Just push the blue button!

Cirrus has added a new auto level button on their latest planes. Will a
button on the stick that you push to automatically reset the plane to
straight and level make any difference on Cirrus accidents or is it just a
gimmick? What say you?

"Darkwing" theducksmail"AT"yahoo.com wrote in message
...
Cirrus has added a new auto level button on their latest planes. Will a
button on the stick that you push to automatically reset the plane to
straight and level make any difference on Cirrus accidents or is it just a
gimmick? What say you?

Diamond already has this on some of their aircraft. I don't know that it
has ever made a difference, however there are a large number of fatalities
caused by VFR to IMC (just like John-John).

Mike wrote:

Diamond already has this on some of their aircraft. I don't know that
it has ever made a difference, however there are a large number of
fatalities caused by VFR to IMC (just like John-John).

John-John was VFR to IMC?

"Bob Noel" wrote in message
...
Mike wrote:

Diamond already has this on some of their aircraft. I don't know that it
has ever made a difference, however there are a large number of
fatalities caused by VFR to IMC (just like John-John).

John-John was VFR to IMC?

Yep.

Mike wrote:
"Bob Noel" wrote in message
...
Mike wrote:

Diamond already has this on some of their aircraft. I don't know
that it has ever made a difference, however there are a large number
of fatalities caused by VFR to IMC (just like John-John).

John-John was VFR to IMC?

Yep.

hmmm, all the wx reports I saw were legal VMC (not smart VMC, but still
legal). Do you have reference to reports that the conditions were not
VMC?

"Bob Noel" wrote in message
...
Mike wrote:
"Bob Noel" wrote in message
...
Mike wrote:

Diamond already has this on some of their aircraft. I don't know that
it has ever made a difference, however there are a large number of
fatalities caused by VFR to IMC (just like John-John).

John-John was VFR to IMC?

Yep.

hmmm, all the wx reports I saw were legal VMC (not smart VMC, but still
legal). Do you have reference to reports that the conditions were not
VMC?

That doesn't mean he was VMC at the time of the accident. Based on what
happend I believe he wasn't, but the question I would have for you was why
do you feel the burning desire to ask questions in which you are already
convinced of the answer?

Bob Noel wrote:

hmmm, all the wx reports I saw were legal VMC (not smart VMC, but still \
I think you're confusing VMC and VFR.
It may have been legal VFR.
legal). Do you have reference to reports that the conditions were not
VMC?
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable
cause(s) of this accident as follows:
The pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane during a descent
over water at night, which was a result of spatial disorientation.
Factors in the accident were haze, and the dark night.

That's IMC buddy. Could be a clear VACU night over water with no
moonlight, and if you can't maintain a horizon due to those factors,
thats IMC even though it is also very much legal VFR.

Bob Noel wrote:

Mike wrote:

"Bob Noel" wrote:

Mike wrote:

Diamond already has this on some of their aircraft. I don't know
that it has ever made a difference, however there are a large number
of fatalities caused by VFR to IMC (just like John-John).

John-John was VFR to IMC?

Yep.

hmmm, all the wx reports I saw were legal VMC (not smart VMC, but still
legal). Do you have reference to reports that the conditions were not
VMC?

Conditions were reported at above VFR minimums. The FAA manager at the
airport said that conditions were likely better than the official reports
at the time of the accident.

The NTSB report simply said that there can be illusions when flying over
sparcely-populated areas or over water in hazy conditions. In this case,
the loss of horizon:

http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?e...12X19354&key=1

On Oct 4, 10:43*am, Bob Noel wrote:
Mike wrote:
"Bob Noel" wrote in message
...
Mike wrote:

Diamond already has this on some of their aircraft. *I don't know
that it has ever made a difference, however there are a large number
of fatalities caused by VFR to IMC (just like John-John).

John-John was VFR to IMC?

Yep.

hmmm, all the wx reports I saw were legal VMC (not smart VMC, but still
legal). *Do you have reference to reports that the conditions were not
VMC?

It doesn't matter if it was IMC for JFK Jr. On a moonless night over
water -- toss in a high overcast -- there's nothing but black to be
seen out of the window. In terms of flying, it's the same as being
inside a cloud. It could be 10,000 feet and 50 miles vis, without a
doubt legal vfr, but if you're not flying the gauges you're gonna die.
He most likely had marginal VFR, but was in conditions not too
different from what I had described above -- flying by outside
reference could have been close to impossible, even if VFR. John John
was a known risk taker, his family would rarely fly with him because
of that (ref -- the book "The Day John Died"). If you accept what his
friends said about him, he really was an accident looking for a place
to happen. The "Master of Disaster" was recovering from an ankle
injury he got earlier from an unltra light accident on -- ready for
this? -- the same Martha's Vineyard he was flying to.

Add in to his multi tasking that he was under major stress with the
magazine George, did not sleep at home the night before because of
arguments with his wife, and you have, in my opinion, a guy who
shouldn't have been trusted riding a two wheel bike, let alone a
tricycle with wings.

On Fri, 3 Oct 2008 21:28:05 -0400, Darkwing wrote:

Cirrus has added a new auto level button on their latest planes. Will a
button on the stick that you push to automatically reset the plane to
straight and level make any difference on Cirrus accidents or is it just a
gimmick? What say you?

Auto trim?