Abysmal Commercial Pilot

[201er]

I have posted in the past about the awkward feeling of flying with and holding criticism of other airmen. I'm not big on criticizing pilots but there are often things to be learned so I think about it or post here. But, this one takes things to a whole other level.

I'm currently on a trip to South Africa, Botswana, and Namibia. Traveling with my wife and dad. We came to Botswana by airline and had to transfer to a small charter flight to reach the wildlife lodge. 

Coming out of the arrival area, we were greeted by a young black African holding a sign with our names. When he said that he was the pilot, I had a "you're the pilot!?" response. I know how it feels to be on the other end of that but I think the surprise was sooner from the fact that he was awaiting for us and helping with luggage than anything else. 

We boarded a GA8, basically a flying barn that resembles a Skyhawk but with 7 seats and an aisle. Accompanying the pilot was a white woman and the pilot said "you are lucky, today you have two pilots." It seemed excessive. We weren't even airborne and I already realized it was either a checkout or a learning flight. The ground roll was quite long and a bit disconcerting was the stall horn frequently chirping after rotation. Soon we were climbing and just 10 minutes later we arrived at the airstrip near our lodge. Just a 10 minute flight, but over 7 hours to reach by land. On landing, the stall horn was chirping still well above the ground and the woman pilot grabbed the controls briefly. It was clear that the combined time of both in front was not more than 500. Not thrilled to have someone's education taking place on my bacon but everything was acceptable.

After a night at Baines Safari Lodge in the Okavango Delta, we boarded for another flight but to a different airport further north to continue our trip. This time the pilot was older, white, and unfriendly. My dad impolitely and straight forward asked him how many hours he has. I think it was because I was just joking the previous day that the collected experience up front was so little. But I didn't expect anyone to say something like that. Anyway, he said about 2700. 

I asked about the airport elevation? He eagerly answered 3000ft. Density altitude? He ignored my question and turned to loading luggage. His expression was like, "who knows? Who cares?" By my guesstimate, 5000ft. The dirt strip I'd say was 4000x100.

My dad went over and told him that I'm a pilot and insisted he let me sit up front. He asked what I fly and I said a Mooney. He didn't talk to me any further.

The pilot shut the door on his side and I asked if we're not going to keep them open while we taxi to the other side facing the ~8kt headwind. He responded, "we're just going off the other end." I was quite perplexed but didn't feel it was my place to question as I am unfamiliar with the aircraft or field. But I certainly saw no good reason not to takeoff into the wind.

Well my shock and horror, it was everything I expected it to be. An endless ground roll, low speed, trees coming up at the end like a charging train! He lifts off not less than 3/4 of the way down the runway. I saw a low spot between the trees 20 degrees to the right, a shallow turn could easily get us there. He continued to climb straight ahead. Not only did he barely clear the trees, the climb was very shallow as you'd expect from a loaded plane at high density altitude. 

I've had my own share of takeoff screw ups but nothing has come close to this! If it wasn't bad enough, he began a crosswind turn with barely any altitude and a shallow climb. I will admit the stall horn never chirped but that left me wondering if it was even functional.

Back on the ground before the takeoff, I was dismayed that he forgot to set the DG, did not do a mag check, and did not use a checklist. Hardly surprising because in the air I realized he had also forgotten to turn on any lights, turn on the transponder, or set the altimeter. It wasn't till halfway through the flight that he finally set the DG but I knew it all along.

Enroute, he was sloppy on airspeed and course. The altitude fluctuated up to 250ft and was rarely on target. It wasn't partially turbulent but neither calm. Same story with the course. He came very close to a bird strike with a soaring vulture. He made no evasive maneuver because I'm pretty sure he did not even notice. Birds can be unpredictable so it's never a good idea to rely on them staying put as you pass them.

The fuel totalizer was blinking zero fuel, indicating that it was not reset or calibrated. Not a big issue but a senseless waste of safety information. It was equally representative of his careless attitude as backtaxiing the landed dirt runway with his hands in his lap and the yoke bouncing around.

