instructor can do is to remember that your students will emulate you. You are the expert and if you do it, they are probably going to try it sometime, too. It’s so important for your students to see you operate in a conservative manner, too. We need to do our envelope pushing elsewhere – not when we are flying with students. Oh but it’s tempting sometimes. <grin>
As an instructor I am known for my little maxims. Here are a few related to the use of good judgment:
*When in doubt, DON”T!
*Make the conservative choice; you live longer that way.
*Remember that those who die in weather related accidents are generally buried on a sunny day.
*If you want to push the limits of your ability (such as handling strong crosswind landings), go and get a qualified flight instructor to join you.
The problem with operating in that grey on-the-Margin area is that many times you can get away with it. That success builds the unrealistic belief that it’s okay and that you won’t get caught down the road. Unfortunately the more a pilot operates in that grey area the more likely he is to have an accident.
The next time you consider taking flight when you are not really feeling that well, or when the weather is iffy, or when the plane seems ‘not quite right’, make the conservative choice. It’s a great way to extend your flying career!
