Good Judgment

I have often repeated a saying that I heard many years ago when it comes to being a safe pilot that goes, ?I would rather fly with a pilot who has average skills and good judgment than with the ace of the base who doesn?t know his own limitations.? In my years of flying, I have seen the truth of this demonstrated many, many times ? in fact, it is no secret that the vast majority of aviation mishaps are caused by poor pilot judgment, so just think of the reduction in the accident rate if more people demonstrated good judgment more often!

That sounds awful simple, doesn?t it? ?Just show better judgment?..? But what does it mean? We can come up with lots of examples of bad judgment ? flight into worsening conditions, poor fuel planning, Go/No Go decisions based on what we ?wish? rather than what is ?real?. But how do you define ?good? judgment? It would be interesting to see if we can collect some ideas from the 9,000 people registered here on the forums, many of whom have multiple ten?s of thousands of flight hours ? indicating at least that they have figured SOMETHING out in order to survive!

Personally, I think that one very important aspect of showing good judgment is the ability to be self-critical. I get a little nervous around the ?hangar-flyer? who never has a story about their own bad judgment ? never claims to have done anything wrong, never had a close call (that was his or her fault at least), and never admits to breaking a sweat. I have a lot more respect for those who can honestly analyze their own errors, in public. The ability to admit that one has room for personal improvement is the first step in accepting new knowledge ? without an admission that there is more to learn, how can our mind accept something new? So for me, the first sign of good judgment in a pilot is to be able to accept that he or she has more to learn, and to actively seek ways in which to absorb new information. This constant striving for new information will become a habit that will carry through into the cockpit itself when you most need to be looking for options and dangers down the airway.

Paul

That little voice!

Paul

Interesting idea for a thread.

I'll start the ball rolling.

In my 8000 or so hours nearly everytime things got bad there was a feeling of somethings not quite right. Thats the time to seriously think do I need to be here and do something.
Have plan B, if you've already thought about a plan of action it gives you extra capacity and time.
Then the next thing is to look at the big picture and don't get distracted by the little things especially if you can't do anything about them.

Peter

I get runway numbers messed up all too often. Something in my brain takes over and gets it all whacked. It goes something like this:

Wind is from the north. I approach from the west, thinking I will make a landing from the south. Somehow I come up announcing that I will land on 18 instead of 36, although I never managed to get past the base turn without correcting myself.

Now, "verify runway" is on my pre-landing check checklist. I scribbled COMAIR 191 next to it on the first printed version.

TODR

Many years ago a wise friend and flight instructor of mine told me something that I have never forgot and try to pass on when appropiate

"If in doubt don't"

Limits

"The only sure way to know your limits is to exceed them."

-Navy F-4 Tactical Manual

Obviously, weather is the most significant factor in "pilot error" decisions. If you fly long enough, you learn to set personal limits and stick to them. Kind of like what Scorch is saying, you really don't know your weather limits until you live to exceed them a time or two. Every time I've sweated it out, it was because I tried to work my way around or through weather. For me, getting home or to Airventure seems to be a problem since there is usually a schedule involved and because the Summer in the Midwest is ripe for Thunderous Maximus.

I've come into a comfort zone about saying no to flying even when the schedule is pressing me if the weather is bad. I admit that it took me awhile to get to that point, but I just say to myself "Live to fly another day!".

Your peers

Don't do anything that people you respect and admire would think is stupid.

If you think "this is dumb", it probably is.

What a great thread!

In my 40 years and 24K+ flying hours I've either done or witnessed most of the stupid flying stunts there are.
Now in my ripe old age I like to think that I have the common flying sense to realize when something is not right. All the above posts sum it up nicely. Don't push the weather, schedule, maintenance, etc.
I find now that if I think "would my lovely other half" feel comfortable doing this, that allows me to err on the safe side every time.
I have never landed after pushing the limits thinking that it was a good idea.

Randy Walls said:

Don't do anything that people you respect and admire would think is stupid.

If you think "this is dumb", it probably is.

Click to expand...

My instructor had a variation on this.

"Imagine you are reading an NTSB report of what you are about to do that someone else did. If it sounds stupid, it is."