I also realized that although he gave a briefing about exits and emergency gear, he never briefed the passengers about safety belts nor did he take a look to see that passengers were belted prior to landing. Another indication of not following checklists (the s in gumps is safety belts).

The lack of checklist use was less daunting than the fact that many things were not completed that a checklist would have corrected. The all around complacent attitude is a terrible problem. The lack of interest in performance calculations, density altitude, wind, and safety are a disaster just dying to happen. 

This was the shittiest pilot I have ever had the displeasure of flying with without question. My hands were shaking when we disembarked like no flight I have had in a long time. My wife was terrified; my dad was oblivious. He did not fly to commercial standards. He did not even come close to flying to private pilot standards. While many of his careless oversights were peripheral, they were a clear demonstration of a complacent attitude. But he committed multiple violations of FARs (I know this is a different country but based on ICAO and past flying experience, I would guess things are very similar) and should not hold a certificate. He would not pass a checkride. In fact he would fail a private checkride multiple times around with this sort of negligence.

Although I am a little regretful of not saying or doing anything, I don't think there is a thing I could have done to help someone with this sort of attitude. I only pity future passengers. Reporting him would not be easy as we flew straight to a remote strip without contact with his company. I have noticed slight mistakes from other pilots in the past and I've flown with others that I can look up to. But after flying with this guy, I am uncomfortable with the idea of him holding commercial or even private privileges. Passengers would not be aware of the sort of risk he put them in.

The lack of a mag check or checklist before takeoff, wrong takeoff, and minimal margin from the trees meant that we were literally one more little mistake or problem away from death. Had one mag been already inop prior to the flight, had he forgotten to extend flaps, had he maintained angle of attack slightly less efficiently, had he tried to dodge a bird in the takeoff path, had the tailwind picked up just slightly, had we encountered sinking air, etc, etc, there was no further margin! Taking off the other way would have been plenty.

I'm posting this story to get things off my chest and to perhaps serve as a learning example of how not to fly for others. I'm counting on Anthony to provide a cliff notes version for those who don't want to read the full story.

[Guitarmaster]

I have posted in the past about the awkward feeling of flying with and holding criticism of other airmen. I'm not big on criticizing pilots but there are often things to be learned so I think about it or post here. But, this one takes things to a whole other level.
I'm currently on a trip to South Africa, Botswana, and Namibia. Traveling with my wife and dad. We came to Botswana by airline and had to transfer to a small charter flight to reach the wildlife lodge. 
Coming out of the arrival area, we were greeted by a young black African holding a sign with our names. When he said that he was the pilot, I had a "you're the pilot!?" response. I know how it feels to be on the other end of that but I think the surprise was sooner from the fact that he was awaiting for us and helping with luggage than anything else. 
We boarded a GA8, basically a flying barn that resembles a Skyhawk but with 7 seats and an aisle. Accompanying the pilot was a white woman and the pilot said "you are lucky, today you have two pilots." It seemed excessive. We weren't even airborne and I already realized it was either a checkout or a learning flight. The ground roll was quite long and a bit disconcerting was the stall horn frequently chirping after rotation. Soon we were climbing and just 10 minutes later we arrived at the airstrip near our lodge. Just a 10 minute flight, but over 7 hours to reach by land. On landing, the stall horn was chirping still well above the ground and the woman pilot grabbed the controls briefly. It was clear that the combined time of both in front was not more than 500. Not thrilled to have someone's education taking place on my bacon but everything was acceptable.
After a night at Baines Safari Lodge in the Okavango Delta, we boarded for another flight but to a different airport further north to continue our trip. This time the pilot was older, white, and unfriendly. My dad impolitely and straight forward asked him how many hours he has. I think it was because I was just joking the previous day that the collected experience up front was so little. But I didn't expect anyone to say something like that. Anyway, he said about 2700. 
I asked about the airport elevation? He eagerly answered 3000ft. Density altitude? He ignored my question and turned to loading luggage. His expression was like, "who knows? Who cares?" By my guesstimate, 5000ft. The dirt strip I'd say was 4000x100.
My dad went over and told him that I'm a pilot and insisted he let me sit up front. He asked what I fly and I said a Mooney. He didn't talk to me any further.
The pilot shut the door on his side and I asked if we're not going to keep them open while we taxi to the other side facing the ~8kt headwind. He responded, "we're just going off the other end." I was quite perplexed but didn't feel it was my place to question as I am unfamiliar with the aircraft or field. But I certainly saw no good reason not to takeoff into the wind.
Well my shock and horror, it was everything I expected it to be. An endless ground roll, low speed, trees coming up at the end like a charging train! He lifts off not less than 3/4 of the way down the runway. I saw a low spot between the trees 20 degrees to the right, a shallow turn could easily get us there. He continued to climb straight ahead. Not only did he barely clear the trees, the climb was very shallow as you'd expect from a loaded plane at high density altitude. 
I've had my own share of takeoff screw ups but nothing has come close to this! If it wasn't bad enough, he began a crosswind turn with barely any altitude and a shallow climb. I will admit the stall horn never chirped but that left me wondering if it was even functional.
Back on the ground before the takeoff, I was dismayed that he forgot to set the DG, did not do a mag check, and did not use a checklist. Hardly surprising because in the air I realized he had also forgotten to turn on any lights, turn on the transponder, or set the altimeter. It wasn't till halfway through the flight that he finally set the DG but I knew it all along.

