Sloppy Piloting

This group's own Rick Durden published an article in AOPA Pilot this month
entitled "Are you a good pilot?" In it, Rick raised many interesting points
about things that can affect good piloting.

Precision is part of being a good pilot, and it seems that good ones are
always striving for perfection, even though they know it's unattainable. As
pilots we are always one mistake away from bent metal (or worse) so this is
a good thing.

In my own flying, I strive to avoid the pitfall of becoming sloppy -- but I
have to confess that it's easy to fall into bad habits. When you've droned
VFR between Iowa and Wisconsin 500 times, it's easy to become sloppy about
altitude -- I mean, who cares if you're off by 100 feet? And heading?
Well, shoot, we're just following the magenta line on the display, right?
Sloppy.

Another example: Practice can make perfect, but repetition can also make you
forget things, over time. Mary and I were recently discussing the fact that
neither one of us could remember the precise V speeds for Atlas -- a plane
we've flown every few days for six years. They've all become automatic and
ingrained in our muscle memory -- but we'd have to look at the panel
placards to tell the exact speeds. Sloppy.

Interestingly, the definition of sloppy piloting has changed somewhat over
the years I've been flying. It used to be that you could spot a sloppy
pilot by the way they read a sectional chart; nowadays, many pilots don't
ever look at a sectional, and a sloppy pilot is defined by how much they
fumble with the knobs of their Garmin 1000...

As I'm typing this, I'm trying to remember the last time I opened my
sectional chart. With a Lowrance 2000c on the pilot's yoke, and a Garmin
496 in the panel, there is literally no reason for us to EVER open a
sectional anymore. Both of those instruments have far more information than
a chart could ever display -- yet I feel sloppy for not having opened my
paper map in the last dozen or so flights.

With two pilots on board, we have a good system to offset any inclination to
get too sloppy -- it's called "spouse pressure". For example, if I fly a
non-rectangular pattern, I'm sure to hear about it -- and vice versa. But
even after 30 years we can't read each other's minds, and -- especially
after a long lay-off from flying -- it's easy to develop sloppy thought
processes. Piloting requires linear thinking, and much of it is habit
developed over time, so it's the first thing to go when you haven't flown
much.

I'm interested in hearing what you do to combat the human tendency toward
sloppiness? Any tricks that you might use, or methods you might employ?
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

"Jay Honeck" wrote in
news:Bj5gj.287919$Fc.120969@attbi_s21:


Interestingly, the definition of sloppy piloting has changed somewhat
over the years I've been flying. It used to be that you could spot a
sloppy pilot by the way they read a sectional chart;


Really? Do tell. How do you rea a chart sloppily?


I'm interested in hearing what you do to combat the human tendency
toward sloppiness?

No you aren't. You killfiled me, remember?


Bertie

Jay Honeck wrote:

I'm interested in hearing what you do to combat the human tendency
toward sloppiness? Any tricks that you might use, or methods you
might employ?

Discipline.

Every one of my flights follows the same pattern. I always have the
latest sectionals, low altitude en route charts, AF/D and approach
plates. I plot my course, review the charts. I file DUATS, get my
briefing from FSS (which *is* getting better).

My preflight is the same every time. Open the hangar, get my GATTS jar
(whatever it is called), grab the checklist, do my cockpit checks and
then around the plane right wing, nose, left wing, tail, roll the plane out.

Checklist sez, get the ATIS, ASOS whatever, copy it. Follow the
checklist. I won't go thru the whole thing as I suspect a few of you
may have done this once or twice yourselves! :^)

But that is the net of it. Follow the checklist. The checklist should
have your V speeds, your emergency procedures, your pre flight, takeoff,
cruise, approach, descent, pre and post landing and shutdown procedures
clearly documented. Do that and flying becomes almost like a cookbook
(that's a joke folks, breathe).

my 2 cents.

KC

I will side with KC that check lists are necesary...
Many examiners will fail you if you fail to use check lists...
In the event of an accident - say a wheels up landing not likely in
Atlas - the FSDO will physically look for your check lists and will
ask you about using them...

