Roundsounds

Nope, power and attitude set, then cross referenced with ASI. Too many pilots fly based on the ASI / VSI and couldn’t describe the power and attitude for certain phases of flight. It starts with basic training. Too many instructors point out high / low IAS on approach instead of an incorrect power / attitude combination?

Flight training standards have declined greatly over the years. Too much reliance on technology and not enough stick and rudder skills and basic airmanship. I would not send a pilot solo if they cannot fly a circuit with the ASI, VSI and ALT covered. These are basic skills.

How so?

I work for a company who has an effective Just Culture. I have also seen, from the inside, the RAAus culture and I can tell you it could do with some changes to be an effective Just Culture. I wonder if it is time for some fresh eyes and a revised safety system reporting line.

Simple answer to the original question (Can a pitot cover kill?) is NO.

Scam!

RAAus are only exempt of a few CASA reg’s, not all of them!

My Dad witnessed this happen at Goulburn. The pilot was highly experienced on a demo tour and failed to get airborne and hit the boundary fence.

Supporters of ADSB, traffics displays on EFBs and Air traffic control should have a look at this recent midair in the USA. It supports the findings in a report by the ATSB that the majority of collisions occur in the circuit area, in controlled airspace and CTAFs. What was missing in all of these accidents was a proper lookout. Are pilots being taught an effective scan technique? All of the modern technologies and ATC still fail, an effective lookout in VMC will save your life. https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/259802

Reading between the lines it seems the operator didn’t have adequate procedures in place regarding student solo flights. I wonder if this guy thought he was good to go, it appears nobody tried to stop him.

This is one of the worst training videos on forced landings I have watched. Says he cut out 20 mins of gliding? Assuming a descent rate of 500FPM he would have started at over 10,000’ AGL (500FPM is optimistic for a C150). The prop wouldn’t stop due to fuel exhaustion unless you reduced the speed to just above the stall. Turn into wind, that’s crap. If field and height selection allows you’re best to turn downwind - allows you to fly a circuit of sorts, much more scope to fix over / undershoot than a straight in approach. Nothing about securing the aircraft once a restart determined as unsuccessful.

surely your instructor isn’t serious?

I hear there was another Foxbat Oops at Luskintyre this week.

This reinforces my thoughts / concerns regarding flight training, in particular RAAus training. Go-arounds are not in the RAAus syllabus. I always include a go-around or two in type check flights. If you’re doing touch and goes use takeoff flap, that way you don’t need to change flap settings. The practice of retrimming on the ground will bite you one day, especially in a taildragger. As far as trim use goes, trimming in the circuit is normal practice to assist with stable approaches. There are a few GA types you need to experience to appreciate the control forces. The Yak 18T and any Cessna 100 series with 40 degrees of flap, the 180,182,185 are a handful if you’re 1 or 2 up, steep low powered approach it’s almost 2 hands until the flaps are at 20 degrees. The safest way to learn the characteristics is to set up the approach configuration at say 2000’ AGL and simulate a go around, you should not be learning these characteristics in a real go-around.

Facthunter, what are your thoughts on this process?

No

Forget any approval of RAAus operations in CTA. The decision to go down a very long pathway leading to nowhere means approval for non PPL holders will not happen. Should RAAus have demanded equal privileges to those extended to the gliding and balloon federations approval would be in place now. As far as suitable aircraft go, the regulations are quite clear. (refer CAO 95.55, para 7.3)

I doubt you will see a MTOW increase or any changes to the CTA limitations anytime in the next 10 years.

Congratulations Shafs! I have introduced 100s of people to aerobatics over the last 40 years, both as passengers and students. The trick is to follow the above guidance of fresh air inflight and food intake pre flight, then do short flights, gradually increasing duration. The old story of wishing you were up there, rather than wishing you were on the ground. You may also want to try Sea Bands, you can pick them up from pharmacies, they use pressure pints to reduce motion sickness. I was very sceptical about their effectiveness, but have had many people use them with great success. Maintaining situational awareness reduces the tendency to become ill, have the pilot tell you where they are looking during manoeuvres, or if unsure, have a quick look to see where they’re looking. The objective is to maintain sight of the horizon. enjoy!

Having spent thousands of hours flying with many pilots of varying levels of experience, my observation is the turn from base to final has the greatest risk. The tendency to skid that turn is greatest, I believe this is due to; - minimising bank angle during the final turn, resulting in an overshoot - overshooting final sees most pilots overdo rudder use The increase in drag due to the skid results in a bleed in airspeed, the combination of skid and decreasing airspeed can be fatal.

Have a look at the prices of used aircraft in the USA, they’ve got up a lot!

A static procedural trainer would be of value, this is a mock up of the cockpit of training aircraft and can be constructed for a few hundred dollars. The use is limited to learning procedures such as engine start, pre takeoff, engine failures etc. Radio calls can also practiced by setting up scenarios in something like a hangar with local features / airfield drawn on the floor with chalk. Unless you’ve got a budget of a couple of hundred thousand dollars flight simulators are of little value in initial training. I have worked full time in simulator training for the past 20 years, I have found basic procedures training is far more effective in static training devices.

I’d love to see this instructor try this in a taildragger - he spends an unreasonable amount of time looking at places other than where they’re going. Not really what you want a student to take away from this exercise. Same thing with looking for flaps and trim during the roll out, play with those things airborne.

Maybe the reporter should look at the pic, doesn’t appear burnt. I doubt that accident would have been survivable.