Enroute, he was sloppy on airspeed and course. The altitude fluctuated up to 250ft and was rarely on target. It wasn't partially turbulent but neither calm. Same story with the course. He came very close to a bird strike with a soaring vulture. He made no evasive maneuver because I'm pretty sure he did not even notice. Birds can be unpredictable so it's never a good idea to rely on them staying put as you pass them.
The fuel totalizer was blinking zero fuel, indicating that it was not reset or calibrated. Not a big issue but a senseless waste of safety information. It was equally representative of his careless attitude as backtaxiing the landed dirt runway with his hands in his lap and the yoke bouncing around.
I also realized that although he gave a briefing about exits and emergency gear, he never briefed the passengers about safety belts nor did he take a look to see that passengers were belted prior to landing. Another indication of not following checklists (the s in gumps is safety belts).
The lack of checklist use was less daunting than the fact that many things were not completed that a checklist would have corrected. The all around complacent attitude is a terrible problem. The lack of interest in performance calculations, density altitude, wind, and safety are a disaster just dying to happen. 
This was the shittiest pilot I have ever had the displeasure of flying with without question. My hands were shaking when we disembarked like no flight I have had in a long time. My wife was terrified; my dad was oblivious. He did not fly to commercial standards. He did not even come close to flying to private pilot standards. While many of his careless oversights were peripheral, they were a clear demonstration of a complacent attitude. But he committed multiple violations of FARs (I know this is a different country but based on ICAO and past flying experience, I would guess things are very similar) and should not hold a certificate. He would not pass a checkride. In fact he would fail a private checkride multiple times around with this sort of negligence.
Although I am a little regretful of not saying or doing anything, I don't think there is a thing I could have done to help someone with this sort of attitude. I only pity future passengers. Reporting him would not be easy as we flew straight to a remote strip without contact with his company. I have noticed slight mistakes from other pilots in the past and I've flown with others that I can look up to. But after flying with this guy, I am uncomfortable with the idea of him holding commercial or even private privileges. Passengers would not be aware of the sort of risk he put them in.
The lack of a mag check or checklist before takeoff, wrong takeoff, and minimal margin from the trees meant that we were literally one more little mistake or problem away from death. Had one mag been already inop prior to the flight, had he forgotten to extend flaps, had he maintained angle of attack slightly less efficiently, had he tried to dodge a bird in the takeoff path, had the tailwind picked up just slightly, had we encountered sinking air, etc, etc, there was no further margin! Taking off the other way would have been plenty.
I'm posting this story to get things off my chest and to perhaps serve as a learning example of how not to fly for others. I'm counting on Anthony to provide a cliff notes version for those who don't want to read the full story.