Now, on the issue of trusting your GPS.. It's easy, it's fun, it's
fast, it's accurate, and I am just as human, and just as lazy, as
anyone... But I do - on cross country flights, night flights, and of
course when filed IFR - drag out Howie keefe and open it up, dial up
a relevant VOR, and keep a cross check on my position, even while
following the little arrow on the moving map...
I do not do this when bombing around vfr in the local area, I just fly
i.f.r. ( I Follow Roads - and water towers - and railroads, even a
flock of geese now and then ) I do tend to control my altitude though
- old IFR habit...

I think the best way to keep your 'precision' up is to work on a
rating... For you and Mary, this should be the instrument rating - as
that is probably more immediately useful than say, a float plane
rating... But any new rating will keep your mind focused on flying
more precisely...
Or, how about just getting some aerobatic time with an instructor...
Nothing like controlling speed/angle/bank/power/Gees on a constantly
changing flight path to improve the old straight and level...

denny

"Jay Honeck" wrote:

I love some of the threads you start, Jay. :-)

[snip]
As I'm typing this, I'm trying to remember the last time I opened my
sectional chart. With a Lowrance 2000c on the pilot's yoke, and a Garmin
496 in the panel, there is literally no reason for us to EVER open a
sectional anymore. Both of those instruments have far more information than
a chart could ever display -- yet I feel sloppy for not having opened my
paper map in the last dozen or so flights.

I have a tandem aircraft (Varga), and the partner I fly with most
frequently and I each have portable Garmin 296s that we use on every
flight. The panel page gives the backseat pilot some instruments he/she
can't see on the actual panel, and it's a backup if the actual
instruments fail (we're planned to be only VFR).

In addition, if ALL GPS/nav equipment fails, I also make specific "nav
cards" for every flight designating the headings and altitudes to fly,
frequencies along the route, distance/pattern & runway info and
alternates; on the back, I make a copy of the sectional with a line
showing the route, and then I laminate the whole thing. Most cards are
half-page, and I keep them in a half-page size binder in the airplane.
Can fit most on ONE half-page, but use one for each leg of longer x-cs.
So...we always have the info/sectional backup if the other, more
convenient methods of navigation, fail. I make two of each laminated
card, so both front- and back-seat pilot have one.

This also saves having to write down the same info *every time* you go
to frequently chosen destinations, and having to unfold and find the
part of the sectional you need *if* you need it. It is especially
helpful when you make a longer flight that you haven't done in 2 or 3
years ... instead of trying to remember and argue about what route you
flew, you can just pull the cards and see what it was and it's easy to
update if need be (most of the time, it's all the same). Sometimes I add
info I didn't realize we needed until AFTER we've made the flight or
comments we should remember for next time.

With two pilots on board, we have a good system to offset any inclination to
get too sloppy -- it's called "spouse pressure". For example, if I fly a
non-rectangular pattern, I'm sure to hear about it -- and vice versa. But
even after 30 years we can't read each other's minds, and -- especially
after a long lay-off from flying -- it's easy to develop sloppy thought
processes. Piloting requires linear thinking, and much of it is habit
developed over time, so it's the first thing to go when you haven't flown
much.

I'm interested in hearing what you do to combat the human tendency toward
sloppiness? Any tricks that you might use, or methods you might employ?

We use a system similar to what you describe as "spouse pressure" that
we refer to as "backseat piloting" (ala "backseat driving"). Pilot in
the backseat is responsible for reading the checklist to the frontseat
pilot as he/she calls for various sections of it, double-verifies the
steps, keeps a vigilant eye for traffic (I can't begin to say how many
times we've commented that without two sets of eyeballs in the cockpit,
it would be much more difficult to see-and-avoid *and* fly at the same
time, especially with the difficulty understanding the quality of
"English" spoken over the radio these days), and occasionally makes
suggestions that cause the threat of the backseat intercom to be shut
off!

Sounds like a lot of work, but being a relatively low-time pilot, making
the cards is a way for me to familiarize myself with the details of each
flight (I have a home office with all the equipment needed to make the
cards, so that makes it easier, too), and then all the info is readily
available for re-familiarizing each time. And my higher-time partner has
said it's helpful, too, so it works well for us.