Two things that would eliminate 90% of my scary/dumb moments:

#1, checklist. Use it. If you don't like it because it's got a zillion unnecessary items that don't really matter like the preprinted cessna ones do, rewrite it until it's only got the important stuff. Then use it.


#2, Trim in the pattern and then don't allow yourself to push/pull on the stick without simultaneosly verifying the airspeed. The airplane will never stall itself if allowed to fly the trimmed speed. This was much more important when I was a new pilot and a little overwhelmed in the pattern. I think I've gotten very good at maintaining airspeed right where I want it but in the early days or when stressed it's easy to start subconciously pulling on the stick without realising it. I nearly stalled a 172 when trying to clear some trees on short final. I was trying to strech the glide just a little and without knowing it had slowed nearly to a stall.


And of course there's the saying I picked up here on VAF which are words to fly by: "Hope is not a plan". If you find yourself depending on hope, quit while you still can and come up with a new plan that doesn't require hope.

Assume nothing....

.....was some sage advice given me when I started commercial flying. Don't assume the tanks are full because the gauges say so.......don't assume there's oil in the engine and so on.

The other really good bit was: "There are 3 things that are cause for concern 1. Bad weather 2. Low fuel 3. Nighttime. If you never have to cope with any two at the same time, you can handle any of them alone. Bad weather and nighttime is really bad. Low fuel at night, likewise..." and so on. From old pilots...advice I still adhere to.

Good post, Paul,

I've always reminded myself and others who are thinking about challenging the weather that "the funeral most likely will be on a sunny day."
I've also "admonished" my wife that IF I should ever come to my demise while flying and someone says at the funeral that he died lovng what he was doing, they should be immediately escorted out. I love flying, not crashing! (yes, I love my wife, too. )

Vic

Great topic

This is a great topic Paul. A favorite saying of mine is that "Good judgement comes from experience...and a lot of that comes from bad judgement". Another favorite quote of mine (from my boss when I was a skydiving instructor) is that "Some days you get lucky... you get to mess up and nobody gets hurt". We are all going to have close calls and make mistakes and bad decisions but it's what we do with the experience that results in good judgement (or not).

I've only got 500 (+/-) flying hours but I have survived 1800 parachute jumps, 10 years of rockclimbing and currently enjoy backpacking in some really remote wilderness areas, and I am an ICU nurse (20 years) in my day job. Success in all of these activities requires good judgement.

For me it seems that, good judgement comes from an attitude that, whenever something goes wrong, even if it wasn't "my fault" I ask myself "what did I do wrong/ how could I have prevented this/ how can I do better next time?" If I can find something in my own performance to improve on that's great because there's nothing I can do about the other guy, the weather etc.

Near miss in the pattern? Maybe the other guy was wrong but what's up with my procedures that I didn't see him coming? Maybe nothing but it's a question that must be asked and answered without my ego getting involved in the process.

I wonder how many people get defensive at the suggestion that maybe they fell short when they think about their own personal close calls that were "the other guys fault".

my 2 cents

I try not to do anything that will take all my skill. I consider the amount of crosswind I can handle proportional to the width of the runway. There isn't any reason to land at a 30' wide strip near here when the x-wind is above about 10. At least not for me. I find x-wind takeoffs more demanding than landings also, at least in my 9A. Just me I guess.

The flight instructor who launched me into the aviation world uses a checklist before he leaves his house! I got in a hurry (too many planes in the pattern) about a year ago and did an abort because of an unlatched canopy. That won't happen again. Checklists are to live by! Also, the New Rule is never close the canopy without latching it.

My last transgression was forgetting to raise the flaps after some slow flight practice with a pilot who hadn't flown for years. More embarrassing than dangerous, but I could have exceeded max flap speed if I hadn't woke up. Gotta remember to fly instead of talk. Thankfully the RV let me know something wasn't right.

Okay, I only have a little over 1000 hours, so I still have a bunch to learn.

Bob Kelly

Good post!

Here's one I picked up during my pilot training:

"When it's doubt about something, there isn't any doubt"

In other words; when you're in doubt about that the thing your'e about to do, then don't do it.

skyflies said:

My instructor had a variation on this.

"Imagine you are reading an NTSB report of what you are about to do that someone else did. If it sounds stupid, it is."

Click to expand...

