Thread: flaps again
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Old January 3rd 08, 04:48 AM posted to rec.aviation.owning,rec.aviation.piloting,rec.aviation.student
Hilton
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Posts: 118
Default flaps again

Roy Smith wrote:
Hilton wrote:

I was in the pattern at night with a student in a C172 at RHV and we had
a
total electrical failure. No lights, no flaps, ... I had him hold a
flashlight at the ASI and call out airspeeds, I then did a glassy water
landing - worked perfectly!


I'm confused -- if he was your student, why did you do the landing? Seems
like a perfect opportunity for a "learning experience".


Good suggestion. However... We were at a towered airport with other planes
in the pattern, tower unaware of what was happening (but could probably
guess), etc. It was pretty funny on the downwind when I was wing-wagging to
indicate lost comm. Then suddenly I realized that it was night and we had
no lights! I treated it as an emergency, and in my judgement, it was
appropriate that we acted as a team and that we land safely. Think of the
student's learning experience as being in CRM.

Hilton