Wow!!! Glad you and family survived!!

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

[carusoam]

Mike,

I hope you are doing some really good service work while you are there.  Rescuing injured birds would even work...

I am sure there is a greater power looking after you.

Flyboy can show you some really nice islands in the Caribbean.  Nice relaxing weekend when you get back...

If you are going to hang out in the far corners of the world, consider flying to South Africa.  They even have some MSers there.

Stay safe my friend...

Best regards,

-a-

[MB65E]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts Mike! Glad things worked out. This is attitude/Syndrome probably exists in more than 50% of pilots around the world. I hope that all of our training will pay off one of these days. If not hopefully it will at least keep us out of trouble in the first place. Keep up your guard, keep flying hard, don't let others change your ways. 

I have a personal list and minimum for flying my family around. You'd meet all of my requirements. Keep it up!! I bet you won't be quiet next time!

Try to enjoy your trip, hopefully there will be better things to remember than back country pilots in Africa.

-Matt

[Mooneymite]

Timely article from AIN:

 

https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/blogs/torqued-could-pride-be-factor-some-ga-loss-control-accidents?eid=325900637&bid=1626931

 

 

Torqued: Could Pride Be a Factor in Some GA Loss-of-control Accidents?

by John Goglia

 - January 4, 2017, 8:04 AM

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We all know the expression “pride comes before a fall.” Pride in this old Biblical proverb can mean overconfidence in our abilities. But I think it could also mean insecurity about our abilities and fear of embarrassing ourselves by appearing foolish or incompetent. Or maybe even appearing not “macho” enough, a trait that can apply to women as well as men.  

I was thinking of this expression recently as I read the NTSB’s 2017 to 2018 Most Wanted safety recommendations. Topping the NTSB’s list again for GA is loss of control in flight. While GA accidents have been trending down—and this can be attributed to a lot of factors, not least the government partnership with a number of GA organizations such asAOPA focused on this issue—the number of accidents remains unacceptably high. For the third year, the NTSB has highlighted the importance of preventing this type of accident, citing data that shows nearly half of all general aviation accidents are caused by loss of control. From 2008 to 2014, the NTSB data shows 1,194 fatalities from these crashes. According to the most recent FAA data, 384 people died in 238 GA accidents last year, with loss of control the number-one reason. This data shows one fatal accident every four days involving loss of control. Think about it. One fatal accident every few days.

Many new pilots are taught “don’t be too proud to go around,” but how well does that lesson stay with them throughout their flying years? I got to thinking about the role pride might play in some of our safety decisions. More specifically, does pride play into safety decisions general aviation pilots make?  Can pride or fear of looking incompetent be a factor in the most common type of general aviation accident—loss-of-control crashes—especially in the decision not to go around when landing?

The NTSB report calls for more pilot training and better awareness of technologies that can help prevent these accidents. The report cites recommendations the NTSBformulated after its October 2015 public forum on preventing loss of control accidents. These recommendations are worth repeating in full:

• Understand stall characteristics and warning signs, and be able to apply appropriate recovery techniques before the stall onset.
• Realize that stall characteristics can vary with aircraft loading and are usually worse at aft cg positions.
• Be aware that stall can occur at lower AOA in icing conditions.
• Use effective aeronautical decision-making techniques and flight risk assessment tools during both pre-flight planning and in-flight operations.
• Manage distractions so that they do not interfere with situational awareness.
• Obtain training in emergency response skills so it is more natural to apply those skills in an emergency.
• Understand and maintain currency in the equipment and airplanes being operated.
• Take advantage of available commercial trainer, type club and transition training opportunities.
• Consider installing new technology, such as an AOA indicator, which when coupled with pilot understanding and training in its best use can assist pilots during critical or high-workload phases of flight.

