Lesson 7: Distraction management and you
06/19/2007 Filed in: Flying
Tuesday - 06/19/07
Another non-obvious decision for 'go/no-go'. In fact, this one is even closer. 3000 ft broken, visibility 8, but radar is showing ugly stuff on its way. No call or text from CFI, plus I know we're doing pattern work only today, so I head out for the airport. When I get there...
Me: You'd better be on the lookout today...
CFI: Why's that?
Me: I got insurance yesterday.
CFI: Oh man...
Yeah, I bought an avemco policy yesterday. Here's the thing... if you're reading this or you're a student pilot, then you probably have more money than the guy who is looking to sue you. Or at least, the guy looking to sue you knows you have the money to pay. That's apparently the only criteria in this day and age, so I'll take liability and property damage coverage wherever I can get it. Call me a sucker, but I sleep well at night.
I check the weather once more and then get sent out to do the preflight. Then I forget to tell ground we have the numbers... but I remembered our location this time! Perhaps it's just not in the cards for me to tell him everything. It could be that there would be some grand karmic retribution if I ever actually got it all right in one transmission, and the controller should thank me for holding it at bay.
He shows his gratitude by handing me a runway I've never used. Worse, he gives me a right pattern. So now all the familiar landmarks I use to line up for the pattern won't be there and I gotta stare through a composite cabin wall to see where I'm going to land. Boo!
Today we're doing emergency, engine-out landings. I've been kinda looking forward to this, too. I taxi across hell's half acre, runup, and go. I think I've reached the point in my training now where I'll mention the takeoff only when it's particularly bad. This one wasn't.
Right away things start falling apart on me and I'm looking for the parachutes. First, I turn crosswind and I get rained on for my trouble. Second, I can't see a damn thing in this right hand pattern. Third, tower is talking to about 12 different aircraft that all decided to visit Smyrna today at 7am.
So, how did all that affect me? Well, my radio work went to shit. And I don't mean a gradual decline. I mean it disintegrated immediately on my first call. I can't even remember all the ways in which it was bad, and we probably don't have room for it here anyway. Let me skip ahead and give you the worst of the lot on the day. You'd better appreciate this, because it pains me to even discuss it:
Me: Smyrna tower, katana 223nh, we are midfield right downwind for 19
Tower: 227nh, request the option
Me: Cleared for the option, 223nh.
CFI: <keying mike> Requesting option 223nh.
Tower: Cleared for option, blah blah blah, your student sucks ass
Ok, I made that last part up, but he was thinking it. As I think about what I did there, I recognize just how bad that was. I was expecting him to say a particular thing, so with all my distractions, I just heard him say it in my mind. Think if I'd landed and didn't have clearance afterall.
Now, as a practical matter, I'm sure he would have kept buzzing me until I asked for and received clearance, but I should still know better by now. That whole thing was really, really gross. Others were similarly bad, but not as bad as this.... you get the idea.
In retrospect, I realize that, much like drag, there are two kinds of distractions:
1. Controllable distractions - ie, pax talking in my ear, canopy window open causing noise, etc
2. Uncontrollable distractions - rain on a crosswind turn, right pattern on new runway, etc
Given that perspective, my goal will henceforth be to minimize controllable distractions and concentrate on the task of making uncontrollable ones less distracting. I know my CFI has to get annoyed when I ask him to be quiet during a busy period and then later ask (when I'm less busy) to repeat what he said. Nevertheless, I feel confident that I'm doing the right thing because if I just let him keep talking, I'm wasting his breath and inducing a controllable distraction. I think he understands this, but I'm sure it's still annoying.
Engine-out landings were no big deal. I was high most of the time (er, speaking strictly of altitude there), but I usually slipped it down and landed ok. Slips were much better today, on average.
Me: <after good slip and ok landing> That landing was about a 6, but I have to say I'm happy with the slip
CFI: Yeah, it was actually very good. Landing wasn't bad, but you did X, Y, and Z.
We later figure out a couple of significant problems in my landings that are causing X, Y, and Z. One is that I'm not taking into account the float that occurs during the flare, so I'm usually well past the numbers at touchdown. This should be fairly easy to correct.
The other, and more significant, problem is that I bank the airplane slightly left during the flare. CFI's conjecture is that it's due to using the left hand for the stick, and is a natural tendency. I agree with his assessment. Fixing it, however, is gonna take some concentration. And I'll admit that I'm frightened of over correcting and slamming a wing into the ground.
Nevertheless, I'm VERY relieved to have identified these two problems because I think they can both be fixed and my landings will approach the realm of "pretty good" when that happens.
During one engine-out landing, just as I was abeam the numbers on downwind:
CFI: I'm going to try not to say anything this time.
Me: Ok, fair enough.
<I fumble through a base and final turn sans power>
Me: <on final> You're just dying to say something aren't you?
CFI: No, actually it looks pretty good so far.
I'm shocked, frankly. As it turns out I blow it in the playoffs by not putting in the last notch of flaps when I should have. I'm still not 100% clear on how much flaps and when, but I have a vague understanding of it and that'll have to do for today.
Finally, the weather is getting too close for comfort so we request a full stop and I make up for some of my earlier radio transgressions by handling the after-landing clearance for the first time. I need to make a mental note to bring the controller a beer when I meet him. For after work, of course...
Tomorrow and the rest of the week I fly with CFI2. I'm looking forward to that, actually.