This is an interesting statement. I once attended an NTSB hearing on an accident where the crew was well respected, highly experienced and had a spotless reputation.
We in attendance were struck by how every question that was asked made the crew look like the biggest bunch of dummies. We all thought about that and thought "There but for the grace of God go I."
It will make you think in the future.

RV8iator said:

This is an interesting statement. I once attended an NTSB hearing on an accident where the crew was well respected, highly experienced and had a spotless reputation.
We in attendance were struck by how every question that was asked made the crew look like the biggest bunch of dummies. We all thought about that and thought "There but for the grace of God go I."
It will make you think in the future.

Click to expand...

When I was taking my initial training, my instructor was big on having me read NTSB reports. One day on a XC with him in the right seat I was down below 2,000 AGL and slowly descending under a lowering cloud deck, still 40 miles from the next airport, when he asked me "How many NTSB reports have you read that started out like this?"

We turned around.

I have reached the point in my flying experience as a private pilot where I realize there are no flights I have to make........

This is what I love about aviation and flying....making good decisions.... and all that goes into them. Physics, math, weather, materials used, science, knowledge, experience & skill level are all used. Try as I might to make good decisions they could always have been a little better.

We should rename our PPL's to mean "Practicing Pilots License" like attorneys, doctors, teachers & golfers, we are practicing our craft and can never be perfect. When was the last time you saw a golfer score 18?

Two Sayings

This is a great thread. I have learned a lot about self critique and personal post flight briefing from VAF. One thing I do is keep a copy of my logbook in excel, and in the comments column I put in there the things that I could have done better. On every flight there is always something that could have been done better.

Here are two sayings I live by:

1) I'd rather be on the ground wishing I was in the sky than in the sky wishing I was on the ground.

2) Before every flight I say to myself: Let's not try to make the front page of the paper tomorrow. (I think I picked that one up here)

The one thing that I remember being told when I was training was, you start with a bag full of luck, you want to replace that luck with experience.

I strive to learn my airplane and be one with it. In other words I've gone up to altitude and done some weard, crazy stuff with it, but I learned what I can do, when I can do it all air speeds and attitudes and most important, what it can't do. Meaning can I flat turn it, what is that? that's keeping the wings level as much as possible and turn with the rudder. Why do I need to do that? Have a couple canadian geese take off out of some weeds right in front of you and see what you need to do. You bank the wings and you are cartwheelin, you hit the birds and the plane and you are... Have I had this happen, yes.

The big thing is you find the line, then you fly above the line. Have I gone to the line, yes. Did it scare me, yes, beads of sweat coming down, generally when this happens is when something comes up that I didn't count on. Landing and getting hit with a gust of wind, takes split second decision on what to do. Generally I bounce a couple times and then what, I do a go around or steady the plane and land further down the runway. What ever, those are still sweat makers.

I think one of the things that really cause a sweat is when somebody shoots out on the runway when your about to touch down, really hate that, a quick flat turn to the side really helps that out. Now can the RV flat turn, won't know until I try it up HIGH. Until then, no it can't.

Big thing, be one with the airplane and KNOW IT. Don't go by what somebody else can do. Find out what YOU can do and stick to it and don't cross the line.

I just love these forums....I put a little musing down in the morning, go away to work for a dozen hours, and come back to a wealth of good ideas!

If you read all of the responses so far and try to come up with common ideas, I think one that re-occurs is simply that we frequently build good judgment by surviving situations in which we have used bad judgment - or just as likely, fell into because we didn't know any better. The trick, of course, is for those of us that have survived our mistakes to try and help the next generation not have to make those SAME mistakes (they'll think of entirely original ones, don't woirry....).

Yes, pushing the envelope helps us to know where the envelope is, and again, that is how we decide if we like it out there, or would rather stay a little inside the lines. Those that really, really like it out beyond are the ones that rarely live to a ripe old age.

I guess one rule I would use to help people from digging airplane shaped holes before they gain enough experience is to always ask "what is my 'out' here?" Before you try something, always have a backup plan. Without a backup plan, everything has to be perfect, including you. And I never count on myself being perect....