FAA GUIDANCE

Coincidentally or not, a couple of days after the NTSB issued its Most Wanted list, theFAA disseminated its latest in a series highlighting loss-of-control preventiontechniques. I really hope GA pilots are taking advantage of this excellent series. I spend a fair amount of time criticizing the FAA (which it deserves, of course), but I have to give credit where it’s due. Here, the FAA focuses on when a pilot should go around for safety. The FAA’s message does a particularly helpful job of breaking down how a loss-of-control accident can be prevented on landing and when the decision to go around should be considered.  

Here is the entire section since I do believe it bears repeating anywhere that it might be read by GA pilots:

What is a Stabilized Approach?

A stabilized approach is one in which the pilot establishes and maintains a constant-angle glidepath toward a predetermined point on the landing runway.

However, the pilot must also:

• Maintain a specified descent rate.

• Maintain a specified airspeed.

• Complete all briefings and checklists.

• Configure the aircraft for landing (gear, flaps and so on)

• Maintain the correct altitude levels (such as 500 feet for a VMC approach or 1,000 feet for an IMC approach).

• Ensure only small changes in heading/pitch are necessary to maintain the correct flight path.

Go-Around for Safety

If a pilot does not meet these conditions, the approach becomes “unstabilized” and the pilot should consider a go-around to make a second attempt to land safely.

If you choose to continue with an unstabilized approach, you risk landing too high, too fast or out of alignment with the runway centerline, and may be unprepared for landing. These situations can result in damage to the aircraft or, worse, to you and your passengers!

Important Clues

How you see the runway on your approach is an important factor in maintaining your safety. Pay attention to the shape of the runway. We all know that a runway is an elongated rectangle. However, from the air, the runway can appear to be a trapezoid, with the far end looking narrower than the approach end.

If your approach is too shallow, the runway will appear to shorten and become wider. If it is too steep, the runway will appear to become longer and narrower. These are signs that you may want to consider a go-around.

Reading these suggestions—all of which, as I noted, are excellent—I didn’t see any relating specifically to social or psychological pressure that might push a pilot to continue an approach, even when he or she knows it’s an unstable approach. The one thing I would like to see both the government and the GA alphabet groups tackle head on is the notion that going around is embarrassing or makes you look bad to your passengers, ATC or your fellow pilots. It isn’t just GA pilots who have “ego” problems doing go-arounds. I’ve seen a number of airline accidents where an approach was clearly unstable and the decision to go around would have been the most prudent and avoided an accident or runway excursion. Yetthe crew did not initiate a go-around. (And, yes, I realize that for airline pilots there can be the added factor of company pressure to make on-time performance and manage fuel.)

So I would like to add my own safety recommendation: to regularly remind pilots it’s OKto do a go-around if your approach is unstable or you believe, for whatever reason, a go-around would be prudent. Just like it’s OK to cancel a flight if the weather looks iffy. Or to turn back if a situation develops that makes continued flight unsafe. It might not just be new pilots who need to be told not to let pride be their downfall.  

And while I’m talking about developing a safety culture that makes it OK for GA pilots to go around when it’s appropriate, the rest of us in the industry need to be supportive of pilots who make prudent safety choices even if those choices cause delays. Aviation banter, teasing or pressure that can seem harmless can make it difficult for some pilots to make prudent safety choices for fear of appearing foolish or inadequate before their aviation peers.

In the end, it’s always ultimately the pilot flying’s responsibility to ensure a safe flight for him/herself and passengers. I would just ask that you consider whether any decisions you’ve made when flying were influenced by what others would think of you. And if they were, what can you do to stop that influence from affecting the safety of your future flights?

[Guest]

He may be the best pilot the company has.  Just wait till your return flight.

Clarence

[dlthig]

Welcome to flying in the African bush.