Shirl

Sounds like a lot of work, but being a relatively low-time pilot, making
the cards is a way for me to familiarize myself with the details of each
flight (I have a home office with all the equipment needed to make the
cards, so that makes it easier, too), and then all the info is readily
available for re-familiarizing each time. And my higher-time partner has
said it's helpful, too, so it works well for us.

I used to do something very similar to this, back in our pre-GPS,
pre-two-pilot days. I found my "cheat sheets" to be extremely helpful,
especially when flying into unknown or big-city airports.

These sheets really help because they eliminate more than a few things to
remember. As a new(er) pilot, I remember feeling like I was close to
mental overload when flying into complex airspace, and anything you can do
to minimize that load is definitely helpful.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Jay Honeck wrote:

These sheets really help because they eliminate more than a few things
to remember. As a new(er) pilot, I remember feeling like I was close
to mental overload when flying into complex airspace, and anything you
can do to minimize that load is definitely helpful.

One of the handiest "cheat sheets" you can find are the terminal
procedures, or approach plates. Even if I'm not flying IFR I
always bring a set with me. All the information you need to
know about an airport is on one piece of paper.

Jay Honeck wrote:

I'm interested in hearing what you do to combat the human tendency
toward sloppiness? Any tricks that you might use, or methods you might
employ?

Being a CFI I tend to explain various operations and procedures
to my passenger as if I am instructing them. It seems to make
things be more interesting to them and also serves to put me
into "instructor mode". The result being you try to be more
precise as if you are demonstrating a maneuver or procedure
as you would with a student. I also enlist them in watching out
for traffic.

"Jay Honeck" wrote in
news:Bj5gj.287919$Fc.120969@attbi_s21:

Another example: Practice can make perfect, but repetition can also make
you forget things, over time. Mary and I were recently discussing the
fact that neither one of us could remember the precise V speeds for
Atlas -- a plane we've flown every few days for six years. They've all
become automatic and ingrained in our muscle memory -- but we'd have to
look at the panel placards to tell the exact speeds. Sloppy.

Actually, I think this is not a function of being sloppy. I think it's a
function of being human.

Having your V-Speeds on a placard (or in my case on my Checklist) is more
important than remembering them. Especially for those of us that might have
the opportunity to fly more than one type of plane - in my club there are 3
different types of planes and I don't remember all the VSpeeds anymore. But
I have them on the checklists and know exactly where to find them - often
having a glance before takeoff just to be sure.

IMHO, the mark of a sloppy pilot is one who flies in the face of the tools
that are presented to him. One who refuses to use checklists because he
thinks he can remember it all.

As for not looking at a sectional - again it's about the tools you have and
need. If you really have no need to look at a sectional because of the GPS
you have, then I would say no problem. Our planes have GNS-480's, and they
are really good. But I find that every once in a while I still have to look
at the sectional to prepare, for example, to know the airspace boundaries
of Class-D and Class-C airports that I might be flying near, or even more
importantly the boundaries and schedules of Restricted Areas on my flight
path.

The point is, I don't think it's sloppy to be willing to use new
technology. Certainly it's important to make sure that you don't forget how
to use the old technology in case one day you find yourself with a dead
battery or what not. But if you still can figure out how to read a
sectional, even if you haven't looked at one in a year, I wouldn't call you
sloppy for it...

What is a sloppy pilot? I'll probably step on most toes with this and
I realize a lot is open to interpretation so I'll try and explain as I
go along, but...

Most seem to be sticking just with execution, or organization, but "to
me a sloppy pilot is: A Disorganized Pilot, A Distracted Pilot, A
complacent Pilot, A pilot who does not make use of all equipment and
information available to them, A pilot who does not know his/her
airplane, A pilot who always plays it safe. a pilot who does not
practice, a pilot who does not keep up with recurrency training, and
I'll probably think of more.

A couple of points though, sloppy in a high time pilot may just be
polish for a low time pilot or even student.