Paul

From Transport Canada

A couple of good ones I still follow:

"It's better to arrive late in this world than early in the next"

and

"A SUPERIOR pilot uses his SUPERIOR judgement to avoid situations which require the use of his SUPERIOR skill"

Judgement occurs in real time

Judgment is not the sum of your knowledge, skills, and experience, and it cannot be added to a checklist.

Good judgment starts with a high level of situational awareness of the flying environment, the aircraft, and your own knowledge and skills relative to the mission ahead. Good judgment relies on that awareness to recognize potential problems and change your plan to ensure a safe outcome.

Judgment is called upon when you are presented with a problem or choice. The important first step is awareness of the problem, and the critical second step is making a timely change in plans to ensures a safe outcome.

The best way to maintain situational awareness is by continually looking ahead and developing "what if " scenarios based on possible problems. While a Plan B is always mandatory, continually developing a new Plan C or D can keep you engaged in the evaluation and decision making process, and improve your recognition and response time when a problem does arise.

Judgement Days

The moment the seasoned examiner handed me the PPL, he said "Congratulations, you've just been awarded a license to learn." We all know what that means. No longer bound by Flight Instructor's judgment, we are suddenly free to make our own mistakes. Early on, I flirted with marginal weather thinking I could "airport hop" my way to a destination in short 20 mile legs. WRONG. Two days in a row, two different small towns. Day one by wind and rain, day two by lowering ceilings. Both days local police offered me a ride to the town's motel when the deserted airports offered little more than locked doors and an outside phone booth. With wind and rain pounding, it is unsettling enough to sit and wait inside the airplane just to keep warm and dry and an indescribable nightmare if you are foolish enough to be aloft while it occurs.

Rick6a said:

The moment the seasoned examiner handed me the PPL, he said "Congratulations, you've just been awarded a license to learn." We all know what that means. No longer bound by Flight Instructor's judgment, we are suddenly free to make our own mistakes. Early on, I flirted with marginal weather thinking I could "airport hop" my way to a destination in short 20 mile legs. WRONG. Two days in a row, two different small towns. Day one by wind and rain, day two by lowering ceilings. Both days local police offered me a ride to the town's motel when the deserted airports offered little more than locked doors and an outside phone booth. With wind and rain pounding, it is unsettling enough to sit and wait inside the airplane just to keep warm and dry and an indescribable nightmare if you are foolish enough to be aloft while it occurs.

Click to expand...

A few years ago, a Bonanza driver departed our local airport, while clouds hovered about halfway down surrounding mountains. He could see blue sky low on the horizon to the south, and was convinced he could follow the freeway; eventually making his way from Utah to Arizona.

The lineman tried to convince him otherwise, but he took off anyway. He followed the freeway south under the cloud deck and in haze just fine for about 20 miles. At that point, the freeway turns east and then south again. Yet, this pilot kept following another highway east into a blind canyon, where the summit of the road was well into clouds and surrounded by steep cliffs. And that's where it all ended on a steep granite wall.

Unfortunately, scenarios like this are played out every year around here. Pilots that just have to get there, but never make it due to our weather and mountains.

L.Adamson

"Experience is what you get when you were expecting something else!"
Having amassed about 25,000 hours I've gained LOTS of experience and I'm STILL learning!
The only pilots and/or builders that have never made a mistake are those that have never done anything.......the rest of us have gained experience.
Unfortunately, it seems the more I learn, the more I realize how little I know.
My first flight instructor once told me the definition of flight training:
"Learning to fly is a series of events, so sequenced in time , so that none prove to be fatal!" (Don Elkins-1963)
I think good judgement is learned from experience, and that "NO" is a answer just like "Yes", only different.
If I ever have to use my superior skill, it's only because I'm gaining experience.
Fly Safe

Future experience

Paul,

With a wife and four kids I felt it a duty to minimize risk in my flying. I have flown from West coast to East coast in a C-172. I have run in to a few situations that led to high pucker factor. In pondering these the next day I chose to do what in the Naval Aviation is called a safety standdown. I took those things I did not like and wrote them down. Then I I tried to track down what led to each event I felt was not safe. I try to avoid those gateways to unsafe conditions I have identified. I don't write it all down any more. But I am aware of the things I am doing that could lead to a "grave mistake". Another great tool are forums like this one. AOPA, CPS, and VAF are all tools to see what current issues are in flying on a everyday basis because there are new pilots, old pilots, and middle pilots and a lot of issues repeat enough for the new guys to read about and learn from. That is something that general aviation has lacked that the military and airline flying have, a way to get the gouge to those that need it. I think the rise in forum use ( along with high gas prices) has been one reason for the lowering of the GA accident rate.