[Alain B]

Did not do a mag check , maybe he had only one mag running , no use for it ! LOL 

[PTK]

Mike, you are legend in your own mind. You have picked apart three pilots so far and counting. I'm waiting to see what you have to say about the ones on your return trip. The gentleman was nice and courteous enough to allow you to sit upfront with him which he didn't have to do. Did you say thank you? 

Could it be your ego is out of control here? 

[cbarry]

Mike, other than nerve-racking parts, I hope your trip otherwise was good!  If anyone ever doubts the existing of our Al Mighty, just think back to the flights as passenger you've been on and weren't sitting in the front right seat and somehow (with or without the knowledge of what the heck was going on in the cockpit) we arrived at our destination.  We've all, I bet as pilots, experienced being a little more than unsettled on a flight as a passenger, but seeing the sloppy performance from the front right seat would cause even the coolest of us to just about come unhinged.  In my opionion, one of the first indications of a sloppy pilot is his/her ground operation.  Does he smoothly apply power changes and how does he apply the brakes.  If he's full on and full off with the power and brakes and slamming the plane around  the ground, you can bet when the plane leaves the ground it is not going to be much prettier.  I'm sure there's been multitudes of flights with sloppy pilots that by the grace of God made it to their destination.  My question would be, why temp fate with sloppy performance?  

[aviatoreb]

That is a "I am worried look" on your face.  Good luck buddy!

[gsxrpilot]

I'm not giving the pilot a pass, but I'd take in to account recency of experience. If he's flown the route a million times, and it's CAVU, maybe the DG isn't needed. Same with the altimeter.  I've certainly skipped mag checks myself if it's just a quick turn and we're back in the air.  Even the weather can be very predictable and in that part of the world, often the same every day for months. He's probably flown the same departure every day, in the same heat, DA, etc. with a plane full of over fed (not your group) and over packed tourists. He knows what the airplane will do as he's done it several times a day, every day.

We know the safety record in the developing world isn't what it is here in the US, but then that's the "developing" part.

[Piloto]

In many under developed countries air taxi pilots have little or no formal training. The pilot learns by flying with another non instructor pilot. There is no ground school or procedures. In these countries there is no market or resources for flying schools. But what is even worse is the aircraft maintenance or lack of it. Like automobile oil and MOGAS, taped fuel lines and others. Be careful.

José 

[Marauder]

Mike - I'm not surprised by what you experienced. And I don't think it is limited to third world nations either. I don't know how much safety pilot flying you do, but if you did, you would see the same potpourri of usage of checklists and skills.

I've even had people fly with me as a safety pilot and question why I think I need to use a checklist in a "simple" airplane. It's like all professions, there are some that take it seriously and others who treat it as a job.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[MyNameIsNobody]

Does your wife ever drive with you in the car?  Doubt it. 

[Oscar Avalle]

Mike, indeed flying in developing countries is always a challenge and demands in some instances to lower your quality threshold. As was mentioned before, I also had to fly in plane were the DG did not work, the AT was just a decoration and a GPS 296 was the primary for everything, including the altimeter. But the pilots knew what they were doing... He took off downwind and I asked him why, and he told me that it was because people and animals crossed the runway at the other end of it and he felt that it was safer to take off into the wind, in lieu of running into an animal...

But what really concerned me was maintenance. Asking for a logbook was always a challenge, ensuring that the right parts or oils, screws etc were utilized well dream on... How to avoid it? Hard... you contract an Air Taxi and you trust that they know what they are doing. In most cases the pilots know what they do and where they go. Your first flight does not come as a surprise to me. I have seen this many times. Training is performed on the job...

On your second flight it depends on the pilot you run into. I flew with former mercenaries, military, people who have been fired from jobs because of activities they may have performed that could have been considered irregular and they found a job in Africa... But they are totally underpaid and overworked. So no surprise when they are not in a good mood.

Overall, my experience is that the planes are flyable in particular if they cater to tourists. It is very bad publicity to crash an airplane full of foreigners.

