Too many accidents

On Friday, September 7, 2018 at 8:51:33 AM UTC-7, WB wrote:
On Friday, September 7, 2018 at 4:33:35 AM UTC-5, wrote:
Several posters have raised the issue of declining reflexes with advancing age. Especially so in flying and particularly in gliding.

Certainly declining reflexes contribute to accidents. No question about it. However, general aviation does not often require lightning quick reflexes. I think there's a story about some famous pilot who was asked what he would do in an emergency and his answer was something like "First, I'd wind my watch..." meaning he would take a few seconds to think before acting. I suspect the aging related decline that is more relevant to accidents is a decline in our situational awareness. One specific decline is in our ability to perceive how a situation is changing. How long does it take us to recognize that our airspeed is decaying? How quickly do we perceive changes in yaw rate or pitch rate? We may do pretty well and compensate by being mindful of our growing deficits as we age, but as we approach some threshold of function, we might begin to have episodes where we momentarily jump well beyond a threshold of critically reduced function due to fatigue, dehydration, low blood sugar, whatever. I've seen old guys who would fly 9 of 10 flights flawlessly, then inexplicably drive a ship onto the runway or into a field at high speed and end up in a pile of busted fiberglass.

Maybe we need the advice of some folks who specialize in studying and treating cognitive decline in aging.


I'm an older pilot, and the main difference I notice is that my stamina is much reduced. I can perform well initially, but at the end of a long day at the airport, my performance is reduced because I'm tired. I try to guard against this now, and limit my flight lengths and my duty time at my club. I suggest younger people also watch for this in their older friends. Reflexes, I don't notice any reduction, although this may be present, probably because I intentionally act fairly slowly (impulsivity is one of the dangerous attitudes).

Now what's the difference between retired and retarded? The new job is staying in shape. My daily walk is some 8 km up and down over hilly terrain in temperatures from +37 to -30 C.

It's not the years that will sideline you. It's the onset of deterioration or a debilitating medical condition. Staying in shape may delay the inevitable - no guarantee.

Errare humanum est. What is an acceptable error rate - given that there's no such thing as a perfect flight? The worst error is the one you don't recognize.

Along with the faulty human component, Mother Nature or mechanical failure can hand you a nasty surprise (many of which are not covered by the training curriculum) at any moment. The more you fly, the more more you are exposed.

I recall looking at the undercarriage but did not say "Wheel down according to placard"

For what is worth;

38 years flying retractable gear sailplanes.

In addition to the usual landing check list attached to the gear side
of my Ventus.

I put a small patch of red plastic tape at the "retracted" end of the
gear travel slot, and a small patch of green tape at the "down &
locked" end of the slot.

Final check on turning final is always a quick glance to assure the
lever is at the GREEN end of the travel.

Bob

On Fri, 7 Sep 2018 16:05:47 -0700 (PDT),
wrote:

I have been flying since 1980, had one heavy landing a number of years ago, when ASI failed in X country flight. 3000 hours in total solo.
I did however purchase a ASH 31 Mi and despite very good training from the agent in Australia.
Very early on in the flying of this glider I had a flight, both engine problems, refusal to start, and LX screen failing.
I switched to flying glider mode but still managed to land wheels up.
After considerable thought i now figure out the problem.
When stressed we go into fight of flight mode. Blood goes to the legs and leaves the brain. We thus go stupid. I recall looking at the undercarriage but did not say "Wheel down according to placard"
How many good pilots have you seen make stupid errors.
Perhaps you have hit the nail on the head, Older, over confident pilots in very complex aircraft

The 30 degrees applies to powered aircraft, not gliders.

Oh, give me a break!! The 30 degree bank applies to NOTHING!

As a DPE I see too many pilots who fly by rules like that. I've failed a few of them for lack of good judgement and misuse of the rudder. They keep the bank under thirty and try to increase the rate of turn with rudder! Classic cross-control turn to final, pull back on the elevator because the nose is dropping and we spin. Whee!!

1. The aircraft doesn't fly any differently in a 30 degree bank in the pattern or 1000 feet higher. Basically the same can be said of any other bank angle you choose without going beyond the extremes (45-60 degrees).

2. If you're flying faster it takes more bank to make the same rate of turn..

3. Clearance between the wing tip and the ground is the only thing that limits the bank in the pattern and "most" of the time we're on final with the wings mostly level close to the ground.

Putting it all together: Use the bank angle that allows you to make the heading change you need. If you chose to fly a close-in pattern you'll need a steeper bank angle to make the corners without overshooting the final.