My wife keeps me from being stupid (in more than just flying). I told her "if I ever say watch this s**t to just smack me in the head and tell me to stop it.

Taking the easy way out - isn't

"Judgement comes from experience, and experience comes from making mistakes"​

Ever heard that one? Its mostly true... but doesn't get to the heart of the judgement matter sufficiently. And why is that? Mistakes happen for a reason and WHY we make mistakes in the first place is what I want to talk about here.

IMHO, a major tendency of our psychology is to want to take the easy way out. In terms of judgement and how its affected, this tendency to "short-cut" our decision making process is akin playing Russian roulette with an airplane.

Aviation is something I call "self critiquing" for good reason. We operate in a complex environment. Many traps lay hidden until its too late to escape. Weather can sneak in and suffocate a decent plan of execution; our airplane might just have a real bad day; we might not be having a good day ourselves. And then there's always that guy we used to know, a really good pilot - had it all together - who stalled on departure leg, flew into a hillside, or got lost in the clouds.


The point I want to make is this: Judgement is the manifestation of how we think, how we manage information, how we critique ourselves, or how we might take a humble step back, and ask the question "do I really know what's going on here?"

Its being able to not take the easy way out of the decision making process but, instead, take our time and do a thorough assessment of the situation and then manage risk accordingly. It takes WORK. It can often run contrary to our desire for easy, quick outcomes or to our intuition.

So, this thing we call "good judgement" is how we use, or don't use the information we need to bring the flight to a safe and predictable outcome. Those pilots who don't make it very far are usually the ones who knowingly disregard the truth. I call them "rogue" aviators and they're the worst kind. The rest usually didn't realize what was going on, or they ignorantly pressed on until it was too late. It was their own fault.

The pilot who's on top of this game is the one who simply does his homework and doesn't take chances. And he never jumps to conclusions. His 25000 hour logbook is a collection of flights, each of which is a well prepared and executed plan from takeoff to touchdown. He's proven able to operate in all arenas of aviation and has done so for decades.

Poor judgement is a manifestation of the opposite: The pilot who "thought" he was cleared for takeoff. The pilot who "thought" he could fly down into that canyon or over the mountain top. Our long lost friend who "assumed" the tanks were full for a night flight over unfriendly terrain. Or the poor guy who spun in for a simple lack of training.

It was myself one day when I "assumed" the line boy replaced the fuel caps on the Decathlon I went up to do acro in one sunny afternoon. It was myself the day I thought I knew how to fly formation. And it was I who "thought" there were 20 gallons of fuel on board a C172 for a 2 hour leg.

Get the picture? IMHO, these are the reasons many of us will make mistakes not just in an airplane, but all through life.

My advise:

1. NEVER EVER ASSUME YOU KNOW. You either KNOW or you're not sure. Listen to that little voice in your head. Don't be proud.
2. Study and learn from the mistakes of others. Listen to your fellow aviators. If they're acting concerned about something, you'd be smart to ask why.
3. Look for those "flags" that pop up and tell you that you don't have the big picture. Stop, take a look around and ask: Do I know - REALLY know what's happening here?
4. The easy way out -isn't.

Respectfully,

Bill Wightman

Many years ago I was on a solo short cross country flight as a student pilot. I flew east to an airport I'd been to with my instructor once before. After the normal "please sign my logbook" song and dance I departed west-bound for my home airport. About 10 minutes after takeoff things to the west started getting more and more cloudy. There was no forecast weather in the area so I was a bit baffled by the sudden appearance of low clouds along my route. Not wanting to take any chances I turned a 180 and went back to the airport I had just departed. A quick phone call to my instructor at home base and he was on his way in another plane with one of the other instructors. They didn't encounter any weather on the way to pick me up and the return flight with him on board was clear as well. I was slightly embarrassed by the fact that I'd called him instead of looking for a way around what must have been an isolated cloud or two. When I expressed my embarrassment he quickly said "There's nothing embarrassing about making a decision to keep yourself and the airplane safe." I took that to heart and have often applied it to other aspects of life. One other thing I learned that day. Keep on eye on what's behind you. Just because you were in the clear 10 minutes ago doesn't mean things have stayed that way. If I'd have turned back and found more clouds behind me the situation would have gotten interesting very quickly.