 The main problem I see is the lack of ATC and good weather reporting. You really depend on calling your destination and asking what the weather looks like...Also the difference between VFR and IFR is rather flux...Most of the flight plans are VFR, but in reality they do what they have to do to get you where you have to. 

Enjoy Africa, and take many pictures...

Also, unrelated, I saw your christmas flight video. I was impressed with the quality of the video... what camera are you using?

 

Oscar

 

 

[201er]

1 hour ago, gsxrpilot said:

I'm not giving the pilot a pass, but I'd take in to account recency of experience. If he's flown the route a million times, and it's CAVU, maybe the DG isn't needed. Same with the altimeter.  I've certainly skipped mag checks myself if it's just a quick turn and we're back in the air.  Even the weather can be very predictable and in that part of the world, often the same every day for months. He's probably flown the same departure every day, in the same heat, DA, etc. with a plane full of over fed (not your group) and over packed tourists. He knows what the airplane will do as he's done it several times a day, every day.

We know the safety record in the developing world isn't what it is here in the US, but then that's the "developing" part.

That's what I thought at first and why I didn't question his decision to takeoff with tailwind or not set DG. For all I knew, the airplane would leap off the ground before halfway. Wrong! 

He did set the DG halfway through the flight with a direct course set on the GPS all along. This was not a case of not needing it and then needing it. It took him half the flight to realize. This was evident carelessness only further enabled by lack of checklist use. I think it demonstrates a lack of awareness. I can't know what else he does or doesn't know about the flight but these are things that are communicated through behavior.

I know I nit picked a lot of small non-safety stuff. But I think the quantity of lapses combined with the horrible decision making (high da tailwind takeoff) illustrates the difference between a one off mistake and an entire attitude.

I will say both aircraft we flew in appeared in good condition. Key word is appeared. I have no way of knowing what is under the cowl.  But we can get a glimpse of he maintenance track record from the surface. If the visible condition, instrument panel, and cosmetics are well taken care of, it is likely (but not certainly), that the critical things are maintained as well.

Jose, I disagree tough with your fear of poor maintenance. The weakest link is the pilot. A poor pilot can crash a well maintained plane as well as a poorly maintained one. Seeing a well maintained airplane provides some reassurance, especially to unfamiliar passengers, but in the wrong hands it is no less deadly.

Now back to why I think the skipped mag check was such a crime. That tailwind high da takeoff scared the crap out of me. It brought us across the tree line lower and slower than I have ever crossed. We certainly cleared them. However, I am pretty certain that we were literally one fuck up away from meeting them.

Taking off in the other direction, we would most likely still make the climb on a single mag or with a bad plug. If he forgot to extend the flaps, like he forgot to set dg, xpndr, and other items on the checklist, we may not have made that takeoff. If he panicked and pulled back or tried to dodge a bird (or hit the bird for that matter), we probably would not have made it. My point is that even though he just made it, there was no margin left at all and with his poor track record on everything else it was terrifyingly possible.

Last thought about mag checks. I was taught to do a mag check after any shut down and it makes sense. Even if you are going up and down repeatedly. If the impact of landing causes something to break (something already on the last thread), you won't become aware of it at low/taxi power. A mag failure in flight,you are more likely but not certain to realize. If you are about to do a no margin remaining takeoff, you'd better be damn certain both mags and all plugs are working.

[201er]

16 minutes ago, Oscar Avalle said:

Also, unrelated, I saw your christmas flight video. I was impressed with the quality of the video... what camera are you using?

Haha, that one my wife just shot on her iPhone6.

[201er]

1 hour ago, Marauder said:

Mike - I'm not surprised by what you experienced. And I don't think it is limited to third world nations either. I don't know how much safety pilot flying you do, but if you did, you would see the same potpourri of usage of checklists and skills.

I've even had people fly with me as a safety pilot and question why I think I need to use a checklist in a "simple" airplane. It's like all professions, there are some that take it seriously and others who treat it as a job.

