Electron Notes from the Dark Side
The “ Dark Side” of the aviation hobby is out there. It is slow to surface and sometimes never sees the light of day. Rosier than reality pictures are often painted in our communal gatherings due to silence of those bitten by reality. I do commend those brave souls that bare all when pilot error has taken a toll. Learning of these mistakes makes us all re-examine our ways and means.
I recently learned through telephonic conversation that a RV builder recently mangled his new build in early flight testing by stalling on short final. Gear collapsed and the plane flipped, but he was not physically hurt bad. I am not sure if he is part of any online community, but I think these experiences need repeating to remind us all of the crevasses any of us could fall into. They are all there waiting for us under that thin layer of situational awareness. This one appears to the spectators to be a simple case of not keeping an eye on the air speed indicator and becoming consumed by the picture outside the window. Unless you have a fancy heads up display, your going to have to look down now and then.
As my own cranium hobbs meter approaches TBO I can only hope and strive to keep that thin layer of situational awareness between me and the vast crevasses before us all.
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RV8 "Gladder's Gal" #80707
Superior IO360 B1B 193 HP, Whirlwind 151-69"
IFR-Dual Cheltons, Crossbow NAV 425EX
Garmin 430/SL30/330 Mode-S w/ traffic
Ryan 9900B TCAS, WSI AV300, S-Tec 55X
Searey 80 HP
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