Flying with my Dad

This is not intended to be an insult to my departed father. Many years ago when he would let me fly his 172 as PIC, I made a few, shall we say, "errors in judgment."

Before flying together we always had a clear understanding of who was to be Pilot in Command. The errors weren't really life threatening, but after I got on the ground, I realized my decision making process was different when I was in his airplane with him as passenger. After all, HE WAS MY FATHER who I respected greatly. AND IT WAS HIS airplane.

There was some kind of authority figure/psychological sort of thing going on in my mind that I soon learned to control anytime we went flying together. An off the cuff remark by him had quite often been taken literally by me as a suggestion to do something different with the airplane. I had come to realize I was not making these kinds of errors when I was alone in his airplane. A few years before he died, he had lost his medical, but he maintained the airplane in flying condition and often asked me to take him on short trips.

Now I treasure those memories of our flights together, but I also treasure the learning curve I went through psychologically to appreciate the judgment that is necessary when exercising the privileges of my Pilot's license.

Don

My examiner said the same thing "Now you have a liscense to learn." I've never forgotten that sage advise.

I was fortunate to be an airport kid. I pushed brooms, pumped out floats and loaded cargo. Cut grass and sorted the screw and washer bins. The best parts of the day however, were the coffee breaks and lunch hour. The mechanics and pilots would shoot the breeze and I listened at the edge of my seat.

Reading the magazines and safety bulletins will tell you a lot but, one of the
best safety lessons you can have comes with 2 dozen doughnuts and a large pot of coffee in the hanger. Which canyon not to turn up. Not to trust your depth perception when approaching a single light source in a black hole. Always remove frost and snow from the airplane (all of it). Insure the seat is properly adjusted and locked in place. Etc.

And remember these old sayings, among others:
Takeoff's are optional, landings are mandatory.
Mean old Mr. Gravity wins most arguements.
Don't run out of airspeed,altitude and ideas at the same time.
Just because you see tracks, doesn't mean that you (I) can land there too.

Sincerely,
Howie

Tim, that was an excellent decision. I don't believe that people have to make mistakes to learn. We should all know that flying into a thunderstorm cell can be deadly. Yet not long ago two people died in Santa Teresa NM doing just that.

You can read how I expanded my experience level from my post:

http://tinyurl.com/5mphdw

I don't worry that my flying experience is far less than many people. But where I make up for lack of experience is good judgment. The hardest part is recognizing the inner voice that something is getting bad. This discusses one case where I paid attention:

http://tinyurl.com/3au63v

rv7boy said:

This is not intended to be an insult to my departed father. Many years ago when he would let me fly his 172 as PIC, I made a few, shall we say, "errors in judgment."

Before flying together we always had a clear understanding of who was to be Pilot in Command.

Click to expand...

My father and I fly together regularly, and we swap right and left seat depending on what we feel like that day. We ALWAYS discuss who is PIC and who is going to run nav, radios, etc., particularly if the weather is iffy or bumpy (PIC flies the airplane, other person navigates, gives headings, calls traffic, etc). We don't hesitate to point out problems, errors, and generally help the other pilot think ahead. It's called CRM and it's helpful for those of us who don't burn Jet-A too. We would both rather discuss these issues in the airplane than the hospital.

TODR

Out of gas...

Obviously, weather is the most significant factor in "pilot error" decisions.

Click to expand...

Randy, Its easy to assume this, but the actual #1 cause of GA accidents is fuel starvation. This statistic was brought to light in the last CFI renewal program I did.

Its just that stupid...

N395V said:

Experience is what you get when you are expecting something else.

Click to expand...

Interesting view but I would counter with some of my improved experience that really did not have anything to do with expecting something else

1) Mountain flying: Took a course and did it with an instructor

2) Flying over an overcast: Done with appropriate level of apprehension, under good conditions had an engine failure occurred and with pre-planned method to ensure that I could safely get through it if required.