I will admit that I'm not a big checklist user and the Mooney is a "simple" airplane. However, there are some things you just have to check. You won't see me with a paper checklist in hand but I do use the panel mounted checklist, flows, and gumps. These ensure that big mistakes like fuel selector, flaps, instruments, gear, gear, and gear are properly set!

If pilots try to be just a little better on each flight, the long term trend is toward improvement. If you can hold altitude or course just 1% better than before, little by little it adds up to visible results. On the other hand, those who let themselves go get only worse and worse with time in the same way. There is no middle ground. If you are not improving as a pilot, your skills are certainly deteriorating.

While in the past I have observed complacent pilots, I never felt that they should not be allowed to fly. This is the first time I have encountered someone that could not pass to private standards. I have seen 100 hour just licensed newbies do things all correctly.

Private standards are not the top end of how we need to be, they are the absolute bottom end of what is minimally acceptable to be a pilot and take passengers. Private standards are where a pilot is terribly inexperienced but just marginally safe enough to be cut loose to begin his learning without doing harm to self or others.

[Guest]

You could give him a sales pitch on a new AoA, he could then shave the margins even closer.

Clarence

[cliffy]

In every airline I've been with, 1% or 2% of the pilots really should have been doing something else. The  Chief Pilot spends 90% of his time on 10% of his pilots. Just ask your Doctor- who graduated at the bottom of his med school class? Maybe he did!

It's Africa ( I know I've been there many times) you ain't gonna get USA quality a lot of the time (even in the big iron). 

[gsxrpilot]

 

[M016576]

The following comment is not aimed at anyone- just a thought as I read this thread...

the psychology of our assessment of who is "good" and who is "bad" as a pilot is both objective and subjective.  It's also only objective in relation to our own experience.  I have never met a pilot that has told me, point blank, "I am a below average pilot."  I don't think I've ever met one who has even thought that... but I'll never know that answer.  Clearly, though, half of all pilots are below average.  That is a fact.  So that means that, at a minimum, half of pilots think they are better than they really are.

the next thought, goes into what I mentioned above- "by what standard."  Someone might sit right seat for me, and notice that I never "use" a checklist (I don't read it as I'm actuating switches, etc).  Then they might see my gear and flaps come up when there is still runway remaining.  And see that my airspeed is 10 keys higher than the book climb values, and immediately make the assessment that I'm a horrible pilot... well below average... because of the way I'm flying the airplane.  But.... in reality, I'm doing everything perfectly: by the standard at which I operate my specific airframe.  I dont use a checklist in front of me because I have them memorized and that's how I was trained as a military single seat fighter pilot.  I put the gear and flaps up as soon as I'm airborne because of the extra speed/climb rate achieved, and i know how long it takes to extend the gear in case I need to... and I'm ready to do that if need be.  And finally, I climb 10kts faster than book on hot days to keep the oil/cylinder temps lower, as my aircraft doesn't have cowl flaps.  So some assessments are based on a point of view, and the standard by which one is judging.  I have no doubt in my mind that there are pilots on this board that can land a mooney better than I can... but very few pilots on this board that know what goes into landing on an aircraft carrier in an F-18- let alone can do it.  Yet we are all "pilots".

just a thought, again- not directed at anyone- just my synapses firing on a Sunday.

Edited January 8, 2017 by M016576

[201er]

4 minutes ago, M016576 said:

the psychology of our assessment of who is "good" and who is "bad" as a pilot is both objective and subjective.  It's also only objective in relation to our own experience.  I have never met a pilot that has told me, point blank, "I am a below average pilot."  I don't think I've ever met one who has even thought that...

Then I guess you haven't met Alan Fox!

As to the rest of your assessment, there is a very big difference between doing things your own way because that is a way you meticulously crafted vs being flat out negligent! There's not using a checklist and then there's forgetting stuff you intended to do because you didn't use one.

[cliffy]

I was taught almost 55 years ago (just a couple of months away)