Logged: 1.0
Another non-obvious decision for 'go/no-go'. In fact, this one is even closer. 3000 ft broken, visibility 8, but radar is showing ugly stuff on its way. No call or text from CFI, plus I know we're doing pattern work only today, so I head out for the airport. When I get there...
Me: You'd better be on the lookout today...
CFI: Why's that?
Me: I got insurance yesterday.
CFI: Oh man...
Yeah, I bought an avemco policy yesterday. Here's the thing... if you're reading this or you're a student pilot, then you probably have more money than the guy who is looking to sue you. Or at least, the guy looking to sue you knows you have the money to pay. That's apparently the only criteria in this day and age, so I'll take liability and property damage coverage wherever I can get it. Call me a sucker, but I sleep well at night.
I check the weather once more and then get sent out to do the preflight. Then I forget to tell ground we have the numbers... but I remembered our location this time! Perhaps it's just not in the cards for me to tell him everything. It could be that there would be some grand karmic retribution if I ever actually got it all right in one transmission, and the controller should thank me for holding it at bay.
He shows his gratitude by handing me a runway I've never used. Worse, he gives me a right pattern. So now all the familiar landmarks I use to line up for the pattern won't be there and I gotta stare through a composite cabin wall to see where I'm going to land. Boo!
Today we're doing emergency, engine-out landings. I've been kinda looking forward to this, too. I taxi across hell's half acre, runup, and go. I think I've reached the point in my training now where I'll mention the takeoff only when it's particularly bad. This one wasn't.
Right away things start falling apart on me and I'm looking for the parachutes. First, I turn crosswind and I get rained on for my trouble. Second, I can't see a damn thing in this right hand pattern. Third, tower is talking to about 12 different aircraft that all decided to visit Smyrna today at 7am.
So, how did all that affect me? Well, my radio work went to shit. And I don't mean a gradual decline. I mean it disintegrated immediately on my first call. I can't even remember all the ways in which it was bad, and we probably don't have room for it here anyway. Let me skip ahead and give you the worst of the lot on the day. You'd better appreciate this, because it pains me to even discuss it:
Me: Smyrna tower, katana 223nh, we are midfield right downwind for 19
Tower: 227nh, request the option
Me: Cleared for the option, 223nh.
CFI: <keying mike> Requesting option 223nh.
Tower: Cleared for option, blah blah blah, your student sucks ass
Ok, I made that last part up, but he was thinking it. As I think about what I did there, I recognize just how bad that was. I was expecting him to say a particular thing, so with all my distractions, I just heard him say it in my mind. Think if I'd landed and didn't have clearance afterall.
Now, as a practical matter, I'm sure he would have kept buzzing me until I asked for and received clearance, but I should still know better by now. That whole thing was really, really gross. Others were similarly bad, but not as bad as this.... you get the idea.
In retrospect, I realize that, much like drag, there are two kinds of distractions:
1. Controllable distractions - ie, pax talking in my ear, canopy window open causing noise, etc
2. Uncontrollable distractions - rain on a crosswind turn, right pattern on new runway, etc
Given that perspective, my goal will henceforth be to minimize controllable distractions and concentrate on the task of making uncontrollable ones less distracting. I know my CFI has to get annoyed when I ask him to be quiet during a busy period and then later ask (when I'm less busy) to repeat what he said. Nevertheless, I feel confident that I'm doing the right thing because if I just let him keep talking, I'm wasting his breath and inducing a controllable distraction. I think he understands this, but I'm sure it's still annoying.
Engine-out landings were no big deal. I was high most of the time (er, speaking strictly of altitude there), but I usually slipped it down and landed ok. Slips were much better today, on average.
Me: <after good slip and ok landing> That landing was about a 6, but I have to say I'm happy with the slip
CFI: Yeah, it was actually very good. Landing wasn't bad, but you did X, Y, and Z.
We later figure out a couple of significant problems in my landings that are causing X, Y, and Z. One is that I'm not taking into account the float that occurs during the flare, so I'm usually well past the numbers at touchdown. This should be fairly easy to correct.
The other, and more significant, problem is that I bank the airplane slightly left during the flare. CFI's conjecture is that it's due to using the left hand for the stick, and is a natural tendency. I agree with his assessment. Fixing it, however, is gonna take some concentration. And I'll admit that I'm frightened of over correcting and slamming a wing into the ground.
Nevertheless, I'm VERY relieved to have identified these two problems because I think they can both be fixed and my landings will approach the realm of "pretty good" when that happens.
During one engine-out landing, just as I was abeam the numbers on downwind:
CFI: I'm going to try not to say anything this time.
Me: Ok, fair enough.
<I fumble through a base and final turn sans power>
Me: <on final> You're just dying to say something aren't you?
CFI: No, actually it looks pretty good so far.
I'm shocked, frankly. As it turns out I blow it in the playoffs by not putting in the last notch of flaps when I should have. I'm still not 100% clear on how much flaps and when, but I have a vague understanding of it and that'll have to do for today.
Finally, the weather is getting too close for comfort so we request a full stop and I make up for some of my earlier radio transgressions by handling the after-landing clearance for the first time. I need to make a mental note to bring the controller a beer when I meet him. For after work, of course...
Tomorrow and the rest of the week I fly with CFI2. I'm looking forward to that, actually.
Logged: 1.0