3) Flying over-water to the Bahamas: More apprehension and planning plus some short introduction to it flying to Kitty Hawk and Key West.

4) Flying in rain: Only light drizzle but I was constantly prepared to do a 180 or land. Classic weenie-ism on my part.

I have no intention of flying in the mountains at night so don't expect to ever experience it. I will spend the night somewhere first.

One area that I am constantly trying to improve is my radio verbiage. Like many, I was somewhat hesitant to use ATC when I bought my RV. With practice I have become mucho better but can still improve.

good judgement

If you have time to spare, go by air

Never trust your aircraft 100%. Someone once asked me if I ever get scared while flying... I replied "Every time!" Just because the aircraft flew fine last time, doesn't mean it will the next.

stupidity is often painful

My number one rule

Is that "there is nothing worth dying for".

(With the exception of serving your country in the military.)

I have 2 guiding expressions -

I'd rather be dead in a plane than live in a nursing home - but not today, thanks!

at my age I don't have to and I don't want to

The Course of Least Regret

As a practicing CFI-AS&I, including tailwheel a/c; I like to teach my primary students the concept of "least regret"

I ask myself "Is this the course of least regret?"

or/

"Let's take the course of least regret"

eg: Hey the visibility is getting poor, looks like MVFR maybe deteriorating to IFR - lets just take the course of least regret and land. Besides we will make it an adventure on the ground instead ;-)

Here is another one:

Ever notice how nothing really good comes after you hear

"Hey - watch this ! "

Old Bold Pilots

There are old pilots and bold pilots, but there are NO OLD BOLD PILOTS.

Glenn Smith
Decatur, Texas
Renting C172 G/1000

In the judgement category...

Take-offs are optional, landings are mandatory.

Have you ever heard of an emergency take-off?

Mirror, mirror on the wall

The higher we get in our professions, the thinner the ranks of our peers. Thus, when we get a great number of hours on our logbooks, or a whole bunch of diplomas on our wall, we become the "experts" at whatever we practice. Our characters and personalities certainly match the "A" variety. Often, we are called for advice on the trades we ply. The problem is insidious: With fewer people that can judge us, we reach a comfort zone in which we tend to punish and reward ourselves according to our own parameters, vs. those laid out for those we think not quite as superior. Thus, going over the speed limit, coming "just a little" below the decision height, bending VFR limits, or pushing fuel reserves with progressively unreal optimism can be gotten away with only a given number of times. Once the odds are met, the results are predictable.
A long, hard look at the mirror and into ourselves is useful from time to time... It is only us who know the truth about our capabilities.
Observing our personal limitations; adherence to the highest standards; recurrent training; use of the simulator; studying the FAR's and AIMs; talking a great deal to those more knowledgeable; learning from others and our own mistakes, and living and breathing this beautiful avocation will assure it to be long and enjoyable.
Respectfully,
TN

Fly within your proven skill level. ?Listen? to your subconscious. That fleeting second thought you had means far more than you realize. Always make logical decisions, even if it means parking the plane and taking a bus home.

My boss killed himself.....

Tom Navar said:

......With fewer people that can judge us, we reach a comfort zone in which we tend to punish and reward ourselves according to our own parameters, vs. those laid out for those we think not quite as superior.
TN

Click to expand...

.....in his Bearcat, on the way home from Reno, 1975. Ran out of fuel on final and tumbled end over end in the rocks at Flagstaff. Came to rest at the approach end of the runway.

I had often tried to reason with him about his lackadaisical attitude toward fuel and reserves but hey, who was I to reason with a pro?

This man had flown the Berlin airlift in C-47s (Mil DC-3) and taught in McAllen, Texas and Columbus, Miss. after the war! Go figure.

Regards,

Words of a Poet

One of my favorite little sayings that I learned in college comes from the Scottish poet, Robert Burns. As he sat in church and noticed a lady's frilly hat in front of him, he also noticed a louse crawling around deep in the feathers. The poem, To a Louse, is rather long, but the most famous lines are:

O would some Power the small gift give us,
To see ourselves as others see us.

I often think of this in my work, my flying, my friendships, my marriage, etc.

Just thought I would share it and hopefully it will help us all to use good judgment in our flying decisions.

Don