One point with which I take strong issue is Practice does not make us
forget. Familiarity may, but not practice. Practice ingrains actions
and reactions and if done often enough and well enough it becomes
subconscious. This it not the same as muscle memory, but rater quite
different. Yes, we may do something so often we just accept it and let
our subconscious take over from our conscious. Consciously we may not
be able to recall some numbers, but our subconscious can. The danger
with repeated practice is developing bad habits and getting those
ingrained. Hence the occasional ride with either an instructor or
another pilot competent and proficient in that plane.

An example of the subconscious taking over: I lost an engine at
roughly 50 feet and 100 MPH on initial climb out from a 3800 foot
runway. there was none of this stopping to realize the engine had
quite and I needed to lower the nose. I immediately knew the engine
quit and while I was selecting an appropriate landing spot my hands
and feet were flying the airplane, shutting off the fuel, brining in
full flaps, and shutting down *stuff* This was low altitude with no
time to stop and reason out what to do and where to land. I recognized
I couldn't make the highway, the trees off the end of the runway
looked very uninviting and the airport fence didn't look all that bad.
By the time my vision had covered that I was already set up to set
back down straight ahead with maximum drag. I had 1200 feet of runway
left and barely enough energy to make the turn off in front of the
terminal.

The disorganized pilot...With out organization it's difficult to bring
up the proper charts, or is unfamiliar with the route, or the
destination airport and even airports along the way. When IFR they
have to take extra time to work out entering in the updated route, or
can't find the new intersections on the chart. Usually I'd put not
holding heading or altitude here, but it could go in a number of these
categories.

The distracted pilot is one whose mind is on something other than
flying. The pilot who spends time doing unnecessary things, spends too
much time setting up the VORs, RNAV, or GPS. Or they spend time trying
out all the capabilities on the GPS whether they need them or not. Too
much time with head in the cockpit instead of tending to business.
I flew with a pilot who was learning all the neat things his GPS would
do. I don't think he looked outside more than 10 to 20% or the time.
By the time we got back I had a sore neck from looking for traffic.
Same thing happened way back with a LORAN system.

The complacent pilot just flys along with little concern about
anything. They think they know all the procedures, and pushing
"nearest" is all they need to know.

The one who doesn't make use of all available information. This could
also include the pilot who depends on one navigation system. IOW, IT
doesn't matter if you have dual GPS in the panel and a hand held for
backup. It's still one system. It's the most reliable system we have
save one, and due to that reliability we tend to focus on its use, but
GPS, regardless of how many units you have in the plane is still one
system and it has gone down from a few minutes to a few hours. on
several occasions. We are starting up a new sunspot cycle as of last
week so in a few years solar activity could very well cause
interruptions. The most reliable system is still a ruler, watch, and
chart. OTOH I did have all but the corner of my new chart disappear
out under the door in the old Cherokee 180. Good thing I had and NDB
and VOR to back it up. :-)) Even IFR with RNAV and a hand held GPS I
always carried current charts (Low Altitude IFR AND VFR Sectionals).
Never depend on only one form of navigation. After all your chart
could get sucked out the door.

The pilot who doesn't know his or her airplane. Never having done
stalls, not knowing best glide, fuel burn, Vx, Vy, Max range settings,
unusual attitude recovery. Even for the pilot who only flys on nice
days there is the occasional wake turbulence. Besides, nature is good
at providing surprises as is ATC at times. What if that pilot has to
make a maximum effort to avoid a mid air such as a steep turn or climb
while hanging on the edge of a stall. It happens and planes can get
very close to even the pilot who spends a lot of time looking for
them.

The pilot who always plays it safe is sort of a continuation of the
one above as that pilot, never really learns his, or the planes
limitations. Or what to do in that rare chance that the weather
suddenly turns to something quite different than forecast.

Of course the pilot who doesn't practice pretty much fits into the
complacent and not knowing, or staying sharp in the plane they are
flying. Just watch the traffic at Oshkosh for a while.

Recurrency training or lack there of fits in with the above three
definitions. Recurrency training in a specific plane can often teach
the pilot a lot of useful information as well as making the insurance
company happy who them may give a discount.

"To me" a sloppy maneuver doesn't necessarily mean a sloppy pilot.
Unless of course if he does that sort of thing for a living.

Roger (K8RI)