We seem to have no problem doing 45 degree banks during rope-break practice, but tell the student they shouldn't do that if the need arises at altitudes above that? Baloney!

Stepping down from the soapbox,

Mike

I would have thought the ASH 31Mi would have a gear warning.
R

On Friday, September 7, 2018 at 11:04:18 PM UTC-4, George Haeh wrote:
Now what's the difference between retired and retarded? The new job is staying in shape. My daily walk is some 8 km up and down over hilly terrain in temperatures from +37 to -30 C.

It's not the years that will sideline you. It's the onset of deterioration or a debilitating medical condition. Staying in shape may delay the inevitable - no guarantee.

Errare humanum est. What is an acceptable error rate - given that there's no such thing as a perfect flight? The worst error is the one you don't recognize.

Along with the faulty human component, Mother Nature or mechanical failure can hand you a nasty surprise (many of which are not covered by the training curriculum) at any moment. The more you fly, the more more you are exposed.

Very good points. I would add that the biggest problem might be modern diet.. Meals full of starches and easy sugar that drive glucose levels of healthy people high followed by a crash. This keeps repeating all day long. Along with this roller coaster goes our concentration. Of course the roller coaster is not only with glucose level but also with hormones. Eat well without loading on starches, sugars and fruit juices and you will be able to perform much better. Very are very few people who can handle the modern diet, especially once they cross into their 40s. Treat yourself to a full fat cheese as a snack, nuts, proteins and other healthy snack and you will find your brain working like in your 20s, but that takes time.

On Saturday, September 8, 2018 at 3:18:32 AM UTC-4, Retting wrote:
I would have thought the ASH 31Mi would have a gear warning.
R

Yep, it does if you don't get cheap . I have two of them, one on LX9000 and one independent buzzer.

You can establish margins, but Mother Nature at any time
can blow right through them and put you into a totally
new aerodynamic situation.

Margins are not static, and need to be adjusted for Mother Nature.

Margins on a clear, light wind day differ greatly from those on a day with, e.g., thunderstorms in the vicinity.

Someone asked me recently, "Why do you always say, 'Gear down and
locked', over the radio when you turn base?"Â* The stupidity of the
question meant to me that there was no answer which would satisfy him.

And yes, more flying means more exposure but it also means more
experience.Â* I'm much more practiced and proficient and less likely to
make the mistakes that someone flying 20 hours per year is likely to make.

I think the green and red tape on the landing gear lever slot is a
terrific idea, especially if you fly an LS-6; in my opinion the sweetest
flying glider ever produced.Â* The pure logic of pushing the gear up and
pulling it down (everything forward for fast and everything back for
slow (flaps, dive brakes, stick, and gear)) is the exact opposite of
every other glider I've flown.

On 9/7/2018 9:18 PM, Bob Gibbons wrote:
I recall looking at the undercarriage but did not say "Wheel down according to placard"
For what is worth;

38 years flying retractable gear sailplanes.

In addition to the usual landing check list attached to the gear side
of my Ventus.

I put a small patch of red plastic tape at the "retracted" end of the
gear travel slot, and a small patch of green tape at the "down &
locked" end of the slot.

Final check on turning final is always a quick glance to assure the
lever is at the GREEN end of the travel.

Bob

On Fri, 7 Sep 2018 16:05:47 -0700 (PDT),
wrote:

I have been flying since 1980, had one heavy landing a number of years ago, when ASI failed in X country flight. 3000 hours in total solo.
I did however purchase a ASH 31 Mi and despite very good training from the agent in Australia.
Very early on in the flying of this glider I had a flight, both engine problems, refusal to start, and LX screen failing.
I switched to flying glider mode but still managed to land wheels up.
After considerable thought i now figure out the problem.
When stressed we go into fight of flight mode. Blood goes to the legs and leaves the brain. We thus go stupid. I recall looking at the undercarriage but did not say "Wheel down according to placard"
How many good pilots have you seen make stupid errors.
Perhaps you have hit the nail on the head, Older, over confident pilots in very complex aircraft

--
Dan, 5J

On Saturday, September 8, 2018 at 7:30:29 AM UTC-7, Dan Marotta wrote:
Someone asked me recently, "Why do you always say, 'Gear down and
locked', over the radio when you turn base?"Â* The stupidity of the
question meant to me that there was no answer which would satisfy him.



I suppose a radio call adds another check, that a ground observer might hear, look up, notice something, and have a radio at hand. I personally doubt it adds very much, and radio congestion detracts from overall safety.

'There are no stupid questions, only stupid answers'