By Howard Deevers
After a student pilot has had a few lessons and begins to understand the airplane, systems, and physical laws of flying, I like to ask a question: What is the most important item on this airplane?
The student will usually think about all of the instruments, radios, wings, engine management and give me an impressive list of items: “The Attitude Indicator?” Nope, “The GPS?” Nope. “The fuel system?” Nope. After going through a long list of items, I tell them that the most important thing on this airplane is YOU. Some are a little shocked and others get it right away.
The most important thing on this airplane is you. Without you, this airplane is nothing more than a collection of mechanical and electrical equipment and cannot make any decisions on its own.
Now, I do know that there are autopilots that are so good that they can land an airplane with no input from the pilot. Of course, the pilot had to program that into the autopilot before it would do that. I have flown with some pilots that have very advanced autopilots and GPS systems, and they definitely are impressive. We flew a DME Arc into an approach to an airport, and it was like the plane was on rails. Try that with hand flying that DME Arc.
I have also heard some celebrities say that planes don't need pilots, that the autopilot can do it all. Of course, I have heard the argument that Artificial Intelligence (AI) will replace the need for pilots in the future. I think that I will wait awhile before getting on that plane.
All of these wonderful electronic and mechanical devices are great to have, if you can afford them. None of them can make split second decisions like the human mind is capable of doing. That is what makes YOU, the pilot in command, the most important thing on the airplane.
Early in training, many students seem to be slow at catching on to skills required for takeoff and landing an airplane. When they let me know that they are tired of all the practice we are doing, I have to remind them that no one is born knowing all of this stuff. You have to learn it through practice and simulated emergencies as much as possible. We all learn this at different levels. Some catch on easily, while others take two to three times the number of landings before getting the idea of the flare and making a safe landing. Making that first unassisted landing is a thrill for both the instructor and the student.
Simulated emergencies make us safer pilots. Of course, we cannot simulate everything that could happen in an airplane, but we need to do enough to make our pilots safe pilots. Flight simulators are also a great way to get experience in emergencies that can actually happen. The airlines do simulated emergencies on all of their recurrent training (usually about every 6 months).
Naturally we will simulate the most likely events that you will need to know. In airlines, or general aviation, simulated engine out emergencies are one of the most repeated events. Others may involve instrument failures, radio failures, weather related emergencies, diverting to other airports, and a host of other possible events.
On one of my training flights I landed an airplane in a cornfield after an engine failure because I was unable to make it to the runway. No one on board was injured. It was in a simulator. We reset the flight to the runway, and I took off again, for another simulated emergency.
After telling the student that they are the most important thing on the airplane, next we tell them that the most important thing in an emergency is to fly the airplane. Usually, we will discuss emergencies in advance, so the student is expecting the simulated emergency. In real life, when an emergency does happen, there is a “startle effect.” For several seconds you don't really understand what may have happened. Something is different in or with the airplane. When you realize that, you must react to the problem and possibly run a check list to fix it. In all cases the pilot must keep control of the airplane. Fly the airplane. Even if the engine quit you can still fly the plane. Now you must consider where to go. If you are near an airport, go there. Real emergencies can happen any time, and at any place.
Make sure you know where you are, and can tell a controller, or even other pilots, where you think you will be landing the plane. Remember that you are the most important thing on that airplane. Stay calm and fly the airplane. Declare an emergency with ATC, if you can. Use the transponder emergency code, 7700. If you are already talking to any ATC facility, stay with them until they give you another frequency for better communications. If you are not talking to anyone, then use the 121.5 frequency, but be prepared to give information to anyone that answers your call.
Not all emergencies are engine related. You could have a sick passenger on board and need to divert to the nearest airport where medical services can be available. ATC can assist you in many ways to help you get to that airport that you had not intended to use. They can contact persons at the airport and have medical service available and waiting in many cases. If there is another person on board, ask them to assist with the sick passenger while you fly the airplane.
The most important thing on the airplane is YOU. Fly the airplane. Everything else comes after that. Practice emergencies as often as you can with an instructor. Make up your own ideas and discuss those with your instructor. In and around airplanes, safety must be a very important concern. Discuss this with your instructor. Learn how to be safe inside and outside of the airplane.
The ARIZONA PILOTS ASSOCIATION presents a free Safety Seminar somewhere in the State each month. Check the web site for locations and times for a Seminar near you. And, don't forget to “Bring your wingman.”