"Richard Kaplan" wrote in message
s.com...

"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
news:UixGc.32855$XM6.30813@attbi_s53...

He's got the "right stuff" -- if he can adjust his attitude.

No.. just dumb luck.

--------------------
Richard Kaplan, CFII

www.flyimc.com

And you are perfectly correct.

Flying isn't something one can perform realistically over time that
allows you the luxury of "making a mistake" like this one; then be
allowed the luxury of getting your "attitude changed".
It doesn't work that way...at least not in the world I know.
Flying requires a specific discipline that absolutely must be learned
and adhered to without exception in order to survive the experience for
any protracted period of time. Anything less than acquiring this
discipline should be considered a sure path to disaster.
There are many endeavors in this world where you are afforded the luxury
of making bad decisions without terminal consequences; flying should
NEVER be considered one of these endeavors.
You learn the rules; you play by the rules; you can exist safely in
aviation and live a long and happy life. You bend the rules; you make
these bad decisions; and sooner or later; you will be dead!
I'm not saying here that you can't make a bad decision and live to fly
another day. I'm not even saying that you can't do what this pilot did
and fly your way out of it with superior skill. Obviously you can. But
you can also fly your way out with dumb luck!!!
What I AM saying is that although a bad attitude can indeed be changed,
and by all means, we as pilots should seek to do all we can to insure a
bad attitude actually GETS changed; to accept the premise that one can
"change" an attitude that should have been present to begin with, is to
accept a standard that's less than is realistically required to survive
in aviation.
In other words, it's the pilot's bad decision that should be the lesson
here; NOT his skill. The decision was obvious; and provable as being
extremely dangerous to both himself, his passengers, and the people
below him on the ground. His "skill" in extricating himself from the
problem can't realistically be separated from his "luck", and as such
should be totally discounted.
The object lesson here is obvious. Flying absolutely DEMANDS that
REGARDLESS of a pilot's "skill", this type of decision must NEVER be
made.......PERIOD!!!!!
Dudley Henriques
International Fighter Pilots Fellowship
Commercial Pilot/ CFI Retired
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