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Thread: Experienced Pilots

  1. #11

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    Read anything by Bill Kershner, Rod Machado, and Barry Schiff that you can get your hands on. Paul Craig's The Killing Zone is also a must-read. Interestingly that last recommendation goes hand-in-hand with something Rod Machado once told me: statistics are not determinative; they are indicative. As long as we know about the conditions, we can change the data.
    Anxiety is nature's way of telling you that you've already goofed up.

  2. #12

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    If their is a doubt about the weather or conditions on your route or destination ask yourself if it is worth dying to make the trip.

  3. #13

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    Oct 2011
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    I was a former SAC B52 driver....Your right!!!! Emergency takeoff was a bad day for everyone. An old Alaska Bush Pilot told me. "always have an out" weather it is a Go Around on the approach or bad weather. always have a plan B and then plan C. Don't ever let "get home itis" kill you. And as Scarlet O'Hara said " tomarrow is another day" It is far better to be on the ground wishing to fly than to be flying and wishing to be on the ground.

  4. #14
    Richard Warner's Avatar
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    All good posts, but I also recommend Duane Cole's book "Happy Flying Safely". I have 26,000 hours and I still remember a lot of his comments in this book. Best of luck to you.

  5. #15
    Chick's Avatar
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    All of this has been great advice for us newbies. I appreciate it! Mr. Warner, now I have another book to find.

  6. #16
    Dudley Henriques's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Chick View Post
    I ensured my instructors were older and very experienced. I really enjoy sitting around listening to the "Old Hands" talking about flying. I don't think it is necessary to re-invent the wheel. By listening to the people who have experience, I have learned a lot about flying without having to make every mistake in the book. I make plenty, as it is. What do you think is important to tell a new pilot ( just a couple hundred hours) that you wish someone had told you? Thanks, in advance, for your knowledge and willingness to share!
    There are several ways to approach this issue. It goes without saying that the voice of experience can be very helpful to a new pilot. With this in mind, it is also quite helpful to use a great deal of discretion when exposed to this experience. If "listening to pilots with experience" is part of your learning curve, just take the time to do a bit of vetting to make sure your "mentor" hasn't been spending their aviation career making some serious mistakes.
    It isn't always immediately obvious to fairly new pilots whether experience in a specific case is positive. Just listen carefully, then do your own research on things you hear that interest you.
    In the 50 odd years I've been involved with professional aviation I've learned a great deal from the pilots I've known. On the flip side, some of the worst pilots I've ever seen were "experienced" coming to me for check flights.
    So the bottom line is to of course listen and take part in discussion. There's a world of knowledge available from competent sources. Just don't EVER assume that experience equals competence!
    Dudley Henriques

  7. #17

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    Aug 2011
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    Lockhart, Texas, United States
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    I own and have read both Stick and Rudder and The Killing Zone. Both are well worth the read.

  8. #18

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    I would tell a new pilot to read as many accident reports that he/she can find. NTSB,FAA, magazines, doesn't matter the source. However, if you read a newspaper accident account and it contains words like "swoop" or "zoom" turn the page.

    When you start the process of conducting a flight, overlay your actions as you do them on an imaginary accident report. One that has not yet been written and hopefuly will not.

    Get a mental image of the imaqginary report that says somthing like this: "The pilot departed VFR. The current ASOS was reporting 2 and one half in haze." Next paragraph: The only chart aboard the A/C was three years out of date and did not depict the windmill farm four miles off the departure end of the RW." One for real report years ago: "The pilot stated that he conducted a thorough preflight. The elevator could not be found in the wreckage, but was later located in the shop on a bench."

    I always dreaded reading something like that with my name on it and you will too. Good luck. BTW Ive given away my last copy od Stick and Rudder to my Grandson. I've gone thru about a dozen copies over the years like that.
    Bob
    Last edited by Bob Dingley; 11-09-2011 at 03:08 PM. Reason: ommited word "not"

  9. #19
    Chick's Avatar
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    I believe the information in here is very important for us newbies. This is just what I was hoping for in starting this thread. I really appreciate the sharing of your hard won knowledge!

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